Main Street's Mortadella finds gold in a temporary home

Stephen Wiese stepped back from restaurant work in 2018 after selling his West End bistro La Brasserie. He worked a mining job, took stints as executive chef at chain restaurants, and spent years catering for film sets. When the actors' and writers' strikes slowed production last year, he knew he wanted back in the game.

When the space that Pizzeria Farina had occupied for years on Main Street became available, Wiese saw opportunity — not liability. The building, which houses the punk rock venue the Cobalt and the bar the Boxcar on the ground level, is eventually destined for demolition. "A lot of people were like, 'You're crazy, this building's going to come down, don't spend any money in there,' " Wiese recalls. But cheap rent on a busy thoroughfare, even if temporary, was a chance to build a brand.

Wiese and his brother Michael opened Mortadella, a compact spot seating around 20 with a tight menu of sandwiches ($17) and pizza slices ($7), plus a trendy beer and wine list at reasonable prices. They initially served only the Cobalt's customers, letting them work out the details before opening to the public. Once dialed in, it instantly became a neighborhood go-to — the Georgia Straight's Golden Plates awards just named it Best Hidden Gem.

Wiese credits intuition for much of the success. When the co-owner of the Boxcar across the street cautioned him against lunch service — "'Do not do lunch—we tried it, and it didn't work at the American,' " — Wiese pushed back. Boxcar is a cavernous bar; Mortadella is a "vibe, a cool little spot to come in and grab a bite or take it to go." Now there's a big lunch rush most days. The restaurant also supplies food for the Cobalt next door and is backed by a busy catering service, layering revenue streams that make a short-term building feel like a solid long-term bet.