The restaurateur is no stranger to fighting the good fight against Vancouver's ย€ยœNo Fun Cityย€ย rep with her collection of always-playful bars and restaurants.

The Merrymaker: Rachel Zottenberg

Restaurateur, Rachel and David Inc., Vancouver

Whether she's hiding a swinging-'70s speakeasy behind a faux accountant's office, serving up picklebacks in a bar modelled after a retro basement or trading in a proper sign for a cool-kids-know red light, Rachel Zottenberg is no stranger to fighting the good fight against Vancouver's ย€ยœNo Fun Cityย€ย rep with her collection of always-playful bars and restaurants. Alongside her business partner, David Duprey, Zottenberg has steadily opened a string of charmingly eclectic spaces over the past decade that strike the perfect balance of thoughtfulness and chill.

there'sthe Emerald Supper Club and Cocktail Lounge in Chinatown, of course, with its old-Vegas glamour and killer cocktails, and Mount Pleasant's Uncle Abe's, always buzzing thanks to its cozy sofas, rosรฉ slushies and attached donair shop. But this year, with the resurrection of the Rumpus Room (the original was closed due to real estate development in 2016) and the opening of Vancouver's cheekiest secret bar, Key Party, Zottenberg is truly at the top of her game.

And though we're celebrating her work in the restaurant scene, she could easily be championed for her support of the arts, too: her company provides hundreds of studio spaces to artists, has just opened gallery-slash-events-venue Betamax Studios and sells everything from runes to animal skulls at the delightfully kooky This Monkey's Gone to Heaven boutique. Turns out, Vancouverites are living in Fun City after allย€ยฆ and Zottenberg is the mayor.

WL: What's your favourite unusual food and drink pairing?

RZ: Pickles, hot sauce and whiskey.

WL: Guilty pleasure snack?

RZ: This isnย€ย™t really guilty, but I love tomato soup and rye bread with sweet onion. I only really feel guilty when someone is there to witness how much raw onion I can eat and then has to hang out with me and my sexy breath.

Recipe: Grand Marnier Graham Crackers from Key Party

2019 Foodies of the Yearย ย–ยธย–ยธย–ยธ

Stacey McLachlan

Stacey McLachlan

Stacey is a senior editor at Western Living magazine, as well as editor-in-chief of sister publication Vancouver magazine. She loves window shopping on the job: send your home accessories and furniture recommendations over to [email protected]