MILLTOWN
BAR & GRILL
Rustic, wood-accented Canadian bar & grill in a marina with patio dining & scenic water views.
Milltown Bar & Grill is located on a man-made island on the Fraser River, between Vancouver and Richmond.
The island, which initially served as an industrial loading site for barges and ships, has been converted into Milltown Marina. The marina docks over 300 boats and provides marine services and storage options.
Milltown Bar & Grill was built as a quality dining option for the marina’s members and the local Marpole community.
Milltown is one of our all-time favorite projects. It was a fantastic experience building this standout dining spot in one of Vancouver’s most unique locations.
The concept behind the design was to create a warm and welcoming “wharf-side” restaurant that embraced the land’s history as a logging site.
We had worked with House of Bohn—a Vancouver-based design company—on previous projects, and it was a pleasure to work together again on this project.
A key feature of the design was using different wood textures to create the rich sense of history that any good pub has. To accomplish this, we custom-milled charred wood planks taken from the inside of an old Olympic Village steel foundry and used them to line the interior walls. In addition, the wood planks were placed in a seemingly random order rather than a more traditional layered layout, giving the room a unique and rustic ambience.
This project was an ideal example of how heritage materials can be repurposed in creative and resourceful ways.
Another design element used to give the dining area a classic heritage look was the drop beam ceiling.
Upon entering the room, the long wooden beams spanning the length of the ceiling mirror those found in near century-old industrial buildings across Vancouver.
While it has become commonplace for restaurants in Yaletown and Gastown to be designed around the existing architecture, we could engineer and place each beam in a grid specifically optimized to create an efficient seating layout.
These wooden features are contrasted by select parts of the restaurant and bar that have been covered in blue accented white tile.
The exterior boasts a bold contrast between the cardinal red tiles and white window & door frames.
The colours give the building a nautical feel since the red and white colour pairing is commonly used on lighthouses and allows the building to be easily spotted while out at sea.
In addition, the colours, design, and unique location of this building allow for it to be easily recognized from a distance, whether you are arriving from land or by sea.
We are immensely proud of this project and had an amazing experience working with the management team.
At Mercury Contracting, we value lasting relationships with our clients. From company holiday parties to casual lunches, we never miss an opportunity to drop in at Milltown Bar & Grill.
If you’re looking for an excellent location for a date night, business lunch, or want to spend a weekend afternoon watching the game, be sure to check out this truly fantastic restaurant!
