The GOODS from Pluvio

Ucluelet, BC | The restaurant doors at Pluvio restaurant + rooms will be reopening on Friday, May 29th, 2020, with accommodations available from June 15th, 2020.

As with almost every restaurant in the country, and the world, Pluvio restaurant + rooms closed on March 18th due to covid-19. Located in the remote coastal community of Ucluelet, on Vancouver Island’s Wild West Coast, Pluvio remained closed for just over two months in order to best protect their community. The team at Pluvio, headed by Western Living’s ‘Foodies of the Year 2020’ Chef Warren Barr and Lily Verney Downey, found new ways to stay engaged with their community during this time as they continued to bake bread for the local food bank and put on some fun pop-ups, such as ‘Chef Barr’s Side Door Fried Chicken Drive Thru’ and ‘Mama Pluvio’s Front Stoop Doughnut Shack’, which were a huge hit with the locals. Whilst it was great to try something new, the team at Pluvio is excited to get back to doing what they do best, which is offering a unique dining experience celebrating the best local products and natural elements of Ucluelet and Vancouver Island. 

Pluvio restaurant will be reopening as an intimate (yet spacious) 18 seat restaurant, with limited reservations available for either their seasonal three course menu or Chef Barr’s five course tasting menu. The three course menu allows guests to create their own story by choosing from a selection of appetizers, main courses and desserts (beginning, middle and end) over a period of around an hour and a half. For those with a sense of adventure or looking to treat themselves, the Chef’s tasting menu is a culinary exploration of the best local ingredients and is designed to be enjoyed over a longer, two and a half hour dining time. At this time, reservations are strongly recommended due to limited availability and the restaurant is not currently able to accommodate parties larger than six or those looking to enjoy a snack or a meal to share. The three course menu will be available for takeout, which is a great option for guests looking for a more casual experience or to sit down on the dock and watch the sunset whilst sharing with loved ones.

The team has been working hard on their covid-19 safety plan and has many new measures in place to best protect their guests, their community and themselves. Chef Barr says that whilst things will be a little different upon reopening, “Our mission statement when we opened Pluvio was ‘We aim to charm + delight our guests, and each other, through kindness, generosity, creativity and fun.’. This is as true now as it has ever been, and with the right safety measures in place we are focusing on finding ways to continue to offer an exceptional experience, just maybe from a little further away and from behind a mask or barrier!”.

For guests travelling from further afield or looking to treat themselves to an unforgettable experience, Pluvio has a small boutique hotel tucked in behind the restaurant, beside their kitchen garden. Located in the heart of the fishing village of Ucluelet, Pluvio is perfectly situated to explore Ucluelet, the Wild Pacific Trail, Broken Group Islands, Pacific Rim National Park and Tofino. The rooms will be reopening exclusively to Vancouver Island residents from June 1st – 14th , “to ease the community back in to welcoming guests” according to Pluvio’s co-owner and GM Lily, before opening on June 15th . With outside access and a private balcony for each room, they are ideal for physical distancing. For those wanting a more intimate dining experience or looking to minimize their contact with other humans, the restaurant is offering their three course menu for contactless in room dining. It’s not often that you get to enjoy dinner from the 4th Best New Restaurant in Canada in your pyjamas but these are unusual times.

‘Pluvio’ comes from the word ‘pluviophile’, which means ‘a lover of rain, or someone who finds joy and peace of mind on rainy days’. As Lily says; ‘this is a storm that none of us can hide from so we must all learn to dance in the rain’!

For reservations and guest information please visit: https://www.pluvio.ca.

Pluvio Restaurant (Ucluelet)

Region: The Islands

1714 Peninsula Rd., Ucluelet

250-726-7001

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