London Eats: Cintro expands into former Beer Store to meet soaring demand

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London’s only restaurant on OpenTable’s Top 100 list, Cintro on Wellington, is expanding into a café, dessert bar and upscale dining spot in the former Beer Store on Piccadilly Street.

Chef Joseph Tran and business partner Shauna Versloot are taking over 250 Piccadilly St., the Beer Store location that closed in January after convenience stores began selling alcohol.

Just 230 metres from Cintro, the new site is part of a strategy to keep pace with soaring demand at the restaurant, set in a converted house, Versloot said.

“(The expansion) solves a lot of the issues that we’re having,” she said.

With reservations fully booked through October and waiting lists running 20 to 50 names long, she said many customers – both regulars and newcomers – are frustrated by the months-long wait for a table.

“People are actually getting angry that they can’t get in,” Versloot said. “It’s not happening daily but it’s part of the frustration for people trying to get a seat.”

The Piccadilly expansion will house three concepts under one roof. Lotus and Lime, a daytime café that transitions into a dessert bar at night; Lanoa, an upscale dining space double the size of Cintro; and a private wine-cellar-inspired event space. They all will share the same Asian-fusion vibe.

Unlike Cintro, which seats just 28 at 731 Wellington St., Lanoa can seat 60 diners, plus the 30-person event room.

Lotus and Lime will have 28 indoor seats and a front patio for another 30, offering Vietnamese-inspired pastries, smoothie bowls, and specialty teas and coffees sourced from Vietnam.

“(Tran and I) wanted to offer something unique, whether that’s a six-course dinner, a creative dessert or just a morning coffee, while keeping it welcoming and accessible,” Versloot said.

The partners are investing between $1.5 million to $2 million in a complete renovation of the former Beer Store. The overhaul includes building the patio, redoing the parking lot and landscaping, with a soft opening planned for early 2026.

The new place will be one level with a 5.5-metre ceiling.

“The ceilings were really low when it was the beer store and we ripped out all of the tile ceilings and we took it back to the bare walls,” Versloot said. “And now it’s a massive (place) with beautiful, natural light, concrete floors, brick walls and floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s like a dreamy café that you never knew could exist.”

Lanoa, meaning “refined leaf” in Vietnamese, will reflect Cintro’s Asian-fusion approach to what chef Tran calls “elevated cuisine,” Versloot said.

“We might end up having Lanoa lunches down the road, but not to start. We’re going to get there slowly, but surely,” she said.

There will also be dinners built around carefully sourced ingredients, served in a “dark, moody” dining room carved out of the store’s former beer fridge.

Diners will book seatings in advance, arriving for cocktails in Lotus and Lime before sitting down at 6 p.m. for multi-course menus paired with live music on select nights at Lanoa.

Lotus and Lime will cater to both professionals and students in the downtown with an affordable menu that balances Asian and Canadian influences. Lanoa is expected to attract the same demographic as Cintro.

“Joe’s roots are Vietnamese, and mine are very Canadian, so it’s kind of an Asian-Canadian fusion place,” Versloot said.

From Vietnamese coffee buns and matcha-based drinks to lotus tea and coffee sourced from a Vietnamese farm, the menu is designed to distinguish the café from neighbouring spots, Versloot added.

“Black Walnut is our neighbour and we love Black Walnut,” she said. “We don’t want to be a direct competitor with them. They’ve all of the pastries and the butter tarts and the sandwiches and all of that good stuff. Our menu differs in a way that it’s more of an Asian vibe.”

In the evening, the café will transform into a dessert bar showcasing Tran’s sweets, a place for couples and friends to enjoy a night out.

Cintro isn’t going anywhere, Versloot said, with customers already booking anniversaries and birthdays into 2026.

For Tran, the expansion brings back the emotions of when he and Versloot first talked about opening a café and restaurant in culinary school.

“(I’m) excited, scared, thankful, happy,” Tran said. “I didn’t think it would happen this quickly after opening Cintro with my partner Ivy Pham, but I am thankful for the support and success that we have had this past year and a half to be able to do so.”

bbaleeiro@postmedia.com