Walking along Denman always feels like checking in on a familiar friend. Earlier this month, that friend looked a little different.
If you have been passing the former Jinmi Juga space lately, you might have noticed fresh signage quietly announcing a new name: The Cozy Wok.
Jinmi Juga’s closure left behind a darkened room and covered windows after only a few months in operation.
The Korean pub originally opened in June 2025 as a casual offshoot from the team behind the popular Jinmi restaurant.
They previously shared that the goal was focus, keeping Chef Jay and the full team together to keep pushing Korean food forward in one space.
Since then, the Denman unit has felt like a pause button, with locals peeking in and wondering what might come next.
Now, the answer appears to be The Cozy Wok, though details remain light.
The name alone suggests a Chinese restaurant built around wok-cooked dishes, a shift away from the small plates and pub fare of its predecessor.
The opening timeline is a bit of a mystery.
An empty Instagram profile previously suggested a planned opening in late summer 2025, which has obviously passed.
Window signage has hinted at a winter opening, so we expect doors to unlock very soon.
Just beside The Cozy Wok’s future home, Alberello is preparing to cross the bridge from North Vancouver.
The Italian favourite has been feeding Lonsdale locals since 2014 and is famous for its fennel sausage-topped Salsiccia pizza.
Their stone oven pies, especially the fennel sausage-topped Salsiccia, are often the reason people keep coming back.
The Denman Street location is expected to be much larger, signaling a big step forward for the brand.
Together, these two upcoming openings hint at a major “reset moment” for this part of the West End.
The Cozy Wok now joins a growing list of upcoming restaurant openings around Vancouver, including Ultramarinos Pepe, Crave Cheesesteaks, and Matcha Mitchie.
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Address: 854 Denman Street, Vancouver BC