The restaurant space at 2650 Main St is going from coffee to cocktails, with a Mexican twist.
After closing down café by day (and wine bar by night) Novella on April 7, Boxset Collective - the same team behind award-winning Published on Main and Bar Susu - is set to debut a new concept called this summer.
Inspired by the botaneros of Mexico's southern region, El Gato is positioned as a modern Mexican cocktail and snack bar.
The reimagined Mount Pleasant space will have 78 seats, including 14 at the bar, according to a press release. The room itself will be warm and welcoming, hacienda-style, highlighted with "a mix of texture, pattern, and colour," with "aquamarine-teal and burnt orange" as the principal hues. Guests can immerse themselves in a room decorated with handmade light walnut tables, painted walls curated by local artist Dominique St. Jean, and modern tile and upholstery elements.
“We want guests to feel transported when they step foot inside El Gato when leaving busy Main Street,” said El Gato Gab Gab beverage director Joe Casson, who previously worked in the architecture industry in the UK and Australia. “Guests can relax in a dark corner for quiet conversations, or sit at the bar and be part of the hustle and bustle.”
El Gato: Cocktail and snack menu
“At El Gato, we want our cocktail list to be a no-fuss, maximalist snapshot of rotating familiar pours along with some more extroverted refreshments, while being approachable and simply delicious at the same time,” explains Casson.
The menu is still being finalized, but Casson says guests will be able to sip selections like the Pinoy to Pi艅a, a tropical mezcal and rum highball with
banana soda and ube ice cream; the ¿Que Pasa, Folks?, a warming reposado tequila fizz with pasilla chile, carrot and marigold; and the Gatorita, a refreshing 'on the rocks' take of a classic margarita.
The drinks list at El Gato will also have sections dedicated to cervezas (beer) and agave spirits, as well as non-alcoholic beverages.
On the food side, Boxset has tapped Christian Chaumont (Tultepec, Cuchillo, and Mexico City’s Máximo Bistro) for the exec chef post. Chaumont is currently developing a menu of modern Mexican fare through a Pacific Northwest lens. That means items like Dungeness Crab Flautas Ahogadas and Sweetbread Tostadas, for example.
Main Street space scene of shifting concepts over the past two years
Boxset debuted Novella in December 2022 as the restaurant group explored coffee and daytime eats (including a now-sorely missed breakfast sandwich). They added an evening concept in the space, Vignette, focussed on wine and snacks.
However, when Bar Susu was taken offline by a fire last summer, Vignette folded to make room for Novella's space to serve as Bar Susu's temporary home. Not long after Bar Susu returned to its own Mount Pleasant space, Boxset brought Novella to its end and created the opportunity to redevelop the location into what we now know will be El Gato.
No official launch date has been set, but El Gato Gab Gab is aiming to open this summer and will begin by offering daily evening service and extended weekend hours. Follow on Instagram for updates soon (though if you were following Novella, you're already following El Gato Gab Gab).
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