Winnipeg Restaurants

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by factis

It could help fill the greasy spoon gap left when papa George’s closed. With that being said, Stella’s would have been a good fit for that spot. The spot they have across the street doesn’t exactly have the best ambiance, especially the tables out in the common area/lobby.

I've thought that for a long time, but I imagine they have an emotional connection to their current Osborne location, as it's the original. It really does stand out though now as not fitting in with their new model. The Grant location as well could use a fix-up.

Also I wouldn't have called Papa George's a greasy spoon as much as it was a shitty Italian/Greek restaurant.

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by buzzg

I've thought that for a long time, but I imagine they have an emotional connection to their current Osborne location, as it's the original. It really does stand out though now as not fitting in with their new model. The Grant location as well could use a fix-up.

Also I wouldn't have called Papa George's a greasy spoon as much as it was a shitty Italian/Greek restaurant.

i think someone on this forum once mentioned that stellas tried to get the ward1 space but got turned down because basil wasn't willing to consider a lease beyond 5 years (?)

[Wpg_Guy]

Thom Bargen coffee & tea
We are thrilled to announce our third location at 365 Main Street opening July! Growing pains are real and sometimes we feel like our heads might explode. Don’t be fooled! We are very excited about this new location. The underground at Portage and Main is a unique spot and we are excited to serve more of Winnipeg’s downtown!🎉

[Wpg_Guy]

Pete's Place restaurant relocation part of recent Osborne Village revitalization
By: Maggie Macintosh
Posted: 05/31/2018 5:25 PM

Pete's Place restaurant is moving to Osborne Village, part of a recent turnaround of vacant storefronts in the neighbourhood.

The owners of the restaurant, which has been a fixture on Main Street for 17 years, signed a lease for an empty building at 135 Osborne St. They plan to open the week before Canada Day, said Peter Vlahos, who was on his way to collect the building's keys during an interview Thursday morning.

The move comes one month after the Free Press reported the Osborne Village BIZ was taking steps to address concerns about a number of vacant storefronts. Since then, Stephanie Meilleur, executive director of the Osborne Village BIZ, said the village is "looking great."

"We've seen, in the last month, some vacancies become leased," she said Thursday. "We actually don't have any vacancies right now that I know of."

A former Second Cup, TD bank, a beauty bar, the old Desart space and the Osborne Village Inn all have new tenants too, and Little Pizza Heaven is expanding, she added.

"I would say that it is on the upswing to a more positive feel, as well as we are launching a lot of our Village Square events. For instance, we did the community clean-up, which was the most successful it's ever been."

Susan Cuvelier, an Osborne Village resident of nine years, said it's "wonderful" to hear a bunch of new leases have been signed in the area, considering she's noticed a bunch of stores closing down over the last few years.

"To see big locations, especially the Second Cup location, and also the location of Pete's Place, getting new tenants is really encouraging. That tells me we're going to maintain the critical mass of businesses that you need to maintain and keep an area vibrant."

However, Cuvelier said that while she noticed rental signs on local storefront windows, the community's dynamic feel has never faded.

"I think it's a very vibrant community, one of the few great walking communities in Winnipeg, and I love living there for that reason.

"I try very hard to frequent the restaurants and businesses in my neighbourhood to keep them in business as much as I can."

Pete's Place is a casual restaurant with dine-in and take-out options. It has typically sold burgers, souvlaki, chicken fingers, soups and salads, said Vlahos, who describes their options as "elevated comfort food" because everything's made from scratch. He added they'll be keeping favourites on the menu, but will be adding some signature burgers.

"I think we're going to have a unique offering for the Village since there's nothing like us there," said Vlahos, who runs the business with his wife Samantha. "We have some Greek dishes, but we don't try to specialize in it or anything. That's my heritage so the flavour profile of the food has a Greek taste to it."

Basil's occupied the restaurant space for years, but it closed when the owner wanted to retire. It was replaced by Black Rabbit, which closed after two years. The last tenant, Ward 1, closed in February after two months in business.

Vlahos said he has no concerns about the turnover that's taken place in the building.

Meilleur said she thinks the previous tenants closed because of inexperience.

"I'm very excited for (Pete's Place) because the owners are established restaurant owners. This isn't their first time around."

The Vlahos' closed their original Pete's Place restaurant on November 10 after 17 years in West Kildonan. They originally planned to move to the Polo Park area at the start of this year but backed out on a lease because the building had extensive water damage.

Basil Lagopoulos was the owner of Basil's. Now, he's the Vlahos' landlord.

"The Village is undergoing a long overdue refreshing rebirth," he wrote in a statement to the Free Press Thursday, adding the rebirth will be "explicitly obvious" by the end of the summer.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bu...484223293.html

[esquire]

^ I get why the people quoted in that story are trying to put a positive spin on things, but come on... I don't know how Pete's Place going into the most prime restaurant spot in Osborne Village could somehow be construed as a big win.

[Tacheguy]

If I lived in the village I would love having Petes Place nearby.

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by WpG_GuY

Thom Bargen coffee & tea
We are thrilled to announce our third location at 365 Main Street opening July! Growing pains are real and sometimes we feel like our heads might explode. Don’t be fooled! We are very excited about this new location. The underground at Portage and Main is a unique spot and we are excited to serve more of Winnipeg’s downtown!������

I'm guessing this is the former stitch city someone had mentioned they had hoarding up at. I saw some hipsters taking photos in there a week back.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by cheswick

I'm guessing this is the former stitch city someone had mentioned they had hoarding up at. I saw some hipsters taking photos in there a week back.

