© Batay-Csorba Architects / Photography: SilentSama Architectural Photography

Straddled alongside the vast and abundant waters of the Pacific, it isn’t hard to imagine Vancouver boasts one 0f the most exciting seafood dining scenes in North America. Pitching in with a cool dining concept all its own is the recently opened Shuck Shuck in Chinatown. The restaurant, founded by college friends Larry Lau and Waylon Sharp, is situated on the ground floor of a newly built apartment building and features an interior design by Toronto-based architecture practice Batay-Csorba Architects. Avid fans of oyster bars, the duo wanted to shake up the formula and elevate it to a contemporary level, and the result is simply stunning, or perhaps more appropriately, stunningly simple? The lofty ground floor space has been fully stripped, incorporating the bare concrete pillars and floor, and an exposed ceiling replete with utility pipes in the brilliantly understated design in which a meandering precast concrete table takes centre stage.

Shuck Shuck is a standing-only restaurant, and the intricate design of the two-piece table which swirls around the space allows guests to easily move around and connect with others while providing a new perspective of the space along the way. Interestingly, the texture and finish of the table were prescribed akin to an oyster. The exterior shell, often rough, grey, and drab acts to protect the delicate pearl inside. While the underside of the concrete table is executed with a rough, pocketed finish like the oyster’s shell, the exterior has a soft, smooth, and polished finish. At the back sits a service counter from where the oysters are served. Clad in timber, with a similar timber backdrop, it’s adds a bold warm element to the understated space. As said, Shuck Shuck is an oyster bar, but one with a modern edge. With sustainability and supporting local businesses in mind, all oysters are locally sourced, and these are to be paired with an extensive list of carefully curated, unique toppings and shots which will surely make your taste buds pop.

Shuck Shuck
227 East Pender Street (Chinatown)
Vancouver, BC V6A 1T8
Telephone: +1 604 3604788
Wed-Thu 3-9
Fri 3-10
Sat 1-10
Sun 1-8

© Batay-Csorba Architects / Photography: SilentSama Architectural Photography