Massive Vancouver Waterfront Development Confirms New Brewpub

With a total cost estimated at $1.5 billion, the massive development along the Columbia River in downtown Vancouver dubbed The Waterfront is shaping up. A recent press release reveals a clearer picture of the waterfront dining scene, and in total, the 35-acre mixed-use project is expected to bring more than 3,000 residential units, 1.25 million square feet of office space, and 250,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space to the city.

Gramor Development is overseeing development, and president Barry Cain revealed lofty goals in the most recent press release, saying The Waterfront will be “unlike anything that exists in the Portland metro area.” Here are the details on the restaurants expected to open as part of the project in 2018:

• Ghost Runners Brewery is the latest restaurant to be announced and includes a 10-barrel brewery. Ghost Runners will move into a 5,300-square-foot space on the second floor of the Block 12 building, replete with an additional 1,200-square-foot patio overlooking The Waterfront’s piece de resistance: a 90-foot pier suspended by cables above the river. Jeff Seibel founded Ghost Runners in Vancouver in 2012, and Ghost Runners’ outdoors-athletic theme should fit nicely into what will likely be an active waterfront—home to the Columbia River Waterfront Renaissance Trail.
• With three locations around Seattle and Tacoma, WildFin American Grill will take up residence in a 7,500-square-foot space on the ground floor of the Block 12 building. It is known for serving locally sourced seafood and meats, with plates like crab and shrimp cakes, a grilled flat iron wedge salad, and shirt-rib pie.
• The first restaurant to join the project, Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar will operate next door to WildFin American Grill in a 8,320-square-foot space. The restaurant is part of a nine-location franchise based in Spokane and serves an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink menu of appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, and steaks and other entrees, not to mention 36 signature martinis.

On a related note, last year The Port of Vancouver renovated the restaurant space in the former Red Lion on the Quay, located next door to The Waterfront. It opened the WareHouse ‘23 restaurant in July 2016 to serve a pub-grub-style menu of barbecue ribs, burgers, salads, and pastas for lunch and dinner. Waterfront dining in Vancouver is clearly on the cusp of a major transformation.

• Ghost Runners Brewery [Official]
• Ghost Runners Brewery joins Waterfront Vancouver [Columbian]
• New restaurant announced for waterfront: WildFin [Columbian]
• First restaurant, WareHouse ’23, opens on Vancouver waterfront [Columbian]