Les Faux Bourgeois moves into new ownership this spring, with Gaia House (Nammos, Selene, Ama) taking over the longstanding and well-loved neighbourhood bistro.

Don’t panic! The name is staying the same. The room is too. And the menu will continue to centre on French bistro standards. Andreas Seppelt, who built the place over nearly two decades, is even expected to remain on the floor. In a city that often treats continuity as optional, that alone reads as a clear position.

“There’s a strong identity here,” says co-owner Yianni Kerasiotis. “Our role is not to reinvent it, but to steward its legacy while still bringing something fresh to the table.” That more or less says it. They’re not coming in to rewrite the place. It’s about keeping what works and building on it. Alongside his brother Petro, Yianni seems clear on that line and is sticking to it.

The space has a logic that would be hard to improve by interference. A long bar runs the length of the room, red leather stools set in a steady row. Tables are compact, placed close but not carelessly. Tiled floors and wood surfaces that show use without apology. Though the team is working with a local design firm to make a few subtle adjustments, the broader read holds: a room that has been worked in, not staged. Chalkboards, polished wood, that familiar burnt caramel tone. It will remain simple, and continue to feel ‘French’.

In the kitchen, David Cassese and Brent Thornton take over with a similar approach: subtle adjustments, with clear respect for the history. Both bring a classical French background (Thornton from Is That French and Cassese, who most recently cooked at Michelin-starred Restaurant Sat Bains, as well as Joe Beef, and Alo, comes up through that tradition in a serious way).

In a recent press release, I read a line from Cassese that I liked. Reflecting on his years of experience (he’s been in the game since the age of 14) he said, “I’m still madly in love with cooking.” It made me smile. That kind of mad love tends to show up in a nice way on the plate, and it’ll be interesting to see how both chefs balance respect for the institution while still putting their own point of view into it.

As I understand it, we’ll see steak frites, beef tartare, escargots en cocotte, and a proper pâté en croûte courtesy of Le Petit Chapeau, alongside bigger offerings such as Steak Frites with Heston fries and Duck Bordelaise. A new raw bar enters the picture as well, bringing oysters, prawns, Dungeness crab, and mussels escabèche into the fold. In short: the structure stays classical, with a closer look at local sourcing. It reads as an extension, not a reset.

Alongside the existing wine program, a new cocktail list is coming in under beverage director Dylan Riches. Bistro-adjacent, but with a bit more range. Think pastis built with elderflower, martinis with a savoury edge, highballs that pull from the kitchen.

This is a neighbourhood restaurant with a following that doesn’t need convincing. The Gaia House approach reflects that. No overhaul, no attempt to recast it as something else. A steady continuation, with a few deliberate adjustments where they count. Doors are open. See you there.

Les Faux Bourgeois

Neighbourhood: Fraserhood

663 E. 15th Ave.

604-873-9733

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