It looks like Vancouver has lost another longtime eatery.
Earlier this month, we noticed the Commercial Drive location of Babylon Café was completely covered up.
When we walked by again the following week, the signage was gone, the inside gutted, and any signs of life erased.
With no updates on their social media since 2020 and Uber Eats showing the location as unavailable since July 7, it’s safe to say this was another quiet closure.
Babylon Café has been a familiar name in the city for two decades.
The first location opened in 2004 at Robson and Granville, where its reputation grew almost entirely by word of mouth.
That original shop earned its “hole in the wall” nickname while still managing to attract all-day lineups.
The smell of shawarma and grilled chicken drifting across the block became part of downtown’s food identity during the 2010 Olympics, Stanley Cup finals, and countless late-night moments.
The Commercial Drive location launched around 2012 and offered the same menu of wraps, shawarma plates, falafel, and fresh salads that made the brand popular.
While the Drive location is now gone, their Denman Street outpost is still open and serving.
It marks a downsizing for a brand that once had as many as four locations, though its legacy continues with the same emphasis on Middle Eastern comfort food that began with a 20-year-old’s vision back home.
The closure of Babylon Café on Commercial Drive now joins a growing list of recent Vancouver goodbyes, including Off The Grid Waffle Café, Unni Pastries Yaletown, and Saucin Staples.
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Address: 1605 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 3Y4