The legendary Ovaltine Cafe has reopened after a six month closure due to arson. The fire happened on May 23, 2023 and the café reopened on December 15, 2023.
At 80 years, the Ovaltine Café, in the Downtown Eastside is one of the oldest restaurants in the city. It has gained notoriety as one of the 50 best cafes in the world and for its use as a film location in high profile movies and TV series because it still has much of its original ambience, furnishings and decor.
From her bustling and noisy cafe with surrounding noise of sirens and street sounds, Grace Chen, co-owner-operator, describes the circumstances surrounding the fire, and the process to reopen.
The Ovaltine is a community institution. Chen says that after the fire people in the community would approach and ask if anyone had been hurt, if they were okay, and folks wanted to know when the Ovaltine would reopen. This, Chen said, kept people in the community from giving up on this unique café.
