Nuba Celebrates 20th Anniversary With Epic Block Party & Lebanese Feast

Vancouver’s award-winning Nuba is turning 20, and to celebrate, the restaurant is hosting a Lebanese community feast and block party on Sunday, July 16 from 2-10 p.m. in front of their Mount Pleasant location at 146 East 3rd Avenue.

Nuba opened the doors to its first location in 2003, serving lunch plates and wraps in a modest 15-seat space on West Hastings. Founder Victor Bouzide introduced his family recipes, which date back to the 1800s, and they caught on. It might be hard to believe, but at the time falafel, hummus, and stewed lentils were not as prevalent in Vancouver and not something easily found at local grocery stores.

Today, Nuba now operates four award-winning restaurants in Vancouver built on the legacy of Victor’s recipes, with carefully curated beverage programs offering natural wines and inventive cocktails, along with a popular catering division, and newly introduced line of retail products.

“We are immensely grateful for the support from our community over the past two decades, which allows us to employ nearly 130 amazing people, and serve Victor’s family recipes along with our ever evolving interpretations of Lebanese cuisine to millions of people,” said Nuba CEO Ernesto Gomez. “We are deeply honoured to have been named the top Lebanese restaurant in the city numerous times, and to be recognized as a welcoming place for halal and vegan diets. We are always touched to hear stories from couples who had their first date at Nuba—sometimes we even hear these tales while catering their weddings.”

The festive 20th anniversary celebration event will take over East 3rd Avenue between Main and Quebec and will feature live DJs to create that summer block party atmosphere, an extensive Lebanese community feast, and bar. The menu will consist of dishes such as grilled skewers, braised lamb, amazing salads, delicious pastries, and some of Nuba’s most popular items, including falafel and, of course, Najib’s Special — Vancouver’s most iconic cauliflower dish.

The bar will be serving natural wine, craft beer, tasty cocktails, and fresh-pressed juices. A few of Nuba’s trusted suppliers, like Massey Wines + Spirits, Faculty Brewing Co. and Two Rivers Meats, will be on-site representing their wonderful products.

Gomez does have one very important request for anyone who plans to attend Nuba’s incredible block party: “Please kindly RSVP so that we can accurately estimate the amount of cauliflower to prepare!”