The former location of the Courtyard Restaurant is no longer sitting empty as work begins to transform the space into a taproom and event space that will retain the charm of the historic property.
Beyond the Pale Brewing Co., which has been brewing beers in Ottawa since 2012, has signed a lease with the National Capital Commission and last week began the process of restoring the space.
“We’re lucky in a way that everybody else has treated it as a heritage building in their construction,” co-owner and brewmaster Shane Clark told OBJ during a tour of the property. “They haven’t made giant holes in the brick. They haven’t cut into any of that structure. It’s been maintained. So really, for us, it’s just removing the years of buildup and cables and layers and layers of drywall and flooring.”
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Beyond the Pale currently runs a taproom in the City Centre complex. The new space in the ByWard Market, which will be the company’s second location, will also feature a restaurant and an event space for parties and weddings.
The construction team, which has only been at work for about seven days, is currently in the process of removing the more dated elements, like the old bars and fireplaces, and exposing all the old bricks and wooden beams.
Clark said the goal is to capture the old tavern feel of the space.
Menu testing begins next week but Clark declined to share any sneak peeks. He said they’ve brought in chef Rich Wilson of Beckta Group to run the show.
“He’s coming over as our head chef here and he’s a rock star,” Clark said. “He’s not going to be doing fine dining – that’s not Beyond the Pale’s MO. We’ll be doing a little more stripped-down, casual fare. We’re trying to hit a price point that’s not really available in this section of the Market and have food that pairs well with beer.”
He added that the plan is to keep the restaurant open for both lunch and dinner, as well as late-night service.
The previous tenants left behind plenty of items that Clark plans to continue using, from furniture to cookware and kitchen equipment.
There were also some “wonderful gems” that will be displayed around the property to honour the building’s more than 100-year heritage, he said.
“We found a big filing cabinet full of old permit drawings from many of the buildings around here as they were altered throughout the years,” he said. “All sorts of fun things, along with photographs and negatives from York Street and Sussex (Drive), all through the early 1900s. There’s a lot of history that we’re pulling out of this place.”
The historic building has been sitting empty since the end of February when the French-inspired Courtyard Restaurant called it quits after 40 years in its ByWard Market location.
Beyond the Pale has partnered with Anish Mehra, owner of East India Company Restaurants, and his brothers on the management of the operation.
According to Clark, conversations about leasing the space started a week after the Courtyard Restaurant announced its closure.
“We’ve been looking for another location,” he said. “We really wanted something that could be our landmark location. It was actually the guys from the East India Company who brought this to us and we committed to it pretty quickly. We fell in love the second we walked in.”
Clark said they originally hoped to open over the summer, but negotiating a lease with the NCC took longer than expected. Now, they’re hoping to be operational sometime in November.
The taproom isn’t the only new restaurant in the area. Just across the courtyard, a new establishment called Dark Fork will open its doors this fall, promising to give diners “a chance not only to sample the establishment’s extensive menu but also to experience a taste — literally — of life as a visually impaired person,” said the owners in a news release.
There are also plans for Live Nation to build a new music venue in the old Chapters building across the street, which Clark said he hopes puts the ByWard Market on the upswing.
“We’re excited for the Market to turn around again,” said Clark. “There’s a lot of good things down here and I think it’s just a matter of getting people out again, giving people an option that’s not too expensive. We’re hoping to kind of start to draw people, not just from the Market area who live down here, but have people bother to come downtown and have some fun with us.”
The Courtyard Restaurant served dinner for the final time on Feb. 27 following a hasty closing announcement that left many wedding plans in the lurch.
“It has been a pleasure being of service to all of you throughout the years,” the restaurant said in an Instagram post at the time. “To our loyal guests, thank you for your years of support.”
