by Andrew Morrison | Despite being an interesting concept, “Mega Ill” – a marijuana-themed pizzeria at 646 Kingsway in the Fraserhood – suffered a name so unappetizing that it was worthy of every hiss of mockery it ever received — eg. “I ate there and got mega ill.” (Though unsurprisingly – if mercifully – short-lived, Mega Ill’s infamy lives on in the few horrible reviews it garnered on Yelp.) Thankfully the future is bright for the address, as a pair of former L’Abattoir employees – server Jeremy Pigeon and barman William Johnson – took possession of the food primary space back in December.

The concept for Crowbar (that’s much better) is pretty straightforward: a casual but capable neighbourhood hangout offering a solid cocktail program backed up by sophisticated snacks prepped by young cooks who like to sit at bars and eat good food. They are “the three Scotts”: Chris Scott (ex-Wildebeest), Scott Downey (ex-Daniel, Noma, Wildebeest), and Scott Korzak (ex-Beach Bay Cafe, L’Abattoir). Expect them to plate a selection of stuff on sticks (“white boy yakitori”), popcorn sweetbreads, and so on – lots of other amuse bouchey things besides. I expect things will be tasty (and we know Will can make a drink).

The interior has come a long way since Mega Ill. The 30 seat bar/dining room still has a long ways to go, but you can get the picture in the gallery below. They’ve clad the walls with wood sourced from an old barn on the Island, and were working on the elaborately boxy back bar system when I came through for a peek late last week. I’m especially looking forward to seeing the faux amber bar top that they’re working on, as well as the Toronto-style, 20 seat backyard patio that I really hope they get City permission for. Cross your fingers on that latter score, and expect to see them open in June.

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