R&B Brewing Co.’s new food primary establishment is imminent on East 4th Avenue, awaiting its opening all clear from the powers that be. The 60 seat Ale & Pizza House is long overdue and I could tell from my walk-through the other day that they are ready and raring to go. If this is the first you’re hearing of it, here’s some background from when we reported on it back in January:

After a turbulent year and sale to Howe Sound, long-time local brewers R&B are coming back with label redux, a wide range of operational/mechanical upgrades, and an 800 sqft food primary restaurant and watering hole called the Ale & Pizza House. Due in February [nope], the 60 seater at 54 East 4th Ave will focus on pizzas, salads, and charcuterie with 12 beers and 2 wines on tap (12, 16, 20 oz pours of the former, plus custom-made barrel stave flights of 4).

I took a look inside yesterday with R&B co-founder Barry Benson (the “B” in R&B), who was like a kid in a candy shop showing me all the new toys. The space is essentially a long, open concept rectangle with a mix of high and low seating running one side of the length and the bar, kitchen, and growler station lining the opposite. The far wall (burgundy in the shots below) is being billed as a “wall of sound” as it’s being stuffed with working analog speakers. It’s great to see more breweries broadening their operations thus. For hours, they’re looking at 10am to 11pm to start. Bonus: 17 seat sidewalk patio!

I think it’s turned out great with lots of nooks and cool details. It definitely stands out from the rest of Vancouver’s brewery-associated eateries in that it looks and feels like it could be someone’s living room in a warehouse loft. To wit, dig the yarn bombed duct/pipe above the bar (done in the colours of the beer/hop rainbow), the wall (and ledge) of speakers, the colour-coordinated books, the fireplace bench from The Sylvia Hotel, the crazy array of different light fixtures (no two are the same, it seems). Cookie cutter it ain’t. It has personality, even when it’s empty of people, which I imagine won’t be the case for too much longer. As mentioned up top, everything is ready. The growler station is open and the kitchen is complete. All they’re waiting for is a final green light. Oh, and their patio, which they’re likely building as I type. Follow them on Twitter to learn of their first service.

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