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The makeover of the district’s derelict industrial shipyards is part of the magic of a blossoming food destination
Exploring the restaurants that bring Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods to life.
Lolo Lane, a tiny alleyway off East First and Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver, feels like the threshold between two worlds: the ordinary and the magical.
Inside Cream Pony, the colourful, bright space local residents gather at terrazzo tables to share doughnuts, fried chicken, sweet tea and talk.
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“We knew our friends would come when we opened four years ago,” said Alix Finn. “What we didn’t know was how many new friends we would make.”
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Cream Pony was the dream of Finn’s mother, Erin Smith, who began baking doughnuts in her North Shore kitchen during the pandemic.
Smith, who grew up in North Van, dreamed of opening the kind of spot she went to growing up in the neighbourhood: something funky, intimate and nostalgic, that wouldn’t just serve food. It would be a community gathering place.
“She had the vision,” said Finn. “She opened in 2021 and there were lineups out the door.”
Smith was working from 4 a.m. every day just to keep up. They were so successful that Finn quit her teaching job and joined her mother behind the counter. The duo opened a second location in March on Main Street.
Cream Pony serves brioche doughnuts, buttermilk fried chicken, and dreams. “People in North Vancouver are participating in this dream,” said Finn. “It’s a hopeful experience for everyone. They share their dreams with us.”
They knew that opening a small restaurant in the Lower Lonsdale area was a gamble. The area has boomed since the redevelopment of the Shipyards district, which over the past decade has transformed the area into a destination for residents and tourists.
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Many new restaurants are part of established groups and chains: Tap and Barrel, Joey’s, Nook, Earnest Ice Cream, Lee’s Donuts, and Browns Social House have all crossed the water and set up shop among long-time popular spots like Fishworks, which opened in 2009, old-time favourite Jägerhof Restaurant, and the OG, Greek restaurant Anatoli Souvlaki.
While densification may have driven rents, for Finn and Smith, the makeover of the area derelict industrial shipyards to hip destination zone is part of the magic.
“We welcome the growth. It’s done great things for our business,” said Finn.
Iani Makris, who owns Anatoli Souvlaki with his brother Alexi, couldn’t agree more. The restaurant has grown to 130 seats since 1984 when their parents Thomas and Helen opened its doors with just a few tables.
“My mother has been talking about Lower Lonsdale as the place to be for restaurants for decades,” said Makris. “It finally came to be.”
Not so long ago, the picture was different.
“When my family opened Anatoli’s, there was nothing down there,” said Makris, who joined the family business as a dishwasher, became sous chef and finally, with Alexi, bought his parents out, and expanded with locations in Yaletown and Gastown.
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“In 1993, Lower Lonsdale was the least desirable neighbourhood in North Vancouver,” said former mayor Darrell Mussatto. “It just wasn’t nice.”
The shipyards that occupied the waterfront had closed, and left behind derelict abandoned buildings just as North Vancouver was becoming an attractive place to raise families. Lonsdale Quay market opened in 1986, the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier opened in 2010, but something vital was missing.
The city didn’t have a centre.
“Shipbuilding was on its way out and we started looking at that area,” said Mussatto, who served for 25 years in municipal government, including 13 years as mayor before stepping down in 2018.
“We had to change the zoning first,” said Mussatto.
A proposal for a 30-storey tower was tossed out after community outcry, and gentler density, with lower heights was introduced. A Friday Night market at the quay proved wildly popular.
Current Mayor Linda Buchanan said it was important to honour the waterfront’s maritime tradition, and preserve its history, which they did by anchoring the Museum of North Vancouver in the Shipyards, but they needed businesses that would be open after 6 p.m. That meant restaurants.
In 2019, Buchanan supported zoning changes to establish the Shipyards brewery district in the industrial area east of St. Georges Avenue, along East Esplanade and First Street, which has thrived, as have the big upscale casual dining options on the waterfront like Joeys, King Taps and Tap and Barrel where guests enjoy spectacular views.
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“It’s is about gathering and social connections, but it’s also about jobs and boosting our local economy. We envision that bringing a $10 million boost,” said Buchanan.
The Shipyards redevelopment has won several awards, including the Excellence on the Waterfront award and a B.C. Economic Development Award, and become a destination for foodies with its wide array of options.
For the Makris family, retaining the cosy family ambience, complete with old photos on the wall and a fireplace, and the dedication to fresh Greek food has been a key to maintaining their success in a location that now competes with the heavy hitters serving elevated pub food that occupy the prime waterfront locations in the Shipyards.
Anatoli’s draws their fair share of tourists (they have a 50-seat patio in summer), but still has a core group of community members for whom it is home. It’s not unusual for regulars to order its famous avgolemono soup when they are in hospital, said Iani.
Summers are booming, and the Shipyards Christmas market brings some 10,000 people to the area daily.
“We feel blessed to be here,” said Makris. “My mother was right.”
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Location: Lonsdale Avenue from Carrie Cates Ct. at the waterfront to Third Street.
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Number of restaurants and food options: 55 (more if you explore the streets east and west of Lonsdale Avenue)
What are the options for parking?
The area has several parking lots, including underground parking at Lonsdale Quay at 123 Carrie Cates Court, and plentiful paid street parking. But the area is designed to be walkable and is easily accessible by transit.
What are Metro Vancouver’s Eat Streets?
This article is part one of a series highlighting Metro Vancouver’s must-visit Eat Streets. With the goal of celebrating — and maybe even introducing you to — stretches of community around the region that have a notable concentration of local food businesses. Know of a great Eat Street in your community? Let us know where. Email us at artslife@vancouversun.com.
Read about more of Metro Vancouver’s Eat Streets:
• Eat Streets: A United Nations of cuisine on Vancouver’s Victoria Drive
• Eat Streets: Langley City’s one-way a hub of local food
• Eat Streets: Delta and Surrey unite over food on this stretch of Scott Road
• Eat Streets: Comfort food served Hong Kong-style at Richmond’s Empire Centre
• Eat Streets: There’s now a world of flavours on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive
Bookmark THIS PAGE to read the latest instalment every Wednesday.
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Source: vancouversun.com
