Minstrel Café and Bar closes its doors yet again

The Minstrel Café and Bar has changed hands once again, just over a year after it was purchased by a family and relaunched.

The long-time favourite restaurant was first sold in March 2015, ending a 15-year legacy.

At the time, co-owner Clare Anderson said his business partner sold the restaurant suddenly, ending their years at the restaurant, which he said were filled with memories, laughter and a few tears.

The restaurant, which is known for its live music and dancing, was bought by the Stewart family, who own the Turtle Bay Pub in Lake Country. The café was refreshed with a new menu, executive chef, hours, pricing and a fresh coat of paint.

Co-owner Campbell Stewart said that the café has now been sold and will be closed for an indefinite amount of time. All tickets for upcoming shows will be refunded. There were several shows planned for the summer.

“It’s a bittersweet thing, we loved this place, loved the tree, loved the ambience and worked hard to create it, but we’re north centred and the distances were long and hard so ultimately we decided to put it on the market,” Stewart explained.

Stewart said that the café sold very quickly and the family is in a state of shock as they expected it would take some time to find a buyer in the current market.

“The deal came up so quickly, so here we are.”

Stewart declined to give further information as to who may have purchased the restaurant and says he has no idea what will become of the long-time café. The Minstrel Café opened its doors in 2000 and has had only the two owners, prior to this new sale.