‘Step in the right direction’ Commonwealth Kitchen & Bar seeks to be first stop for Exchange District nights revival By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 6:06 PM CDT Thursday, Apr. 4, 2024

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A short walk from Portage and Main, a stately former bank building has sat vacant. A Winnipeg entrepreneur hopes to soon see it bustling once more.

“I want to see it come back to life,” Nikola Maharajh said of the area surrounding his new venture, Commonwealth Kitchen & Bar, while mid-renovation at 456 Main St.

The building once housed Mexican eatery La Carnita, which shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Maharajh and a business partner signed a lease on the space in 2023.

Now, plants and mood lighting have been hauled in. Chefs from Deer + Almond and Kyu Grill helped with the menu, Maharajh said.

The lineup will include “globally inspired, shareable plates” such as pork belly sliders and watermelon feta salad. It will sell items from several local businesses, including craft brewers such as Kilter and desserts from Cake-ology.

“I’m trying to bring a little bit of everything I love in the city into one place,” Maharajh said.

The 31-year-old began his hospitality career making pizza dough and as a food delivery driver. The following years brought nightclub promotions and roles at various establishments, including assistant manager of Stereo Nightclub and co-owning Chaise Corydon for a period.

He then hopped to 441 Main, where he became co-owner of the Exchange District nightclub. It closed shortly after COVID-19 was detected in Manitoba.

Maharajh was a bartender for a stint in Vancouver before returning to Winnipeg, without expectations of a near-term return to entrepreneurship.

“I’m trying to bring a little bit of everything I love in the city into one place.”–Nikola Maharajh

Then, he said, a landlord he knew tapped his shoulder; 456 Main St. was leasing, would he take a look?

“The place chose me more than I chose the place,” Maharajh stated.

He recalled looking at the former Bank of Toronto across the street during his 441 Main days — the site and its history drew him.

“You have a lot of old character that you can’t make anymore,” Maharajh said. “To have it vacant… it was just the perfect place.”

The building has walls covered in marble and columns facing Main Street.

He and a partner took the space in November. They can fit 149 patrons inside and another 50 on the patio.

Maharajh expects Commonwealth — which is inspired by big city lounges — to be a first stop for people seeking to spend the night partying. Both the Palomino Club and Diablo (in the former 441 Main space) are within walking distance.

“We want to be one of the places that leads the rebirth of the Exchange,” Maharajh said, describing his personal experiences some 10 years ago, when he could walk to many bars, clubs and late-night restaurants within the Exchange District.

“It was everyone moving around and it didn’t feel dangerous, because there were so many people,” Maharajh said. “Back then, you’d say, ‘I’m going to the Exchange tonight.’”

Commonwealth is a “step in the right direction,” Maharajh continued, adding the business is not a club and won’t have a dance floor.

He’s targeting an opening date of April 12.

“I think it’s great,” said Hilary James, general manager of neighbouring Across the Board Game Café. “The more things we have down here, the more people we get in the area.”

Having another restaurant in such a visible location — on Main Street, next to heavy daily vehicle traffic — helps with the perception of a lively downtown, she noted.

Austin Granados, Cake-ology co-owner, echoed James. He expects his bakery to supply “simple” desserts first, such as chocolate cake and cheesecake.

Parlour Coffee staff joke they’ve “been through the opening process” with Commonwealth; recently, the new restaurant was using neighbouring Parlour’s espresso to test its espresso martinis.

“The more things we have down here, the more people we get in the area.”–Hilary James, Across the Board Game Café general manager

The Community Gym’s owner, another neighbour along the Main Street strip, has voiced her desire to boost traffic in the Exchange District.

“That’s a normal and healthy and vibrant thing — young people bringing new energy to the spaces,” said David Pensato, Exchange District BIZ executive director.

He called it “very exciting” to have Commonwealth in the former Bank of Toronto site. Other spots, including Borgo Antico, have recently opened in the area.

It’s hard to get a reservation at many local restaurants, Pensato continued. “This feels like we’re back on trend… to where we were (before the pandemic), the way that people experience the Exchange.”

Commonwealth has hired roughly 30 staff thus far. It’s installed security cameras and will employ plainclothes security guards, Maharajh added.

The eatery is scheduled to be open from 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, closing around 2 a.m. on weekends and around midnight Wednesdays and Sundays.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com

Gabrielle Piché
Reporter

Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.

Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.