Another closed Alexandra Road unit is already getting a new tenant, and this one is a name Vancouver locals have been eating at for two decades.
Signage for Cafe Gloucester has just gone up on Alexandra Road in Richmond, marking the first expansion in the cafe’s 20-plus year history.
The new spot is moving into the former Little Karp unit, the seafood restaurant that shut down on the strip last month.
Renovations are already underway behind the windows, though the restaurant has not made an official announcement yet.
For anyone who grew up in Vancouver, Cafe Gloucester needs no introduction.
The Hong Kong style cafe has been serving its massive all-day menu out of Cambie Street for more than 20 years, and it is the kind of spot that has quietly built a small army of regulars across generations.
We have personally been eating at Cafe Gloucester for over 10 years, including multiple family dinners on their special Christmas menu.
Like most old school HK cafes, the menu is enormous.
You are looking at sizzling plate combos with AAA striploin and tiger prawn kebabs, daily soups, seafood bisque, mini set meals, a full breakfast menu with French toast and egg white omelettes, plus the usual lineup of baked pastas, curry rice, and Russian borscht.
The signature mixed grill alone stacks centre cut pork chop, lamb chop, Italian sausage, sole cutlet, minute steak, and a fried egg onto one plate.
It is the kind of menu that reads more like a telephone book than a restaurant listing, which is exactly the point.
The expansion lands on a stretch of Alexandra Road that has been seeing heavy turnover lately.
Cafe Gloucester adds more old school HK-style cafe food to the mix, which Richmond has been beaming with lately.
So with a lot of competition in the city, it will be interesting to see how Cafe Gloucester will fare.
Word on the street is that the restaurant is aiming to open later this month if everything goes as planned.
Cafe Gloucester now joins other upcoming Richmond food openings, including Molly Tea, Alfa Tea, and Daydreamers by Cafe 33.
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Address: 8631 Alexandra Rd #110, Richmond, BC V6X 1C3