Bananas Foster Café Expanding; Upgrading Dinner Service

Bananas Foster Café, a American restaurant with a bit of a British accent, is about to get bigger—about three times bigger. The cafe, which currently flanks the corner at Broadway and Granville, has taken over the space next door on Granville and plans to have the new side open in mid May once the city approves its expanded liquor license.

While the menu won't change much (the dinner menu might expand a bit down the line), the biggest difference in dinner service will be seen in the look and feel. "We found that during the day the decor in the cafe was great and people loved it," said owner John Winslow, "but in the evening it wasn't sophisticated enough for people."

So when Bananas Foster opens up its new "dining room" as they're calling it, the restaurant will have a total of 84 seats and have a bit more of an upscale feeling. Winslow said they're making it more "striking" by having one wall with black, white and gray striped wallpaper with all the other walls remaining white. The floor will have burgundy carpeting and the ceiling will be painted a color to match.

They'll have dimly-lit drop lighting hanging over large tables and will feature art by local artists on the walls. Currently, they're going to showcase paintings by Anne Elisabeth Hogh and Sue Epstein and photography by Gary Taylor, who does large panoramic shots, including images of the Chicago skyline and Tower Bridge in London.

Bananas Foster will also have their sidewalk patio set up long before the expansion is complete, adding an additional 22 seats outside.