Look inside Fanny Bay Oyster Bar, opening this week (PHOTOS)

Lindsay William-Ross/Daily Hive

Vancouver Island’s Fanny Bay Oysters are coming to the mainland in a major way, via the seafood company’s first Canadian restaurant, the Fanny Bay Oyster Bar.

The 50-seat full-service restaurant and retail outpost occupies a brand new space at downtown Vancouver’s Hotel Blu at Robson and Cambie, in what’s become known as the city’s Stadium District.

This isn’t the first rodeo, mind you, for the Fanny Bay crew; their American branch, Taylor Shellfish, runs a trio of successful oyster bar restaurants down in Seattle. And the Taylor Shellfish-Fanny Bay crew also happens to be family-run, though there’s just one branch of the tree up in BC at the new restaurant and shop.

The concept is “tide to table,” which places Fanny Bay Oyster Bar in waters very familiar to the “farm to table,” mode of sourcing and eating. Truly unique for the Vancouver market, the Fanny Bay Oyster Bar is the first restaurant that is supplier-run.

Lindsay William-Ross/Daily Hive

In addition to table seating for brunch, lunch, happy hour, and dinner service, customers can belly up to the bar, where they can watch champion oyster shucking in action. In addition to raw bar selections, the restaurnt will be serving up chowders and salads, seafood-centric small plates and mains (think Fish & Chips, an Oyster Po’Boy, crabcakes and more). For brunch it’s familiar morning classics with a fisherman’s twist: Crabcake Benny, Belgian waffles, and a seafaring riff on fried chicken and waffles, featuring (you guessed it!) oysters.

A simple menu of house cocktails is on offer, along with local, domestic, and import brews by the bottle or on tap, local ciders, and a mix of BC and global wines.

Those who prefer to do their shucking in the privacy of their own home can scoop up their own basket of fresh oysters (or clams, mussels, and more) from the bubbling tanks located in the market section of the space. You’ll catch some great deals here, with oysters going in the range of 85 cents to just over a dollar apiece, thanks to Fanny Bay being their own supplier. You’ll find full freezers and fridges of packaged seafood goods, too, to take the tide to your own table at home.

Fanny Bay Oyster Bar will open for business on Thursday, June 23, offering lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch right off the bat. They’re still putting a few finishing touches on the space, but we have a few shots from our exclusive first look inside:

Lindsay William-Ross/Daily Hive

Fanny Bay Oyster Bar

Address: 762 Cambie Street, Vancouver
Twitter: @fannybayoysters