Winnipeg's Round Table restaurant serves up last meal in May

A long-standing Winnipeg restaurant is shutting its doors but cooking up a new venture.

The Round Table Steakhouse and Pub, which opened in 1973, will serve up its final meals on May 14.

"The Round Table is truly a Winnipeg institution. We have so many regulars who know me, who knew my dad and who know the staff. We're like a family, and it is hard to let that go," said owner Kristjan Kristjanson, who took over the Pembina Highway restaurant from his father Thrainn Kristjansson in January 2010.

"There are great memories here, so I plan to make every day this month feel like a celebration until the doors are closed for the last time."

Kristjansson said it was a hard decision to close, but he's excited to make way for a new restaurant concept slated to take over the Tudor-style building.

"I'm excited to share more about the new concept next month, but for now I want to focus on making these final days a celebration for The Round Table patrons," he said.

Much of the memorabilia and furniture from the Round Table's English pub-inspired decor will be sold off to the public. A silent auction will be online at the Round Table's website until May 14, followed with a live auction on location on May 15.

Construction on the new restaurant will begin immediately after the Round Table's closure, Kristjansson said.