'A romantic mystery': The story behind Calgary's only champagne and fondue bar
If you’ve passed through Bridgeland, chances are you have noticed the bright pink building on 1st Avenue NE, beside Edmonton Trail. But you may not know that the spot is home to the world’s only bar dedicated to champagne and fondue.
Moonlight & Eli is the brainchild of Mhairi OāDonnell. While the spot is unique in its offerings, the curious story behind its name is just as impressive.
A romantic mystery
View this post on Instagram
OāDonnell, owner of Moonlight & Eli, told Dished that the story of the Bridgeland spot began over a decade ago, when she had been drinking wine and sifting through old photographs with her mom.
“We found a bunch of photographs of my grandmother with this certain man. On all of them, she had written ‘Moonlight & Eli,'” she explained. The photo was labelled Monte Carlo Beach, 1935.
“By 1939, she was married with her first child, to somebody she adored and was with until she died. By all accounts, they had a great love, but her entire life, she had kept these pictures of somebody named Eli.”
O’Donnell’s grandmother had been born in 1915 and passed away in the 60s, so there is no one around to ask about the significance of Eli. “It’s a romantic mystery,” she added.
“I was like, one day I’m going to open a champagne bar and I’m going to call it Moonlight & Eli, because that’s the most romantic thing in the entire world,” O’Donnell said.
And she kept her word, opening Moonlight & Eli in Calgary’s Bridgeland neighbourhood in July 2019. In fact, the spot’s logo is still in O’Donnell’s grandmother’s handwriting.
The world’s only champagne and fondue bar
Charlie Hart/Dished
According to O’Donnell, Moonlight & Eli may be the only spot in the world solely dedicated to champagne and fondue.
“If there is one, we can’t find it. We think we’re the only ones,” she said.
O’Donnell added that she is a “champagne fanatic,” but as the wine-making world is largely a male-dominated field, champagne is one of the main exceptions, fueling her interest in the product.
“Champagne is the one little niche that is heavily women. It’s historically been run by widows,” she explained.
Moonlight & Eli is also a female-owned business, based on the story of a woman; therefore, the combination was the perfect match for the 371-square-foot space. For O’Donnell, fondue was the natural partner to serve alongside its selection of champagnes, chambongs, and sparkling wines.
“It’s a communal way of eating. There are fun rules about it, like if you drop bread in, you have to buy the next round, or you have to kiss the person on your right,” she said.
“It’s such a rich food, and then sparkling wine and champagne cut your palate and make the cheese not so heavy. They worked really well together.”
TikTok Fame
In recent months, Moonlight & Eli has been plagued with issues. Firstly, ongoing construction work in Bridgeland caused major disruption outside the premises, leading the bar to offer bottomless fondue to those willing to make the journey.
O’Donnell even shared videos of her sharing fondue with the construction workers outside.
View this post on Instagram
“The feedback we’ve had has been phenomenal. Like, what a fun journey,” she said.
Most recently, O’Donnell posted that the restaurant’s business accounts had appeared to have been fraudulently drained.
Alongside the Bridgeland space, O’Donnell also operates a smaller Killarney spot, Var Bar, so next time you’re in the mood for champagne and cheese, both spots are well worth a visit.
Moonlight & Eli
Address: 627 1st Ave. NE, Calgary
Still hungry? DiscoverĀ Dished Calgary on TikTok