After a couple months of dealing with setbacks, Saxe Point Public House has finally opened its doors to the Esquimalt community.
The spacious pub seats 146 in total with 54 patio seats in the Esquimalt town square and Merino says that the neighbourhood has been nothing but welcoming since they opened their doors on Saturday, July 6th.
Owner/Publican Demian Merino says that initially, he planned on opening in May, however due to a mechanical issue in the pub’s fire alarm system, they were unable to open their doors then and kept having to push back the big day.
When the sought after part they needed to mend the system came in, they updated their website saying they would be opening, prepared as best they could and they have been slammed ever since.
“We just opened on a weekend in the summer and it’s crazy busy,” Merino told Victoria Buzz.
“You know, there’s little hiccups here and there and we’re just trying to find our feet, but the community’s been so great and supportive even through that.”
He continued by saying that the thing he hears most is that people are so happy the Saxe Point Public House is in the neighbourhood and finally open.
The menu came from the mind of Head Chef Leon McIntyre who had previously worked with Merino when they ran the back of house and front of house together at Bard and Banker in downtown Victoria.
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McIntyre’s menu features a mix of classic pub fare prepared at an elevated level with European influences, which came from the head chef’s upbringing in Scotland.
Merino says the Saxe Point beef burger has been one of their best sellers thus far and is comprised of two smash burgers with maple mustard bacon, cheddar, house-made red pepper ketchup, pickled peppers and onion rings served on the burger.
Another standout is the pork belly Cubano sandwich, which has pulled pork, sliced honey ham, house made pickles, ‘mojo sauce’, yellow mustard and swiss, served on a toasted Portofino bun.
Their drink list features a myriad of local beers from iconic breweries such as Driftwood, Category 12 and Hoyne, along with classics like Molson Canadian.
They also have a long list of old and new world wines, some of which are sourced from BC.
Additionally, Saxe Point Pub has a handful of gluten-free drink and non-alcoholic options.
The room itself feels like a contemporary neighbourhood pub with loads of natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows.
All the art was done by Merino’s father who is a well-known local artist, with the exception of a custom-made piece depicting two wolves and a shaman done by a dear friend of his from the Tahltan Nation, which is located in Northern BC.
Being that Merino had spent so long cutting his teeth at the Bard and Banker and Irish Times, he got to know the people who made those places what they were.
He told Victoria Buzz he managed to get the retired contractors who built the bar and did the custom lighting at Bard and Banker to come in and “do one last bar” in order to allow him to carry forth his own legacy from his former places of employment.
Merino concluded the interview with Victoria Buzz by saying he is so grateful to everyone involved in the process of opening; to all the local contractors who worked on the bar and to his staff who have brought their best to the table since day one with no signs of slowing down.
“It means a lot to me,” he said.
“A lot of family and a lot of really tight relationships went into building this, so it makes me really emotional to think about.”
He said he could not have opened this bar without the efforts of his general contractor, Brett Gray of Gray and Co. and his commercial realtor and friend Anne Tanner.
