L’Abattoir is a restaurant I frequently recommend for a romantic date night. Something about the glass, brick, and black and white tile, plus a creative cocktail and expert service, sets the right mood. For those romantically unattached, you can grab a seat solo at the beautiful bar. I saw someone on my last visit settled in with a book and a strawberry foam topped Shake Senora cocktail.
A Little History Lesson
L’Abattoir first opened in 2010 in a location previously occupied by the Irish Heather. An accomplished opening team launched the Gastown restaurant.
Back in July 2010, Sheryl Yen covered the opening for BC Business. She described L’Abattoir thusly: “Take the former general manager of Bao Bei, Chambar, and MARKET, equip him with Mission Hill’s apprentice chef, and the best bartender in Vancouver, and what do you get? Well, a slaughterhouse.”
The French name is appropriate given L’Abattoir’s French-ish menu, executed as it is with local West Coast ingredients. But “L’Abattoir,” which translates to slaughterhouse, also speaks to the restaurant’s location on Blood Alley. The story goes that the alley was once the site of slaughterhouses and public hangings.
While the restaurant is built on the site of Vancouver’s first jail, the stories of literal blood in the alley are untrue. In fact, the alley was known as Trounce Alley until it was rebranded as Blood in the 1970s. Regardless of neighbourhood history, L’Abattoir has a prestigious pedigree. Many well-known names in the city’s hospitality community have passed through — from back to front of house.
Legacy and Pedigree at L’Abattoir
The opening team was led by Head Chef Lee Cooper. Paul Grunberg, now head of Bandi Volpe Hospitality, was in charge of front of house. Sean Layton, now co-owner of Como Taperia, was the bartender who Yen called “the best in Vancouver” back in 2010. Currently, Alexa Gervais, previously of Michelin-starred AnnaLena, is Bar Manager. Award-winning sommelier Andrew Forsyth recently stepped down from his position as head of the wine program after seven years, with another award-winning sommelier, Peter Van de Reep, stepping in.
The most recent change of guard saw Jasper Cruikshank take on the role of Executive Chef in March 2025. Cruikshank grew up in Vancouver and began his culinary career here so it was deeply meaningful for him to return to his hometown after a stint at Whistler’s Wild Blue.
You can literally taste L’Abattoir’s legacy. They do not wholesale reinvent their menu; respect is paid to the past as well as to beloved guest favourites. That’s why the baked oyster has been on the menu since 2013.
Classics and Creative Steps Forward
After gentle poaching, the oyster is placed back in its shell with mushroom marmalade. Then, it is served hidden under whipped garlic butter and freshly grated black truffle.
The steak tartare has also been on the menu for a number of years. A perfect amuse bouche, it is built like a piece of nigiri except it has a crisp base of a tempura fried shisho leaf. A mound of steak tartare dressed in an oyster sauce is topped with a slice of chutoro, which is brushed with ponzu.
Of course, even with treasured staples, the kitchen team at L’Abattoir still has room to innovate. Nurturing his team’s creativity is important to Cruikshank. He shares, “There’s something really special about helping the next generation find their own voice and footing within this industry.”
In fact, the Hot Smoked Hamachi, which was one of my favourite dishes, was developed by Cruikshank’s Chef de Cuisine Baker Hsu. He joined L’Abattoir in the summer of 2025.
A textural pleasure, the slow smoked fish comes atop Koshihikari rice seasoned with shio koji. Shio koji is an all purpose Japanese seasoning often used as a marinade. It is made from salt, water, and rice koji (a safe-to-eat rice injected with Aspergillus oryzae mould). Cruikshank’s elaborates: “We culture our own shio koji in-house using shio koji rice, which we then use to season the dish.”
After cooking the Koshihikari rice in the traditional short-grain style, it is finished to order with shio koji, butter, and vegetable stock. The result is a seasoned and silky rice that makes an ideal base for the smoked hamachi. Garnishing the fish is a finely sliced coleslaw of watermelon radish, carrot, and green onion that adds freshness but also texture, as do thinly sliced fried leeks and crispy chicken skin crumble.
Menus to Suit Any Mood
As already noted, you can stop into L’Abattoir for a lengthy dinner or a quick cocktail. Helpfully, there are menu options tailored to suite different occasions. As an alternative to the six course prix fixe Chef’s Tasting Menu, Le Petit Menu is a smaller three course prix fixe. At $65, Le Petit Menu offers good value, given that you also get to enjoy a dessert. L’Abattoir also has Happy Hour from 5-6 pm Tuesday through Saturday and all night on Wednesdays.
