THE ’ROMANA EMPIRE: TAPAS BAR HOTSPOT PAX ROMANA
MARKS SECOND ANNIVERSARY WITH
NEW FOOD AND DRINK MENUS FOR FALL & WINTER
East Van Mainstay Showcases New Snacks, Share Plates from Chef Luke Boswell,
Creative Hand-Crafted Cocktails from Award-Winning Bartender Dylan Riches
Beloved tapas bar Pax Romana is gearing up for 2nd-anniversary celebrations this October by introducing new food and drink menus to transport guests to the warmth of the Mediterranean through the fall and winter at the East Vancouver hotspot (1670 Commercial Drive).
Launched in late 2023 by the same team behind Commercial Drive’s Loula’s Taverna, sister Sopra Sotto locations in East Vancouver and Burnaby and Clau
The management team recently added a fresh coat of paint to the interior and exterior and installed a new hand-crafted wood door and hand-drawn art throughout the dining room as well as a new BOSE retro inspired sound system in advance of the upcoming anniversary.
Open at 5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays with pop-ups featuring local chef Justin Song-Ell (Crowbar, Elephant) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting at 6 p.m., Pax Romana’s back of house team is led by Head Chef Luke Boswell, who began his culinary career in his native England and went on to work in Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, Asia, New Zealand and Australia before coming to Vancouver in 2020 to helm the kitchen at Commercial Drive’s Bar Corso.
For those who enjoy grazing, Pax Romana’s Charcuterie Platters come in a variety of formats and feature a choice of Meats (mortadella and bresaola from Italy, saucisson from France, Iberico chorizo and jamon from Spain and locally made chicken liver parfait) and Cheeses (Italian Ubriaco or baked Fontina, French Mimolette or Etorki, English Shropshire blue, Swiss Tête de Moines, Spanish sherry cask Manchego and BC farmhouse goat), and are served with sourdough and pickled vegetables.
The rest of the Pax Romana menu showcases an array of tapas, small bites and share plates and includes:
BITES
Fresh slice of baguette with choice of:
- Pan con Tomate (tomato, garlic), 4;
- Chorizo (intosso olive oil), 4;
- Farmhouse Goat Cheese (fig jam), 4;
- Anchovy (honey, walnuts), 4.5;
- Tête de Moines (red pepper jam), 4.5;
- Jamon (intosso olive oil), 5;
- Tartare (ground beef, tomato water, capers), 6.
SNACKS
- Gildas (anchovy, olive, Guindilla pepper, seasonal pickle), 4;
- Warm Tangerine Chili Olives, 8;
- Mixed Olives (Gordal, Manzanilla, Campesino), 8;
- Marcona Almonds (lightly fried, salted), 8.
PLATES
- Potatoes (potatoes, seasonal vegetables, Pecorino cheese, mint, lemon, garlic), 11;
- Bagna Cauda (seasonal vegetables, pistachio, Calabrian chili, mint, anchovy), 12;
- Tomato Carpaccio (Walla Walla onion, marinated cucumber, crispy basil),16;
- Tartare (hand-ground beef, tomato water, capers, egg yolk), 17;
- Gambas (prawns, garlic, Calabrian chili), 18;
- Iberico Sandwich (chorizo, Gruyere, garlic aioli, honey, Dijon, chili oil), 19;
- Imam Bayildi (roasted eggplant, spiced tomato ragu, crispy garlic), 19;
- Papillote (rotating fish, lemon, seasonal greens), MP.
DESSERT
- Zabaglione (seasonal stone fruit, toasted almonds), 7;
- Basque Burnt Cheesecake (rotating flavours), 14;
- Sherry Pairings (Saint Agur Bleu cheese, Marcona almonds, honeycomb, 2 oz Lustau medium cream sherry), 17;
“The passion behind the menu at Pax Romana is inspired by the beauty of the sort of snacks, tapas and small bites I enjoyed on travels in the Mediterranean and especially San Sebastian,” says Boswell. “There’s a real beauty to the sort of simplicity of our dishes and how we prepare them with an eye on the ways they pair so perfectly with wine, sherry and cocktails.”
At the Pax Romana bar, Vancouver Magazine 2023 Bartender of the YearDylan Riches (Published on Main, Brix & Mortar) puts his stamp on a creative list of hand-crafted classic and contemporary cocktails that include signature libations such as the elegantly floral Pax Martini (Tanqueray no. 10 gin, Sheringham Seaside gin, rose vermut, fino sherry), buzzy and bold Pax Espresso Martini (dark rum, butter, crème de cacao, Kahlua, espresso) and bitter and nutty Pax Negroni (Bombay Sapphire gin, Campari, sherry blend, vermut).
Riches and his bar team have also curated four wine lists — the ‘Flirt’, the ‘Firsherman’, the ‘Noble’ and the ‘Mystic’ — that contain truly unique varietals from far-flung Old and New World wineries around the globe. The bar also boasts a wide selection of rich, sweet Vermut, Sherry sourced from the south of Spain and bittersweet, herbaceous Amari and free-spirited, zero-proof mocktails and non-alcoholic beverages.
Weekly features at Pax Romana include half off bottles of wine on Thursdays and two rounds of Happy Hours daily from 5 to 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. to midnight as well as all day every Sunday with a food menu that features an assortment of bite-sized, Basque-inspired Pintxos like Gildas (anchovy, olive Guindilla pepper, seasonal pickle) for $3 each, Pan con Tomate for $4 each, Mixed or Warm Tangerine Chili Olives or Marcona Almonds for $6 and an Iberico Sandwich (chorizo, Gruyere, garlic aioli, honey, Dijon, chili oil) for $16 and a drink menu showcasing Estrella Draught Lager for $5, a choice of House Vermut, Red or White Wine, Prosecco, Sherry or Amaro for $8 each and Pax Negroni, Pax Martini, Pax Espresso Martini or Vermut Spritz for $10 each.
To make reservations via OpenTable for Pax Romana or Tuesday/Wednesday pop-ups with Justin Song-Ell, click here. To stay up to date on the latest developments at Pax Romana, sign up for the newsletter at paxromana.ca
PAX ROMANA
1670 Commercial Drive
Vancouver BC V5L 3Y4
Hours: Sunday, Monday and Thursday 5 p.m. to midnight, Tuesday and Wednesday Pop-Ups with Justin Song-Ell 6 p.m. to late, Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.