Two local eateries are taking over high-profile vacant spots in the ByWard Market area and are expected to be up and running later this month.
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Two local eateries are taking over high-profile vacant spots in the ByWard Market area and are expected to be up and running later this month.
Lizardo Becerra, the chef-owner behind Raphaël Peruvian Cuisine who represented Ottawa at the Canadian Culinary Championship, will open a new venture called Barrio at 115 Rideau St., which was previously occupied by a Pure Kitchen location that closed late last year.
Also in the Market area, Stella Luna Gelato Café is opening a location at 101 York St., the former home of Pub 101.
“The ByWard Market is getting safer and safer. It's getting built up and it’s become a primo destination spot for a lot of people going out,” said Alex Sirois, managing partner of Ottawa Venues, which is a partner of both businesses.
In both cases, Sirois said the decision to open a new location was “a crime of opportunity.”
“These spaces became available and we thought they were great spaces,” he said. “The Pure Kitchen space is beautiful and we’ve made a lot of changes but the footprint was great. It’s just such an iconic corner of the Market. And for Pub 101, we’ve pulled out the bar and all the furniture, bringing in new fixtures. It has a different feel to it. ”
Becerra said the vision for Barrio is completely different from his first restaurant on Elgin Street.
“(At) Raphaël, we operate as a fine dining Peruvian restaurant,” he said. “We bring the best quality seafood and meat and a very high-quality service as well. With Barrio, what we had is an idea where it’s like going to eat at the market in South America.”
The space will be more casual and colourful, he said, showcasing art and street photography, the design taking inspiration from countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba and Peru.
The menu will feature casual fare such as sandwiches and sharing plates, as well popular South American cocktails and dishes, from Cubanos and arepas to choripán and empanadas. The restaurant, which will operate for lunch and dinner, will also feature South American music including live performers.
“We’re very solid at Raphaël; the kitchen knows what they’re doing and they require minimal supervision from me,” said Becerra. “I have the time to keep creating. When I saw that the opportunity was available, that this location was available, we were like, let’s do it.”
Stella Luna previously operated multiple locations across the city but had reduced to just one shop on Bank Street at Sunnyside Avenue by the time Sirois and Jonah Trevor-Deutsch took over the business last year.
Now, with a year of experience with the brand, Trevor-Deutsch said it was the right time to expand and the ByWard Market seemed like a good place to do it.
“There’s lots of places that have been closing down lately, so this space became available,” he said. “It’s a really iconic space. I’ve been working in the industry for a long time, so I know how amazing this Pub 101 space was and we were given the opportunity to go in and take it over.”
Trevor-Deutsch said the gelato shop will take over the building’s first floor and added that the renovations are meant to evoke a European cafe.
“We want to make it an awesome community space and really bring more into the Market,” he said. “We really wanted to be able to do something more for families, to show it’s not just bars and nightlife, but to be able to do more cool things for families and tourists during the day.”
Both businesses plan to be up and running this month, with Stella Luna aiming to open this weekend and Barrio with a tentative soft-launch date of June 11.
