Five years ago this week we took a look inside Scott Hawthorn and Sean Heather’s beer-themed Bitter Tasting Room in the midst of its construction at 18 West Hastings Street in Gastown. It launched a little behind schedule in December of 2011. Heather and Hawthorn sold the restaurant to Lightheart Hospitality last month. It is now known as Darby’s Gastown.

True to the heritage of the building, there are mosaic floors that are in the process of being patched and restored, cool girder beams across the ancient wood-slatted ceilings and lots and lots of gnarly red brick. The back of the space, which funnels to a point like the prow of a ship (sailing toward the Pender gate to Chinatown), will see an 18 seat semi-private room with a flatscreen TV for Canucks games and, typical in Heather ventures, an alleyway entrance for take-out fare. Take a look inside below, and please forgive the shaky camera work as I just got off crutches…

EXPLORE THIS NEIGHBOURHOOD