Huzzah! The Orange Room lives!

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By Briana Tomkinson 23 January 2009 4 Comments

It was a dark day in New Westminster when the Orange Room closed. It was one of only a handful of restaurants in New West that one might classify as, well, cool. Amid the plethora of sports bars and diners, The Orange Room was a vital refuge for those among us who enjoyed tapas with a side of live music and local art.

I had given up hope that this favourite restaurant of mine might reopen, but I am happy to report that the Orange Room lives!

The new owner is Paloma Eguiagaraya, who impulsively offered to buy the restaurant within a week of seeing the note on the door announcing the closure. Another buyer was in the running at the time, aiming to transform The Orange Room into yet another sports bar.

The New Westminster woman, who has no history in the restaurant business, just couldn’t bear to see the eatery go.

“We’re French and Spanish, so we’re very spontaneous,” said Paloma’s daughter Zoe Watters, who is the new general manager of The Orange Room.

The new Orange Room will bear the same name and – hopefully – the same community feel. It will also continue the tradition of live music. Regulars should prepare for some big changes, however. The restaurant is currently undergoing renovations, and the menu will be revised to focus on Mediterranean-style tapas.

If the renovations go according to schedule, the Orange Room will reopen in a few weeks.

3724 CommentsHuzzah%21+The+Orange+Room+lives%212009-01-24+00%3A29%3A03Briana+Tomkinson »

Jocelyn said:

WAHOOOOO! I loved that place. I know we can never recapture what it was, but here's to the new owners, that they have success in creating something new with the cool Orange Room yaletown feel! (and pls get wifi…)

# 23 January 2009 at 2:55 pm

John said:

I agree. The Orange room will be a popular spot again. So many musicians truly missed it.

Like many businesses in New West we rely on the locals patronage to stay afloat. New West businesses support charities, pay taxes(higher than most areas) and spend money locally. It is up to us to spend on food and entertainment within our boundaries from shops supporting our city. It is also up to our City fathers and regulatory bodies to assure quality service and products and attract businesses to enable everyone to "Shop Local"

# 23 January 2009 at 10:17 pm

Jen said:

HUZZAH! I have been missing this place as its within walking distance to my house and was open late and had killer desserts and wine.

# 24 January 2009 at 4:58 am

Tenth To The Fraser » Blog Archive » The long-awaited ‘new’ Orange Room - reviewed said:

[...] few days ago, Will and I made our way down to The Orange Room, which recently reopened under new management. It has long been a favourite haunt of ours, so we came with high expectations and a little fear [...]

# 9 March 2009 at 8:18 pm

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