New pizzeria rising in Osborne Village

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This article was published 18/07/2019 (2600 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Za Pizza Bistro may serve up thin-crust pies, but the number of locations continues to rise — and its next location will be a high-profile intersection in the heart of Osborne Village.

The seventh Za Pizza Bistro in Winnipeg will be located in the space that had long been occupied by the Second Cup coffee shop at 100 Osborne St. at River Avenue.

Since opening the first Za Pizza Bistro location at 1220 St. Mary’s Rd. in May 2015, founder and CEO Manly Cheung has gone the franchising route, growing the Za brand exponentially in the process. The Osborne Village location will be the seventh bricks-and-mortar location in Winnipeg; Za also has a food truck as well as two franchised locations in the Toronto area.

And while the new Za, which is currently slated to open by mid-August, will retain the look and feel of the other locations, Cheung feels the location and the century-old building in which it will be located will make it something more.

“For me, location is very important; being on that corner, it almost will be like a flagship store,” he explains. “It will be open late nights on weekends, so we’ll service the bar and entertainment crowd, and the condos and apartments in that area.”

The location in Osborne Village will seat somewhere around 40 to 50 people, offering up Za’s signature pizzas cooked in a gas-fired wood stove, and will be licensed. Those who remember Second Cup’s days in the village will be pleased to know Cheung has plans to open up the streetside patio as well.

Setting up the Osborne Village location has not been without its set of challenges, especially given the age of the building the eatery is moving into and the condition it was in when Cheung signed the lease.

“We had to do some exterior structural work before even moving the oven in,” Cheung notes.

As for the state of the village itself, Cheung is optimistic.

“I strongly believe in that area, bringing it back to life,” he says. And while he’s got plenty of competitors in the pizza game in the area — including the newly expanded A Little Pizza Heaven, the Vera offshoot Super Deluxe and Buccacino’s — he is confident Za’s philosophy helps set them apart from the rest.

“The thing that really differentiates us is that we’re a create-your-own-pizza concept: one price, and consumers get to come in and choose whatever they like. If I was serving pizza by the slice in a similar fashion to A Little Pizza Heaven, would I think twice about coming into the Village? Definitely. But I’m confident in my product, the price point and my brand.”

Despite the time, effort and money Cheung has committed to the Osborne Village location, he’s already looking ahead to future locations in the city and beyond. A location on Portage Avenue west in the Unicity area has nearly been finalized, and two other future Winnipeg locations are moving towards breaking ground.

“I’ve already started looking into secondary markets as well,” Cheung adds, flagging Brandon and Steinbach as potential future locations.

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There’s been plenty going on this summer as it pertains to eateries opening, closing and/or undergoing renovations and relaunches.

● Fusion Grill (550 Academy Rd.) shut down on July 1 for a couple of weeks while the interior got a facelift. The eatery, which focuses on Canadian ingredients, has been a longtime staple for River Heights and Tuxedo residents.

● Confusion Corner Bar & Grill (500 Corydon Ave.) also closed its doors at the beginning of July for a more extensive renovation — the popular eatery and bar is slated to reopen in mid-August.

● Charleswood residents may have noticed a new Italian-themed restaurant where Boulevard Pub and Bistro (3670 Roblin Blvd.) once was. Osteria del Piolo is the brainchild of owner Darcy Bruneau and chef Scott Maladrewicz, with a focus on rustic Italian fare including shared plates, pastas, proteins and wood-fired pizza. Its full menu is at osteriadelpiolo.com.

● After serving up some of the best bennies in town since April 2015, Wolseley’s 1958 Café plated its final brunch on July 7. Breakfast and lunch, including their much-loved eggs benedict, had been the mainstay of the homey café, a labour of love run by Ross Jeffers, who announced the closure of 1958 via social media.

 

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A world-renowned Quebec sommelier returns to Winnipeg this week to lead a tasting through some of the beers on tap at The Common at The Forks Market.

Véronique Rivest, who spearheads the selection of 20 beers and 20 wines available at The Common, has been returning regularly to launch the seasonal updates of the lists. She returns July 18 and 19 for the sixth instalment of the Uncommon Pours tasting series with two events that will highlight different aspects of the beer selection.

On Thursday, July 18, at 7 p.m., Rivest will lead the “Beer 101” event that will feature six beers as well as all the basics of beer tasting; tickets are $40. On Friday, July 19, Rivest will launch the new summer beer list while guiding thirsty Winnipeggers through a flight of four beers at both 6 and 7 p.m. (each flight will be different) on The Common’s outdoor patio. Tickets for both times are $20.

To purchase tickets visit theforks.com/beer.

ben.macphee-sigurdson@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @bensigurdson