A Marpole cafe known for live jazz in its hidden basement has delayed its November events after complaints reached the City of Vancouver.
East Cafe in Marpole shared the update on Instagram in a post signed by owner Josh, explaining why fans hadn’t seen the month’s event calendar yet.
“Over the past few weeks, we’ve been dealing with some matters involving the City of Vancouver following people’s complaints about some of the events we’ve been hosting,” he wrote.
He said he wanted to understand the concerns and make sure everything was properly addressed before moving forward.
He also said the cafe gets the necessary event licences for its events, and invited anyone with concerns about noise or anything else to reach out to him directly.
When one commenter blamed the city, the cafe replied that the City “has been surprisingly very patient and accommodating,” adding, “We just hope there are no more additional complaints.”
East Cafe took over the former Gigi Blin cafe on West 70th Avenue about a year ago.
It’s the second location for East Cafe, which has been on East Hastings for over a decade and is known there for art and live music.
In Marpole, the team turned the basement into The Pocket, which the cafe calls a hidden jazz speakeasy beneath a cafe in one of Vancouver’s oldest buildings.
That’s where it holds a free jazz jam every Saturday at 4 p.m., plus Friday afternoon live music and ticketed jazz nights.
There’s also an artist yard out back, pottery workshops with Artree Studio and movie afternoons.
“What started as a little café has slowly grown into a gathering place for music, art, pottery, conversations, and friendships,” Josh wrote.
The post’s comments filled up fast with support, including from people who said they live nearby and love hearing the jazz up the street.
The cafe told one of them it’s “trying to find the right balance between keeping the neighbourhood peaceful and bringing a little more life to it.”
If you’ve been meaning to catch a Saturday jam, check East Cafe’s Instagram for the November calendar before heading over, since the cafe says it hopes to share more soon.
If you’re in South Vancouver, Oakridge Park just to the north has new spots like Kith Treats and Armani Caffe.
Address
1400 W 70th Ave, Vancouver BC
