Eastern Block improvements

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This was a huge shopping weekend for Kitsilano businesses and it appears an Eastern block on West 4th is shifting shopping traffic towards Burrard Street. The southside of the 1900 block has been a mish-mash of odd shops for years but some recent additions to the mix & some renovations are making this block destination worthy.

Adrenaline Tattoo Shop has joined Ironhead & Zulu Records while Moulé has expanded to take over the old Urban Barn space. It’s great to see Vancouver-born retail shops prosper in Kits instead of West 4th going the way of the mega-chain. 

In addition to the retail upgrades, this block is now home to two new restaurants and they look like a HUGE upgrade on this block’s cuisine. Fuel Restaurant is taking over the old Arian House of Kebabs location and its black awning is already generating some buzz. Fuel’s chef spent time at Victoria’s iconic Rebar as well as stints at The Aerie Resort (the best resort in North America according to this year‘s Travel & Leisure Magazine) and The French Laundry in Napa. Impressive CV.

Next door you’ll find Gastropod open for business already. Chef Angus An’s awesomely named 50 seater has already elevated Kits foodie profile and critics are taking notice (Stainsby, Gill, and Morrison). An trained at Jean Georges’ celebrated New York restaurant, JoJo, and at Montreal’s Restaurant Toqué. The space looks great and I’ll be reporting back on dinner soon.

Last modified: December 9, 2008

2 Responses to " Eastern Block improvements "

  1. Walrus says:

    Love zulu’s… dangerous when I go in there because I always spend around 30-100 bucks in there.

    They need a coffee bar and a washroom though! Same goes for all record stores. I’ve left stores without buying because nature calls….

    Anyway I agree… nice to see kits not changing too much.