ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Many of us have been to Europe and enjoyed the multitude of outdoor cafes that adorn its streets.
And while many of those countries have exceptional weather, there is still room for that experience to make its way to Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Yellowbelly Brewery and Public House is set to open an expansion to its patio this weekend.
“The city (St. John’s) did a major project down here recently. We saw the plan and realized the sidewalk in front of our location was expanding,’’ co-owner Craig Flynn said Wednesday.
“My wife Brenda (O’Reilly) and I travel a lot so we started a discussion with the city on what it would take to expand our patio and get street seating,’’ he added.
So they approached the Newfoundland Liquor Corporation (NLC) and the city for the permits to make the expansion happen in an attempt to bring the European flare to St. John’s.
Flynn said there is a small opportunity to enjoy summer here, so the best way to do that is to push for outdoor seating.
“The city explained what we could and couldn’t do and once we saw we could meet its criteria — the number of tables and chairs and of course make it accessible for patrons — we approached the NLC for a change in our license,’’ he said.
“We had a couple of obstacles to work around, like a lamp post and the sidewalk that dips down to make it accessible to wheelchairs, but that was an easy workaround,’’ he added.
In total, Yellowbelly Corner as it is known, was able to add 24 seats (eight tables) to the front of its location, measuring just over 300 square feet.
“We are very excited about the patio and can’t wait for it to open,’’ Flynn said.
Yellowbelly Corner is a memory and piece of history that dates back to the Great Fire in 1892.
The exterior of the building was preserved as was the history of the Irish immigrants who found their way out onto the streets to participate in a bout of fisticuffs.
The facility is known for its microbrewery in addition to a full menu and several rooms in the building that can be used for private functions.
There is also a Yellowbelly location at the St. John’s International Airport that opened recently after the terminal expansion was completed.
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