Prohibition, Monkland Village Fave, Set to Expand and Open New Restaurant

Prohibition, the popular comfort food bistro and brunch spot in the heart of Monkland Village, is moving to more spacious digs two doors down from its current location at 5674 Monkland Ave, the restaurant announced on Facebook. Husband and wife owners Matthew Rouleau and Stephanie Russell have had their eye on expansion for a few years, Russell told Eater, after their brunch service exploded in 2012 and they added dinner service six nights a week. The new space at 5700 Monkland, the former home of French bistro Le Maistre, is about three times as big, and will allow for much-needed storage space and an upgrade from their 150-square-foot "postage stamp" kitchen.

The new dining room will have 50 seats, compared to the current 38, a lot more elbow room between tables, and a new look, says Russell. "The design on the new dining room is really beautiful. It won’t look anything like our current location. The style will be much more sophisticated and put together. We really wanted a space that would help us create a nice ambiance for our dinner services, but would also be functional for the huge volume of customers we serve at brunch on the weekends." Brunch favourites from chef Joseph Harkanson, like fried chicken and challah french toast, will remain on the menu, but Russell says to keep an eye on an updated dinner menu from new dinner chef Jon Hastings.

The restaurant will stay open at its original location until they move over to 5700 Monkland, which they hope to have open by June, says Russell. Additionally, they'll be opening a new restaurant called Sous Sol in Prohibition's former location. It will be a more casual, counter-service-style restaurant specializing in meal-size salads and finger food, says Russell. They hope to have Sous Sol running by July.