A family-run dosa restaurant is opening its third location, and showcase space, in just a few weeks as the finishing touches are being completed on a space in downtown Vancouver.
A House of Dosas sign is already up at 1188 Davie St., the former home of Dosa and Curry. Plans are to open the location in mid-January, says co-owner Say Kesavan, who has high hopes for the new spot specializing in South Indian savoury crepe-like foods.
"This is going to be our flagship location so we're making it really beautiful inside," he tells Vancouver Is Awesome. "There are a lot of [dishes] we've always wanted to try and expand on our menu, so this is where we start."
Among those new things is a new cocktail program.
"There will be really unique cocktails, really close to South India; not many people have done that just yet," Kesavan says.
The new location will also be open 24/7, he adds.
There's an effort to make sure the new House of Dosas is connected to the community it's opening in. One way they're doing that is with a permanent rainbow sign; another is by collaborating with the owner of Dosa and Curry for several months as the new restaurant gets going.
It's actually because of Dosa and Curry that House of Dosas is moving into the Davie location. While the original House of Dosas has been at the corner of Knight and Kingsway for nearly 20 years, they only recently expanded, opening a South Surrey location in June 2023.
They didn't have plans to open a third right away, but Kesavan says the owner of Dosa and Curry let them know his former business was leaving and the space would be available.
"We didn't have too many plans to expand this quickly, but it came up and we were like, 'It's a good opportunity,'" he says.
The last of the renovations are almost done, he adds.
"It needs a lot of love," Kesavan says of the interior. "Because we've had that Kingsway location for a long time, there are some things we're really picky on how it should be done, like the kitchen setup."
He says staff have been involved in the design, to make sure it works well.
UPDATE MAY 23, 2024: House of Dosas opens June 1.
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