The Moon Martini Bar & Restaurant brings a martini bar, an open-kitchen dining room and a chef’s counter to Vancouver’s Gastown neighbourhood. Co-owners Sonia Symoom and Wyatt Rybchinsky have created two connected spaces where guests can drop in for cocktails and bar snacks or settle into a multicourse dinner.
The 1,632-square-foot venue includes a 27-seat Dining Room with a fully open kitchen. Guests can order from a seasonal à la carte menu or have head chef Felix Maristany curate a multicourse selection. An 11-seat chef’s counter faces the kitchen line, offering a closer view of the cooking and plating.
Maristany’s menu draws on his Cuban-American upbringing in Miami and his experience cooking in Spain and Vancouver. The approach moves between culinary traditions rather than following a single cuisine, with fermentation and preservation helping the kitchen extend the use of seasonal ingredients.
Moon Bar offers a more casual entry into the restaurant. Martinis anchor the drinks list, with classic preparations alongside rotating variations. Signature cocktails, spirit-free drinks and bar snacks round out the offering, while seasonal ingredients connect the bar program with the kitchen.
General manager and wine director Claudia Fandino oversees a wine list focused on organic producers, with particular attention to smaller wineries. Sake and tea provide other options for pairing with the food. Bar manager Zoe Bates leads the cocktail program.
The restaurant also has an exclusive wine, Good Job, made in collaboration with B.C. producer Ursa Major. The limited-edition release combines equal parts Chardonnay and Muscat and comes from a single barrel.
The two rooms share natural materials and textured finishes, with different atmospheres for dining and drinks. Directed lighting keeps attention on the tables and open kitchen in the Dining Room. Antiqued brass, hammered iron, walnut and teal soapstone give Moon Bar a darker setting, with low banquette seating for conversation over cocktails.
The Moon’s format accommodates several kinds of visits, from an à la carte meal to a chef-selected dinner or a martini with a few snacks. Reservation information and updates are available through the restaurant’s website.