‘It’s pretty bad’: Johnny G’s restaurant in Exchange burns in early morning fire Historic building constructed in 1882 By: Tyler Searle Posted: 12:40 PM CDT Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 Last Modified: 10:48 AM CDT Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025 Updates

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A longstanding restaurant in Winnipeg’s Exchange District burned Wednesday, causing what could be significant damage to the business and the heritage building in which it operates.

“Things are not looking well at all,” John Giannakis, owner of Johnny G’s restaurant, said by phone Wednesday morning.

“The fire commissioner won’t let us in yet, so we don’t know, (but), from what they told me, it’s pretty bad.”

Giannakis said he believes the fire damaged both floors of the two-storey, brick structure, which has stood at 177 McDermot Ave. for nearly a century and a half.

Fire crews were called to the commercial building at 5:45 a.m., and arrived to find smoke and flames coming from within, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said in a news release.

Firefighters declared the blaze under control about an hour later. They searched the building and found it empty. No injuries were reported, the release said.

The release said damage estimates are not available, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

By 1:20 p.m., the restaurant’s front windows had been covered by large sheets of white plywood, and contractors were screwing the metal front door closed. A staircase leading to a basement bar, Wee Johnny’s, was covered in shards of soot-covered glass.

The restaurant’s brick facade showed no visible signs of damage.

The smell of smoke lingered in the air as passersby side-stepped the caution tape cordoning off a portion of the front sidewalk. One woman stood behind the fire line, repeatedly glancing down at her phone and then back up at the shuttered restaurant.

She had just used an online app to order and pay for a meal from Johnny G’s, and was bewildered to find the restaurant crawling with firefighters, she said.

A police officer carrying a black portfolio was spotted walking around the building’s perimeter, snapping photos on his phone.

Winnipeg Police Service Const. Stephen Spencer said officers from the major crimes unit are assisting with the investigation.

“I have no further information I can provide regarding the circumstances of the fire,” he said in an email.

Police and fire investigators frequently work together during fire probes, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service spokesperson Erin Madden said in an email.

Giannakis has received no indication from officials about how the fire may have started, he said.

“There was police present, but I haven’t spoken to them, so I don’t know. They would have those answers,” he said.

The restaurateur said he could not provide any further details, as he was busy dealing with the aftermath.

“I’m trying to phone the insurance on the other end, plus my accountant and everything else… I’ve got to phone everybody — from staff, to everybody — to make sure everybody is aware,” he said.

Giannakis has operated the McDermot restaurant since 1996. The building underwent significant renovations around 2014, when Giannakis renovated its basement into a classic Irish pub.

Wee Johnny’s went on to become a staple in Winnipeg’s comedy scene in 2019.

The bar officially stopped hosting open mic comedy last week, but remained a popular destination for karaoke, Winnipeg comic Jeff Gobeil said by phone.

“We really had a good thing going there,” said Gobeil, who regularly hosted open mic nights.

Gobeil said the spot functioned as a training ground for rookie comics, allowing them a small, friendly venue to cut their teeth and work up the ranks of the local scene.

“I would tell the new (comics), ‘Wee Johnny’s is religion. You’re there. It’s the place to be,’” he said. “It wasn’t without its problems… but it was ours. That place is going to live in my heart.”

The restaurant and bar are currently for sale for $1.5 million, according to an online listing. The business features seating for up to 230 patrons between the main floor and basement. The top floor has 13 offices, it said.

Giannakis also owned and operated a second location on Main Street, but that business closed and was sold “some time ago,” he said.

“Johnny G’s is a very special business, not just for Winnipeg but for the entire city,” David Pensato, the executive director of the Exchange District BIZ, said by phone.

“Restaurants come and go, but there are really only a handful of restaurants like that, that really are around for such a long period.”

“Restaurants come and go, but there are really only a handful of restaurants like that, that really are around for such a long period.”–David Pensato

The City of Winnipeg granted the building historic status on July 15, 1985. According to a report prepared for the historical buildings committee, the structure was built in 1882.

Known as the T.W. Taylor building, it operated as a warehouse, office and printing plant for the Thomas W. Taylor Company until 1967. The company specialized in quality bookbinding and the printing of account books and blank cheques for commercial use, the report said.

The building went on to house an art studio and interior design firm in the early 1970s. Later, it was home to a restaurant, modelling academy and fitness studio.

Cindy Tugwell, Heritage Winnipeg’s executive director, said the building’s age makes it a rarity, even in the Exchange District, which is considered a national historic site.

She said she was working at the nearby Millennium Centre around 10 a.m., when she saw fire crews at the building and rushed over to take a look.

“It’s devastating,” she said by phone. “You just take it for granted that it’s always going to be there.”

Tugwell said she is anxiously awaiting news about whether the fire caused structural damage.

“You just have to wait and see and cross your fingers,” she said.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca