A longstanding Victoria restaurant – Rebar – which billed itself as the city’s first vegan and vegetarian-focused restaurant, has closed its doors, but will soon reopen under a different name, Urban Rebar.

The original Rebar opened in the capital city in 1988, and new owner Pottumutu Praveen says he’s looking to build off the restaurant’s legacy.

Urban Rebar will get back to basics and the core values of the brand, says Praveen, and will open with Rebar’s original menu with a focus on vegan and vegetarian food, while slowly introducing new items, including some meat dishes, as time goes on.

“Rebar being an iconic symbol of Victoria downtown for the last 30 to 40 years, it has served a phenomenal experience,” he told CHEK News on Thursday.

Besides carrying forward the name, Praveen says many staff members will continue to work at the restaurant, including some front of house staff that have been there for years or decades, and one chef.

“I was fortunate to retain one chef, but I am bringing back a chef from the past who actually gave life to Rebar for a few years,” he said.

Praveen says Rebar changed hands about seven years ago, and the hope is to launch Urban Rebar “with the whole energy” of the original restaurant.

“That’s the spirit I’m focused at, that’s the spirit the whole team has come together with.”

A note posted on Rebar’s door is shown on Oct. 1, 2025. (CHEK News)

Now a Canadian citizen, Praveen immigrated from India and intends to add some South Asian flavours to the menu.

“The minute people think Indian food, they think butter chicken, tikamasal – no, that’s not something you get even in India,” he said. “That is a Westernized, structured way of selling so-called Indian food, but we have enough Indian restaurants in Victoria that sell butter chicken, naan bread, or whatever. That’s not what I want to do.”

“You want authenticity,” he said.

Praveen has worn many hats and pursued several careers, spanning from hospitality to cooking and now IT.

While he operates a successful IT business currently, he says he felt something was missing.

“The feeling was I love to cook, and I love food,” he said.

Urban Rebar is located at 50 Bastion Square. The original Rebar first opened along Johnson Street before moving into the Bastion Square location.

In the early 2000s, the founders of the original restaurant also released a successful cookbook that focused on vegan and vegetarian cooking.

Urban Rebar is eyeing an opening date of mid-October.

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