One of Burnaby’s classiest restaurants, Mintara on Burnaby Mountain which overlooks the Burrard Inlet and Coast Range Mountains, is getting a makeover.
The restaurant, formerly called Horizons Restaurant and now managed by the City of Burnaby, will undergo renovations to expand its outdoor patio with a full glass enclosure to ward off the weather during the long rainy season. The renovations will also make the patio accessible to wheelchair users, according to a city staff report.
The patio’s café and concession area, currently three stone picnic tables, will also be upgraded to include more seating and a canopy.
The café patio addition would capitalize on the space and “preserve the venue’s remarkable views,” according to the report.
The renovation has a budget of $130,000. It will mean Mintara will close for about five months.
More details on the project will be brought to council at a later date.
City staff considered a full re-build of the restaurant to include a rooftop patio, which isn’t possible to construct on the current building, but that option also came with a price tag of an estimated $8 million.
Staff said re-building could be an option at the building’s end of life.
The city took over operations of Mintara in 2019, when Horizons decided to not renew its lease.
The venue has already been renovated “with a vision to represent a certain elegance and refinement associated with special events such as weddings and other memorable celebrations,” according to staff.