Yup!

--

Very curious to see what all these apparent new leases are in OV... I have an extremely tough time imagining that ~10 prime leases that have been vacant for 6-24 months magically all got scooped up at the same time. Something fishy here.

Trying not to be cynical, but I get this weird feeling it's not true, and a rhetoric is being created to justify the extra foot patrol expenditures. Like "we added foot patrols and within a month every space got leased!"

[esquire]

^ The BIZ and various proponents are putting out feel good spin and the media (WFP in particular) is printing it without question.

I think it's fair to say that we tend to be pretty up on Winnipeg around here, but the Freep is out-boosting this subforum by a long shot when it comes to Osborne Village, and that's saying something.

If the new tenants are all in the calibre of Pete's Place then OV is in trouble. What are the odds that one of them is Money Mart looking for a new location with an impending expropriation looming over their current building?

[ywgwalk]

Also, don't forget that the person being interviewed in the article is currently running for Mayor.

Edit: I'm mistaken here. I think she was just someone that was oft-speculated as being a potential mayoral or council candidate.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ The BIZ and various proponents are putting out feel good spin and the media (WFP in particular) is printing it without question.

I think it's fair to say that we tend to be pretty up on Winnipeg around here, but the Freep is out-boosting this subforum by a long shot when it comes to Osborne Village, and that's saying something.

Yeah, it's just really bizarre considering she was in the paper 2 months ago talking about how drug-infested and awful it is there.

Originally Posted by esquire

If the new tenants are all in the calibre of Pete's Place then OV is in trouble. What are the odds that one of them is Money Mart looking for a new location with an impending expropriation looming over their current building?

Very high.

I'm curious if the new owners of the 2 recently renovated buildings on the west side lowered rents, or maybe just the renos helped – as a big issue before when Basil owned those buildings was the insanely hight rents.

[Wpg_Guy]

One money mart and nine 24-hours gyms to fill all the spaces

[esquire]

Originally Posted by WpG_GuY

One money mart and nine 24-hours gyms to fill all the spaces

And five more Free Press articles quoting the BIZ about how Osborne Village is back and better than ever.

[buzzg]

Appears there’s a parking lane patio being built on Hargrave where the restaurant going in the old 4play back half is going. Must mean opening soon... I got a glimpse in the Portage entrance about a month ago and looked fairly close.

On that note... I had a conversation with someone today about the parking lane patios, and he couldn’t believe that the city allows them due to safety, especially with all the vehicular attacks these days. It’s pretty true that even if by accident, there could be some seriously bad results from collisions with them. Especially on a street like King where ppl are often speeding by. I'm honestly surprised the LGA allows them this way considering you have to cross a public sidewalk to go between licensed areas.

The first year or two that Corrientes had one, they actually had the patio on the sidewalk and the deck was the sidewalk to walk around. Seems like a better idea, as long as they follow accessibility standards, which all the existing ones I’ve seen seem to do.

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by buzzg

On that note... I had a conversation with someone today about the parking lane patios, and he couldn’t believe that the city allows them due to safety, especially with all the vehicular attacks these days. It’s pretty true that even if by accident, there could be some seriously bad results from collisions with them. Especially on a street like King where ppl are often speeding by. I'm honestly surprised the LGA allows them this way considering you have to cross a public sidewalk to go between licensed areas.

How about we just be thankful that we do have them instead of worrying about "what ifs". We still build tall buildings even though planes could be crashed into them.

There are many cities around the world that have similar patios and are capable of transporting open alcohol across a public sidewalk without incident.

Winnipeg would be a much happier place if we replaced one lane of EVERY busy street into a patio where people could enjoy a beer in the sun.

[Authentic_City]

Vehicle attackers can drive up onto sidewalks (like in Toronto), so short of getting rid of sidewalk patios altogether, I'm not sure this is something to be worried about.

[aberrant]

Bubble wrap the entire city.

[Wolf13]

Originally Posted by factis

It could help fill the greasy spoon gap left when papa George’s closed. With that being said, Stella’s would have been a good fit for that spot. The spot they have across the street doesn’t exactly have the best ambiance, especially the tables out in the common area/lobby.

What Stella's should have done is try a more evening/night focused spin on their own brand. Keep the breakfast, but add prairie-esque small plates, more drinks (good ones pls) and explore the late night energy.

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

i think someone on this forum once mentioned that stellas tried to get the ward1 space but got turned down because basil wasn't willing to consider a lease beyond 5 years (?)

That makes zero sense, and would be a strong indicator of why nobody can do business in that spot.

[Ando]

Originally Posted by aberrant

Bubble wrap the entire city.

Or build DreamScape.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Appears there’s a parking lane patio being built on Hargrave where the restaurant going in the old 4play back half is going. Must mean opening soon... I got a glimpse in the Portage entrance about a month ago and looked fairly close.

On that note... I had a conversation with someone today about the parking lane patios, and he couldn’t believe that the city allows them due to safety, especially with all the vehicular attacks these days. It’s pretty true that even if by accident, there could be some seriously bad results from collisions with them. Especially on a street like King where ppl are often speeding by. I'm honestly surprised the LGA allows them this way considering you have to cross a public sidewalk to go between licensed areas.

The first year or two that Corrientes had one, they actually had the patio on the sidewalk and the deck was the sidewalk to walk around. Seems like a better idea, as long as they follow accessibility standards, which all the existing ones I’ve seen seem to do.

UPDATE: it’s a pop up park

https://twitter.com/downtownwpgbiz/s...567601152?s=21