Chefs Angus An, Robert Belcham, Hamid Salimian and Joël Watanabe sitting on a pier at Granville Island

Star Chefs to Launch New Concept Restaurant on Granville Island

Popina Canteen, a gourmet counter-service restaurant housed in repurposed shipping containers, will be opening this summer on Granville Island. The concept is a collaboration among four of Vancouver’s most renowned chefs – Angus An, Robert Belcham, Hamid Salimian and Joël Watanabe.

“We have been playing with the idea of a collaboration project for years. Popina Canteen is a project that utilizes years of our fine dining experience and creates something that is casual and fun. To be able to share and launch this concept on Granville Island, an icon of the Vancouver landscape, is a dream come true.”

One of a number of initiatives that are being implemented as part of the Granville Island 2040 renewal process, this new outdoor restaurant launch begins the transformation of the area around the Public Market into a larger Market District.

“We are thrilled to welcome Popina Canteen to Granville Island. This innovative concept is the ideal way to move forward with our vision for an expanded Market District on the island,” says Lisa Ono, Manager, Public Affairs & Programming for CMHC-Granville Island. “During our recent Granville Island 2040 public consultation and planning process, there was strong demand from both locals and visitors for more varied and creative food offerings on the island”.

Photo credit: Leila Kwok.