New tavern will replace historic St. Regis, but keep 'dive bar charm': Owner
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A historic London dive bar will reopen with a new name and look, but with a nod to its past, its new owner says.
St. Regis Tavern, which served draught beer and music on Dundas Street east of Adelaide Street in Old East Village for nearly 90 years, will reopen as the Backroads Café and Tavern by year’s end, Sarah Levine said.
Though it will still pour the beer regulars came to love and expect, there will be high-end coffee, baked goods and sandwiches and local craft beer as well, she said.
“We will have brewed and espresso coffee and small-batch handmade goods,” said Levine, a baker as well as an entrepreneur.
“We will expand the menu, have breakfast and lunch items. It won’t be a full restaurant, it will be simple. A lot of people may be looking for local beer, but we want regulars to know their favourites will be here.”
If Backroads opens in less than two months as planned Levine will have to limit patrons and create a safe space inside for staff and customers to comply with COVID-19 restrictions.
That will pose a challenge, but when the space became available Levine did not want to wait.
“I did not want to lose the opportunity for this heritage property, this unique space with a ton of history and heritage and cultural value associated with it,” she said.
“It has been horrible to see how many small businesses suffered during the pandemic. I think it has been very hard on business owners and equally hard on communities.”
But Levine said she crunched the numbers on how many patrons she can serve in a COVID-safe bar and believes it is worth the risk, until the pandemic ends.
“COVID won’t last forever and this is a risk worth taking,” she said.
The St. Regis closed in March as the pandemic took hold, owner Shanni Bell, who ran the business with her husband for 39 years, announced in a Facebook post at the time.
The site has operated as a hotel and tavern since 1883 and operated under the St. Regis banner since 1931, Bell said in her Facebook post.
“It is a community hub. It is rich with history for a lot of different demographics. I used to go there 20 years ago,” said Jen Pastorius, business development manager with the Old East Village Business Improvement Area.
“I believe she is going to maintain the music component. That is important part of its history. It’s important to our community.”
The pandemic also claimed Bakers Dozen B13, an artist and creative space on Dundas Street east, near St. Regis.
Levine plans to bring back the site’s front patio, set back from Dundas with its picnic tables, when the weather warms, but there will be a facelift to the facade including new stamped concrete.
She has been renovating the space inside since she leased it in August. It is getting a new look with paint, new carpet, and a new kitchen and bar area.
Levine said she wants to preserve the “dive bar charm” of the St. Regis. “A major renovation was not in the budget, but we did a facelift. I think the carpet was there for 30 years.”
The name Backroads Café will not be new to coffee lovers, as Levine had a café in Old East Village from 2017 to 2019.
