Gastown’s highly lauded L’Abattoir restaurant is celebrating their 13th anniversary this year. One way that they’re marking this impressive feat is by bringing in a bunch of their finest, most talented industry friends for a new series of collaboration events spread over the five months ahead, kicking off this Sunday (June 11th) with a bar takeover by L’Abattoir alumni, Shaun Layton (Como Taperia).

Layton was L’Abattoir’s opening Bar Manager back in 2010, and if you were kicking around the restaurant scene at that time then you know what a huge impact that opening team had on the culinary identity of Vancouver. If you are newer to the city and can’t remember a time without L’Abattoir: lucky you! But don’t let that stop you from slipping back in time to catch a glimpse of how the magic started out… For this weekend’s one-evening-only ‘Homecoming’ stint, Layton be revisiting those early career days by posting up behind the bar from 5-7pm, mixing up classic L’Abattoir cocktails from ‘back in the day’ – including his own invention and menu staple, the Avocado Gimlet.

Wait, it gets better: this Sunday is also the first day you can enjoy L’Abattoir’s new-retro three-course Prix Fixe menu at its OG 2010 pricing of just $75 (plus tax and grats). Find out more.

Keep in mind that seats at the bar are up-for-grabs the day-of only, so if working your way through the cocktail menu and seeing Layton close-up and in full-on bartender mode are your primary motivations (you’re probably not the only one), then arriving early is a no-brainer. Prefer to settle in for a double-whammy of dinner and cocktails and be one of the first to taste the new (old) menu? Reservations can (and should) be made HERE.

L'Abattoir

Neighbourhood: Gastown

217 Carrall St.

604-568-1701

WEBSITE