A Cozy Mediterranean Restaurant is Opening On Mont-Royal Avenue Next Month

The owner of Veuve Chalet is opening a second — notably larger — restaurant on Mont-Royal Avenue.

Meditteranean restaurant Cabin is slated to open at the end of March near Parc Lafontaine. The expansive venue will offer much of the same as its Laurier counterpart — Spanish octopus, grilled fish, calamari, $1.50 oysters, among other menu items — but for 190 seats compared to the former’s 150.

It’s hard to make a space that large feel warm, but owner Lance Panagakos made it a priority. He tiled the floor in neutral geometric patterns, lined the walls and ceilings with wood, and furnished the space with plush baroque couches. The result is a cabin-like atmosphere (hence the restaurant’s name), that Panagakos hopes leaves diners feel like they’re on a trip “up North.”

“Anything that is natural, it’s always going to look great. And it’s gonna be still in style in five years, 10 years,” he says. “It’s always going to be cozy, like a cabin, like a chalet.”

In fact, leaving diners feeling good was the aim throughout all elements of Cabin’s creation. While the menu’s not yet set in stone, Panagakos hopes his plates will put fresh ingredients centre-stage (rather than drowning them in sauces, he says). He’ll be sourcing all of his fish and produce from local markets, and has a go-to butcher nearby on call for his meats.

The goal is to “feel great when you finish eating,” he says. “You feel light, you don’t feel heavy ... if you have the right ingredients and the right, fresh food, and you repeat every time the customer comes back, you shouldn’t have any problems.”

Panagakos is working with mixologist Alladin Tremblay to curate a list of cocktails, with seasonal options on rotation. Cabin will offer happy hour deals from 5 to 7 — the restaurant’s hours aren’t yet official, but patrons can expect doors open for most of the day and well into the night (think 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., ballpark).

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