The new location of La Mezcaleria hosted its first friends and family services over the weekend in Gastown. Michelle and I sat for the first of them and were impressed by the transformation of the interior (formerly Nicli’s Next Door) and the balanced menu of new and familiar items. While it shares a similar aesthetic as the original La Mezcaleria on The Drive, it’s definitely it’s own thing with its own distinct look and feel. Here are the basics on the spot from when Scout broke the news about the place back at the start of March.
La Mezcaleria – one of the better restaurants on Commercial Drive – is coming to Gastown. They signed the deal for the Nicli’s Next Door space at 68 East Cordova today, and are going to start work on transforming it into the second location of La Mezcaleria straight away. I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with the place. Marcelo Ramirez had just returned from a buying trip in Mexico yesterday when I met up with him and co-owner Ignacio Arrieta at the space yesterday afternoon. He happily gushed about the handmade tiles from Guadalajara he’d secured and talked excitedly about the light fixtures he was aiming for (apparently designed by famed Mexican aesthete Luis Barragan). The animated conversation reminded me of when we first talked about them opening on Commercial Drive a few years ago. “It’s going to be different that the first place,” Marcelo told me. “We don’t want to be a chain. It’s like we will have two children, each with their own personality.”
They’re going to continue with soft services this week and expect to fully open to the public on Tuesday, July 12th. They’re also expecting a few finishing touches on the interior (eg. art!), so when you look inside via the images below, know that it’s only 90% there. The food and drink, however, taste as done and delicious as they look.
There are 0 comments