Fake TV cafe to become a real restaurant
A West Broadway commercial space that played the role of a fake coffee shop in the comedy series Sunnyside is slated to become a real restaurant.
In 2014 and 2015, the main floor of the three-storey block at the intersection of Sara Avenue and Langside Street was the setting for Dark Roast, the fictional cafe from Sunnyside, a Citytv series shot in Wolseley and West Broadway.
Pedestrians often tried the door and occasionally wandered in, hoping to encounter a real restaurant. The former Winnipegger who owns the block is now planning to open a real cafe — with a liquor license.
"We're really excited to have all the people who pressed their faces against the window to come inside," said Ryan Armstrong in an interview from Victoria, B.C.
On Wednesday, city hall's Board of Adjustment will consider a plan for an 800-square-foot restaurant inside the space, serving as many as 30 people, as well as a patio out back with 28 seats.
Due to the block's presence on a side street in a residential neighbourhood, the plan calls for the patio to close at 10 p.m. from Sundays to Thursdays and at 11 p.m. on weekends.
While Armstrong originally hoped to open a pizza joint within the space, its small size means the restaurant may wind up serving some other form of fare.
"We had to let the space dictate what's happening," he said, adding pizza ovens take up a lot of room.
The report to the board recommends approval of the plan, given that the proposed restaurant "is intended to serve the local neighbourhood."
Armstrong said he needs to jump through a number of other regulatory hoops before he can announce an opening date.
