Like a Disney Tomorrowland ride that never quite caught, L.I.F.E. Bar & Lounge is over. The King Street Star Trek-style cantina had a good two-year run, but now we’ve been told it’s returning to the mothership. In its place Motobar, a vegan motorcycle-themed breakfast, lunch, and late night spot will take over 487 King St.
“It won’t be necessarily what you think of a biker bar,” explains Paris Evans, Motobar chef and daughter of Peter Evans, L.I.F.E. and Motorbar co-owner. “It’ll be more vintage style, with ’60s and ’70s racer pictures. The space will have great neutrals, sheet metal, and wood.”
As it turns out, the father-and-daughter pair are super into motorcycles and have wanted to renovate the space into their own bike-themed bar for a while.
“We were going to try to do this a year ago,” she says. “There were a few different people involved at the beginning of L.I.F.E. and they were more into it. It was their concept. This isn’t really us. We like it, but it’s definitely time for something new.” Construction is already underway and Evans is hoping for an Oct. 1 opening for her “roughed up vegan” concept.
But why vegan? “My whole life it’s been hard to eat here,” says the L’Academie de Cuisine grad and vegetarian since age 14. Evans, who has been working at Sweet Radish Bake Shop, feels vegans and vegetarians need more downtown options.
To fill the demand, the chef is working on an eclectic menu. Evans plans to serve a breakfast burrito with tofu scramble, avocado, and cilantro. For lunch there will be items like pizza served on naan. She even has a poutine in the works. “I went to Canada a few years ago, and poutine you usually think of gravy and cheese curds, but they’re doing a lot of different things on poutine like tomato and onions and chickpeas and cilantro,” she adds. As for drinks, Evans promises local beers on tap.
To get more of an idea, here’s what Evans and team have posted on Facebook:
Until now, Motobar has only existed in our dreams. It’s often referenced in wishful conversation — yelled from out of a helmet over the growl of an engine, our words cut through cigarette smoke and the smell of grease in a cluttered garage, from espresso induced chatter in a crowded car heading to the dragstrip with motorcycles in tow, along with the exploration between colossal stacks of forgotten metal and rubber in a motorcycle graveyard. Because every adventure starts with just two wheels, a restless heart, and the taste for excitement. Motobar is a place for gathering. A place to share ideas and plan excursions over a cold beer with warm food and clothes still cloaked in dust and grime from unearthing the road less ventured. At Motobar we appreciate the classics — that familiar hum of genuine music, local produce from untainted turf, and the feeling of camaraderie while being in your dad’s well worn garage: coveralls included.
Motobar will be open Wed.-Sun. 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. with a few hours closed mid-afternoon. To find out more, visit Motobar’s Facebook page.
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