Tonics Pub reopens after COVID-19 pandemic shutdown

Pubs and bars were given the green light to reopen over a month ago after being forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Tonics Pub in Downtown Kelowna stayed closed up until last week, taking the opportunity to make some improvements. 

“We really wanted to take all precautions and we wanted to maybe stay closed a little bit longer than maybe some of the other guys,” explains Nick Sintichakis, co-owner of Tonics Pub and Yamas Greek Restaurant.  

“Then after a couple of months past, we thought to ourselves you know now that we’re closed it’s a perfect time to maybe do a renovation, so we started undertaking that.”

They spent $500,000 on their upgrade, which includes a new feature brick wall and new menu. 

“We’ve revamped our menu. We’ve gone local with a lot of our produce and we’ve gone organic - it’s not just pub food anymore,” adds Sintichakis.

He thinks it’s a nice change with the new condominiums being built, tourists visiting again and provide residents with fresh local food. 

“This year just brought me back and I just said to myself you know what we got to really pull together with the locals, help each other out and support each other instead of sending our stuff away to Vancouver and the U.S.,” he adds. 

“Try to do the Okanagan as much as you can and it just helps everybody out.”

The pub was closed for a total of four and a half months and just reopened last week. He says things are going great as people are supporting local.  

They’ve added new daily feature items such as a catch-of-the-day and a fresh pasta of the day - something he says is a must-try. 

“It's hard to pick one thing, to be honest with you,” laughs Sintichakis.