Gambrinus Bistro & Cafe - London, Ontario

cratez · Post by **cratez** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 2:53 pm

I regret to report that Gambrinus Bistro & Cafe will be closing its doors on Sunday, April 15th. The new owners will be converting the bar into an "Asian fusion" restaurant. My heart goes out to Milos, Adil, Farmer and the rest of the staff, who have worked tirelessly to make Gambrinus the epicenter of craft beer in Ontario's southwest. For those who have shared great beers and memories in this beacon of micro beer culture, I urge you to stop by for one last pint in these final two weeks. Hopefully other opportunities lie ahead for Milos and his incredibly talented crew, but as of right now this is a very grim day for beer lovers.

EDIT: this is NOT an April Fool's Day joke (I really wish it was).

liamt07 · Post by **liamt07** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 2:57 pm

cratez wrote:I regret to report that Gambrinus Bistro & Cafe will be closing its doors on Sunday, April 15th. The new owners will be converting the bar into an "Asian fusion" restaurant. My heart goes out to Milos, Adil, Farmer and the rest of the staff, who have worked tirelessly to make Gambrinus the epicenter of craft beer in Ontario's southwest. For those who have shared great beers and memories in this beacon of micro beer culture, I urge you to stop by for one last pint in these final two weeks. Hopefully other opportunities lie ahead for Milos and his incredibly talented crew, but as of right now this a very grim day for beer lovers.

At this point, I think most of us have determined what day of the year today is

cratez · Post by **cratez** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 3:00 pm

liamt07 wrote: At this point, I think most of us have determined what day of the year today is

I wish I was joking, and the timing of the post is unfortunate. But I'm dead serious.

JeffPorter · Post by **JeffPorter** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 3:17 pm

WHAT!? C'mon! This has to be a joke...

"Asian Fusion"? - that trend has been out of date for 15 years!!!

cratez · Post by **cratez** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 3:56 pm

JeffPorter wrote: WHAT!? C'mon! This has to be a joke..."Asian Fusion"? - that trend has been out of date for 15 years!!!

I think everyone is still in shock (staff and patrons alike). It's the equivalent of barVolo or beerbistro closing in Toronto. I'm simply giving people a heads up because many Towelers have visited Gambrinus and I know some of them will want to have one last pint before it closes. I've already cancelled an Easter weekend trip down south and I'll be commuting back and forth to London to make the most of these final two weeks.

It should also be noted that the closing comes as a result of a reneged commitment and backdoor deal by the current owner, not because the bar was struggling.

matt7215 · Post by **matt7215** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 4:44 pm

if this is a serious post, are there any plans to open in a new location?

LondonBeer · Post by **LondonBeer** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 5:28 pm

well that sucks

TheSevenDuffs · Post by **TheSevenDuffs** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 6:02 pm

This HAS to be an April Fools joke.

SteelbackGuy · Post by **SteelbackGuy** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 6:55 pm

Something fishy is going on here. I was told about this in apparent secrecy and I was also told that no one was to post about this publicly because one of the main bartenders is on holidays and doesn`t know about it yet. But yet I see people posting on facebook about it anyway......something is fishy.

cratez · Post by **cratez** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 7:04 pm

SteelbackGuy wrote: Something fishy is going on here. I was told about this in apparent secrecy and I was also told that no one was to post about this publicly because one of the main bartenders is on holidays and doesn`t know about it yet. But yet I see people posting on facebook about it anyway...something is fishy.

There's nothing fishy Len. The cat's out of the bag and the point of this thread is to let Towelers know about the closing so that anyone who cares can get down for one last pint, give their condolences, etc. Christian works there and is probably devastated about losing his job, so I don't blame him for venting his frustration. Anyhow, hopefully you can make it for a final goodbye, as I know you were one of the original supporters from the Chaucer's days.

MasterChiefP · Post by **MasterChiefP** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 7:24 pm

A very sad day. This is bad for not only London but the entire Ontario craft beer scene. To Milos and the rest of the the amazing staff, you are all awesome and we are grateful for the years of amazing service and beer. Thank you!

Cheers,
Paul

P.S. An "Asian Fusion" restaurant has as much chance of succeeding in that location as a snowball in hell. I give it 6 months tops.

sprague11 · Post by **sprague11** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 7:40 pm

Asian fusion? I will be glad to tell all my friends at western and fanshawe to avoid the place at all cost

Edit - will wait for milos to confirm before cursing out the owner.

Milos · Post by **Milos** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 8:21 pm

Well, I was going to wait till tomorrow. But, yes, it is sadly truth. We have two weeks left to serve few more pints.
I am heartbroken and feel like I failed horribly all of the great stat that made Gambrinus what it is today.
Our thanks go out to all the customers and friends who supported us.

Stop by over few weeks and have on with us. We are planing to deplete the inventory to zero and that means that many great deals on bottles will be available.

To all of craft beer fans out there: WE NEED TO FIND NEW LOCATION and we are asking for help finding it.

JeffPorter · Post by **JeffPorter** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 8:34 pm

Well, I always wanted to go there - so I'm going to have to try to get down to London over the next couple weeks.

Man - Even though I've never been there, I feel the loss just because so many BTers talk about it so much...

TheSevenDuffs · Post by **TheSevenDuffs** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 8:37 pm

I still refuse to believe this until Milos confirms it on April 2nd.

The Bar Towel

Gambrinus Bistro & Cafe - London, Ontario

Gambrinus Bistro & Cafe - London, Ontario

Re: Gambrinus Bistro & Cafe - London, Ontario

Re: Gambrinus Bistro & Cafe - London, Ontario