New owner, same schnitzel Bistro Dansk changes hands but menu, ambience to remain By: Eva Wasney Posted: 5:16 PM CST Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025

Bistro Dansk is open for business and regulars need not worry about changes to their beloved eatery anytime soon.

Winnipeg chef Grant Danyluk purchased the popular Sherbrook Street restaurant from owners Paul and Pamela Vocadlo this fall and intends to leave the wood-panelled dining room and schnitzel-centric menu largely untouched.

“It’s such a cool institution and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to, first of all, make sure the legacy of this place carries on because people love it so much,” he says. “And it was also such a perfect opportunity to own a restaurant.”

Restaurant ownership is a “dream come true” for Danyluk, who’s worked in the local food industry for nearly two decades, most recently as head chef of Confusion Corner Drinks and Food and, before that, Prairie’s Edge.

The Vocadlos have owned and operated Bistro Dansk since 1989 and the Danish restaurant has been a West Broadway staple since 1976. The couple announced their intentions to sell the business and retire earlier this summer.

“They showed us how to do everything, how they ran things, so it was a pretty seamless transition.”

Taking over an existing restaurant wasn’t on Danyluk’s vision board, but the opportunity made financial and practical sense.

The Vocadlos spent two weeks giving the new owner and his sous chef a crash course in operations and Bistro Dansk specialties, which include chicken and pork schnitzel, palachinka, veprova and other eastern European comfort foods. Previous staff members have also remained on the payroll.

“They showed us how to do everything, how they ran things, so it was a pretty seamless transition,” says Danyluk, who took over in mid-November. “It was incredibly, incredibly valuable. You would never get that if you were opening something from scratch.”

It’s been a busy first month of business. When the Free Press stopped by, Danyluk was busy answering the phone and fitting new reservations into an already packed dinner schedule.

So far, he’s spent a lot of time getting to know regulars and assuaging fears.

“I think a lot of people were under the impression that it was going to close and change into something else, so I think there’s a lot of relief from the current clientele,” he says.

While it’s nice to have a built-in customer base, keeping faithful fans happy creates an extra layer of responsibility.

“It would be such a shame if I screwed it up. But that’s why priority No. 1 is to keep doing what made this place so successful for the last four decades,” he says, pointing to authenticity, large portion sizes and home-cooked food as examples of what sets Bistro Dansk apart.

For now, Danyluk won’t be taking anything off the menu, but he is playing around with new items that fit the mould — such as a schnitzel sandwich lunch feature and a lingonberry, hazelnut and chocolate cheesecake dessert.

He’s also mulling the idea of special events and partnerships with local wine and beer makers.

Bistro Dansk is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and from 4:30 to 8 p.m. for dinner. Visit bistrodansk.ca for more information.

winnipegfreepress.com/evawasney