King Taps' two-storey waterfront flagship restaurant in North Vancouver is opening soon — here's a first look
Two years ago, we reported that King Taps would be opening a two-storey flagship store in North Vancouver at the Lonsdale Quay Market. Since then, we’ve been waiting on pins and needles to check out the new restaurant. Now, we finally got an update, alongside a sneak peek inside.
This new location will mark King Taps’ third in B.C., with its others found in Kelowna and another in Langley. However, this new location is the closest to Vancouver yet.
During our visit to King Taps Lonsdale Quay, we had the chance to chat with the General Manager of this new location, Johnnie Walker, about the design of the space, the history of King Taps in North Vancouver, and just when people will be able to dine at this new North Vancouver hot spot (spoiler warning: it’s soon).
What is King Taps?
For those unfamiliar, King Taps is a relatively new brand under the Cactus Restaurant Group that opened its first location in Toronto back in 2017. And for those who don’t know, Cactus Club got its start in North Vancouver on Pemberton Avenue all the way back in 1988.
Because of this, Walker said that this feels more like a homecoming than an entirely new restaurant, despite this being the first King Taps location in North Vancouver.
“People inside the organization are very excited to get back into the North Vancouver market where it all started,” said Walker.
As for why people should be excited about King Taps, Walker said that the restaurant is fun and cool at the same time. “I think we stick the landing on being a place where everyone’s going to have a great time,” he said.
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Space
Walker said that they built this King Taps, as well as all of its other locations, as a place that feels like home.
“It’s a place where you can hang out, but it’s also a place that you can come for a date or for a special occasion. It’s a really comfortable space where you can hang out until last call,” he said.
The new location features two floors, two patios, two bars, and so upwards of twelve T.V.s for all your sports viewing pleasure, as well as projectors that’ll come up and down for big games.
The bottom floor features a huge bar in the middle of the space with seating all around. There’s also a section further back in the restaurant for those wanting a quieter and more relaxed evening away from all the commotion. There will also be a patio on the bottom floor that was under construction during our visit.
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But for us, the draw of the new location was the upstairs and its stunning view of the water and Vancouver. We can only imagine how gorgeous it looks during golden hour.
Upstairs features huge windows that will open during the warmer months alongside a covered patio, meaning you can enjoy patio season all year long.
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Food and drink
King Taps is arguably best known for its pizza, something that Walker told us took a long time to perfect.
“A friend of mine spent a full calendar year working on the pizza dough recipe as a full-time job, and we’re really proud of the final product,” said Walker. “I think pizza is the world’s favourite food, and I think ours is just a wonderful expression of it.”
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Additionally, Walker added that, like all of King Tap’s other locations, this one will highlight local beer.
“Vancouver is very well known for having some of the best craft beer in the world, so we’re going to have a lot of them on the menu,” he said.
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Once open, this location will offer brunch on weekends and holidays, as well as lunch and dinner service alongside what Walker said is a “stacked happy hour.”
An exact opening date for King Taps Lonsdale Quay has yet to be announced, but we’re promised that you’ll be able to visit soon. If you can’t wait until then, you can visit King Taps’ newly opened Willowbrook location, which opened on April 3.
King Taps Lonsdale Quay
Address: 123 Carrie Cates Ct., North Vancouver
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