PAX ROMANA REDUX: VANCOUVER’S IONIAN HOSPITALITY GROUP BRINGS BACK BELOVED PAX ROMANA TAPAS BAR TO NEW HOME IN LITTLE ITALY
Beloved Intimate, Mediterranean-Styled Tapas Bar That Closed in July Set to Officially Re-Open At The Corner of Commercial Drive and Graveley Street on Friday, November 6
The Ionian Hospitality Group (IHG)has announced it will revive its popular East Vancouver Tapas Bar Pax Romana and bring it to a new home in the heart of Vancouver’s Little Italy beginning Friday, November 6.
The original Pax Romana opened in 2023 and quickly became a favourite of the city’s dining scene thanks to a warm and intimate room with ambiance to spare, tapas bar-styled menu showcasing small bites and sharing plates, and an extensive list of wines, cocktails and aperitivi before closing this past July. It now finds its new home behind IHG’s Loula’s Taverna, and will be open Thursday to Sunday (Thursday and Sunday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. to 12 a.m., with its own dedicated entryway in the alley at the corner of Commercial Drive and Graveley Street.
The ambiance and Mediterranean-focused menu are not the only aspects from the original Pax Romana that will migrate to the new spot in Loula’s — many of the same team will also return to the fold, including Head Chef George Lesnerand, Bar Manager Prateek Balraj, while local artist Adeline Poufong has adorned the walls of the new space with a mural that is reminiscent of the former Pax Romana and reinstates the sense of timelessness, romance and cheekiness that was so much a part of the charm of the original Pax Romana.
“That feeling of the familiar neighbourhood bar where guests have a sort of kinship with a bartender who can observe the entire room was one of the best features of the original Pax Romana, and one we wanted to preserve in the new space,” says Balraj.
Balraj will continue to hold court and keep his guests in fine spirits with a list of signature cocktails such as the Pax Negroni (aged rum, Campari, medium cream sherry), Pax Martini (Sheringham gin, Tanqueray, rose vermouth, fino sherry), and Pax Espresso Martini (brown butter fat washed dark rum, crème de cacao, Kailua, espresso) as well as takes on classic cocktails that include the Martini and Tonic (Tanqueray, Greek vermouth, Casa Mariol, Fino, olive brine, tonic), Fernet Highball (Fernet Branca, amaro Etna, cherry cola, lemon), Naked and Famous (mezcal, Aperol, Drambuie, lemon), Rebujito (fino, Amontillado, lemon, lime, simple syrup, mint) and more.
Lesner’s menu will remain Mediterranean-focused and seasonally inspired and feature new dishes as well as former favourites from the original site, including:
- Tangerine Olives (Gordial, Manzanilla, Campesino), $10;
- Patatas Bravas (fingerling potatoes, bravas sauce, truffle Manchego, fried herbs, aioli), $14;
- Basque Cheesecake (rotating fruit soaked in spirits, sweetgrass syrup, apricots, rose Chantilly, milk crumble, fried roses), $15;
- Arancini (cultivated mushrooms, onion, truffle oil, balsamic, truffle Manchego, pink peppercorn aioli), $18;
- Insalata di Ceci (chickpeas, cucumber, smoked eggplant, red onions, tangerine olives, tahini vinaigrette), $18;
- Gambas (prawns, Calabrian chili, black pepper, butter, Livia bread), $19;
- Couscous & Baby Scallops (maftoul, scallops, caviar, pomegranate, chives, puffed quinoa, lemon, bravas sour cream), $19;
- Tartare (AAA beef, horseradish, parsley, balsamic & sherry reduction, chili, cured egg yolk, Livia bread), $22;
- Iberico Sandwich (salami, sobrasada, Iberia cheese, pink peppercorn aioli, acorn squash mustard), $22;
- Pollo (marinated chicken, mojo rojo, hazelnuts, celery, radish, parsley, fennel), $26;
- Rabbit (Iberian farrotto, roasted acorn squash purée, sobrasada, Iberia cheese, oak-aged wine, kale chips, smoked kelp), $32;
“We feel lucky to be able to write a new chapter for Pax Romana in a familiar space,” says IHG Co-Owner Stefano Magagnin. “The roots we’ve put down in the Commercial Drive neighbourhood run deep and it was important for us to remain here as part of such a warm and welcoming community.”
IHG first planted its flag in the local culinary scene by opening sister Italian spots Sopra Sotto in Vancouver (1510 Commercial Drive) and Burnaby (4022 Hastings Street) in 2018 and continued channeling the spirit and energy of the Mediterranean by opening popular Greek-inspired Loula’s Taverna at 1608 Commercial Drive in 2021 and Burnaby’s Claudio’s Ristorante (103-4402 Skyline Drive) before Pax Romana joined the family at 1670 Commercial Dr.in 2023.
“While we truly loved our old home, when the opportunity arose for use to relocate Pax Romana to a new space with a larger kitchen, we couldn’t turn it down. This new location will allow our team to expand the menu and give our culinary team the opportunity to share many more dishes that weren’t technically possible in our former space,” says Magagnin.
This winter, IHG is set to open its newest restaurant spring/summer 2027, Bar Tifo — a sports bar and Italian caffè-by-day, ristorante-by-night concept located at the corner of Graveley St. and Commercial Drive in East Vancouver. The vision for Bar Tifo is inspired by the intimate-yet-elevated bars found in Italy that are bustling from the early morning until late evening and will feature a café-styled nook in the front of the space that will offer morning espresso, pastries, pizza by the slice and panini to go.
At night, Bar Tifo will transform into a space for guests to gather for a glass of wine, cocktails, import and local craft beer and a menu comprising small plates, Roman-style pizza, distinctive pasta dishes and more. The restaurant will also have a patio that invites the ambiance of the interior onto the street and embraces the liveliness of the eight blocks of Commercial Drive that are designated as the city’s ‘Little Italy’.
For more information or to stay up to date on the latest news, sign up for a newsletter at paxromana.ca, or follow @paxromana.vancouver and @ionianhospitality on Instagram.
About Ionian Hospitality Group
The Ionian Hospitality Group owns and operates three hotspots in East Van’s vibrant Commercial Drive neighbourhood — Sopra Sotto Vancouver (1510 Commercial Dr.) and Loula’s Taverna and Pax Romana (1608 Commercial Dr.) — as well as two destinations in Burnaby: Claudio’s Ristorante (103-4402 Skyline Drive) and Sopra Sotta Burnaby (4022 Hastings Street). The group will welcome its sixth establishment to the family this winter when it opens Italian-inspired sports bar, caffé-by-day, ristorante-by-night Bar Tifo on the corner of Commercial Drive and Gravely Street in East Vancouver.
