The Elbow Room Café Bows Out

The Elbow Room (560 Davie St., Vancouver, open weekdays 9am-3 pm, Sat, Sun 8am-3pm)) will be closed within the week. Says owner Patrice Savoie in a farewell note on the door: “I’ve decided to end its legacy. It’s time for us to say Goodbye. We have had some amazing years of serving our community. But the last year has been difficult on our family…” The Elbow Room’s co-founder, Savoie’s longtime partner and husband, Bryan Searle, passed away in late 2017. Savoie agreed to keep it going for a year. But now time’s up, as planned redevelopment looms.

Just one of a slew of Eggs Benny dishes

I’ll admit I have a soft spot for ‘character’ rooms. (And there’s always no shortage of characters at the Elbow Room!) There aren’t many left in Vancouver. I’m no real estate analyst. But I’m sure much of it has to do with stratospheric property costs. The interesting rooms are evaporating from the downtown core. Yes, for now, perhaps they’re migrating east. But I wonder for how long that will last.

The Elbow Room: A Star-Studded Clientele

Four of us dropped by the elbow room today for one last tasty brunch. Not to mention the occasional serving of loving abuse! On one wall, among a rogue’s gallery of Vancouver resto writers, is my review of the ‘new’ Elbow Room. Vancouver Courier, 1995.

In those days many stars stayed at nearby Pacific Palisades. The original, truly sardine can Elbow Room was right around the corner, at Jervis and Georgia. And quite a few wandered down to the celebrated pint-sized haunt.  Throughout the Elbow Room (past and present), rows of memorabilia include everyone from Mitzi Gaynor to Burt Reynolds and many more—as well as plenty of local names.

I used to go there often, especially on weekends when a double Caesar was in order… One snowy day steeply sloping Jervis was particularly icy. We shoe-horned into a table and peered through the steamed up window as the occasional car slithered down. Each time another barely made the stop sign there was a cheer from the assembled crowd!

There are still a couple of days left to go by for a tasty breakfast or casual Mexican bite before the Elbow Room serves its last Benny, on October 30th. Here’s why you should try to go—but not at peak meal times. It’s as a busy as ever.

The food is still good. In fact, it’s probably the most wide-ranging of any breakfast menu in town. Oh, and it’s more than fun to read.

Yes, the service is unique. For sure, there’s no shortage of abuse. But it’s all good-natured. At the end of the day, the staff is as friendly and professional as anywhere.

The Elbow Room room remains an icon. Not only for what it serves but who it serves. Everyone’s welcome here, no exceptions. This is a business which, over 30 years, has given back to the community, in so many, many ways, like few others.

A generous supporter of A Lovin’ Spoonful…