Deacon's Corner Diner

What do you get when you cross more than three decades of combined experience on cruise ships, a truck stop diner from Winnipeg, and a tasty menu of homestyle cooking? Deacon's Corner, a neighbourhood staple in Gastown (with a second outpost now open in Kitsilano) serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner menus that'll make you feel warm and fuzzy inside even on the greyest Vancouver day.

"All the problems we had to solve on cruise ships laid the foundation for this," says Brian Dsouza, co-owner of Deacon's Corner. He and business parter Chandrahaas (Chander) Pathak spent many years working aboard cruise ships all over the world, which helped prepare the duo for running a restaurant together. Brian and Chander took over Deacon's Corner in Gastown in 2009 from the previous owner,  who had opened it in honour of the original Deacon's Corner, a highway truckstop in Winnipeg.

When the Main Street diner changed hands in 2009, everyone agreed that it should maintain the flavour that made it a go-to for all types since its beginning in the Prairies. Brian and Chander have done just that; in fact, the opening of a second location in Kitsilano in 2014  is a good indicator that the duo has successfully stuck to the original concept while thriving in a new city.