L'Abattoir

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Neighbourhood Shaped by History

L'Abattoir sits on Carrall Street in Vancouver's Gastown, on the site of the city's first jail and what was once the heart of its meat-packing district. The name is a deliberate nod to that gritty past, and the 19th-century brick-and-beam building carries the memory forward with classic French tile, warm wood, and industrial accents. Guests can settle in at the bar, the mezzanine, or the light-drenched atrium — three distinct atmospheres within the same room.

The Kitchen

Executive Chef Jasper Cruickshank is a Vancouver native who began cooking at 17, earned his Red Seal in 2014, and went on to stage at Michelin-starred restaurants including Geranium, Aqua, and Amador. He advanced under Chef Alex Chen at Boulevard, then led the kitchen at Whistler's Wild Blue, where he won the 2024 Canadian Culinary Championship. At L'Abattoir, he draws on that international foundation to develop the restaurant's French-inspired Pacific Northwestern cuisine — a menu built on French technique and West Coast ingredients that has earned the restaurant Michelin Recommended status every year since 2022.

Working alongside Cruickshank is Chef de Cuisine Baker Hsu, who brings over 15 years of experience from kitchens including Michelin-starred Alo in Toronto and Coi in San Francisco. The front of house is led by Restaurant Manager Jean-Charles Madenspacher, who trained at the three-Michelin-starred Les Prés d'Eugénie under Chef Michel Guérard and co-founded London's first restaurant dedicated to French cheese.

Drinks and the Cellar

The beverage program matches the ambition of the kitchen. Head Sommelier Peter Van de Reep — named BC Sommelier of the Year in 2020 and a Premier Crew Award recipient in 2023 — oversees a wine list that has earned a Platinum Award from the Vancouver International Wine Festival, and now carries Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence for 2024. Bar Manager Alexa Gervais, the youngest woman in North America to hold a Master's of Whisk(e)y from the Council of Whiskey Masters, shapes a cocktail program designed to complement every stage of the meal.

Events and Private Dining

L'Abattoir has built a consistent calendar of sold-out winemaker's dinners and chef collaborations — past evenings have brought together chefs from Montreal's Maison Publique and celebrated pastry talent like Patrice Demers, alongside producers from BC's Okanagan and California's Paso Robles. The private dining room accommodates corporate events, weddings, and intimate celebrations, with Director of Sales Lainey Gobeil overseeing every detail after nearly a decade at the restaurant.

Over more than 15 years, L'Abattoir has remained one of Vancouver's most consistent addresses for contemporary French-Pacific Northwestern cooking — a place where the building's history and the team's craft quietly reinforce each other.