Inside 'di Beppe' -- Opening Soon in Gastown

The latest project from the Kitchen Table group (see also Pizzeria Farina, Joe Pizza, St. Lawrence, Pourhouse, Ask For Luigi) is inching closer to launch in Gastown.

di Beppe (Italian for “Joe’s” — Beppe being the Italian diminutive of Giuseppe, or “Joseph”) will be a restaurant within a restaurant, really, as it shares the same address as Joe Pizza on the corner of West Cordova and Carrall in Gastown (2 West Cordova). They’ve essentially subdivided the voluminous interior by creating a Palladio-esque archway and installing a big picture window to the right of Joe Pizza’s cash register. Put in another way: Joe Pizza is giving up most of its seats.

I won’t go too much into detail with regards to the interior design because I know next to nothing of it and it’s still very much a work in progress (with branding/identity from Glasfurd & Walker). However, there’s no paper on the windows so anyone who walks by can see the seven seat bar, the 60’s Ferrari racing livery motifs, the new floor, the four hightop deuces, the antique light fixtures, the changed banquette upholstery, the pair of roll-top booths, the Baretta moped and the fresh table tops made of wood reclaimed from the lanes at New West’s Lucky Strike bowling alley. None of it is a secret. Nor is it a renovation, per se. It’s more of a set dressing.

As far as the concept goes, di Beppe will offer approachable and familiar Italian food. I haven’t seen a menu yet but I know it’s being created by talented Ask For Luigi chef de cuisine Letitia Wan. I’ve heard talk of pastas with sauce options and a type of pizza that’s different from Farina’s and the al taglio stuff offered at Joe Pizza, but I’ll leave it at that until I see more words on paper. For drinks, expect a red-forward wine list with taps for five beers, a prosecco, a cider and a lambrusco, plus a classic Italian espresso program.

We’ll have more as opening day in November nears. In the meantime, take a look at the progress within…