After almost 20 years of providing Vancouver with elegant and approachable award-winning cuisine, West Restaurant and Bar announced today that it will be closing for good when its lease expires at the end of December.
To commemorate the closure as well as its storied history as one of Vancouver’s premier dining destinations, West Restaurant executive chef Bobby Milheron and restaurant director Owen Knowlton plan to host a lineup of collaborative alumni dinners with various special guest appearances from now until the end of December.
“West has been so honoured to play such an integral role in the city’s vibrant restaurant community,” said Michael Doyle, president of Toptable Group. “Home to so much talent over the years, including David Hawksworth, Thierry Busset, and Sabrine Dhaliwal–just to name a few–we are proud of, and grateful to all of the amazing men and women who have contributed to our success, including being named Vancouver Magazine’s Restaurant of the Year.”
Though the sudden announcement comes as a relative shock to the international culinary community, the Toptable Group is looking forward to the future with multiple auxiliary expansions expected to open in the coming months.
“Looking forward, Toptable Group is slated in two weeks to launch Oceans, a locally and globally-sourced seafood restaurant in New York,” Toptable revealed in a press release. “In addition, expansion of the group includes a Victoria opening with executive chef Kristian Eligh at the helm for next spring and a second Thierry Cafe location in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, as well as a new exciting concept for the Five Bentall Centre on Burrard Street.
West Restaurant and Bar is inviting former patrons back for a final goodbye before the last dinner service on December 31. Reservations can be made online or by phone.
