ShuckShuck Oyster Bar, located at 227 East Pender Street in Vancouver’s vibrant Chinatown, is a bold culinary experiment that has staked its identity on two elements as divisive as they are raw: oysters and concrete. The small, unassuming oyster bar is the brainchild of Larry Lau and Waylon Sharp, two entrepreneurs whose vision for this concept began in 2017 during their MBA studies at Western University’s Ivey Business School in Ontario. What started as a dream has now materialized into the city’s most unconventional oyster destination.
The bar occupies a sleek, 1,000-square-foot space in the newly constructed seven-story Framework by Porte condo building, nestled between a bakery and a vegan gelato shop. To execute their vision, Lau and Sharp brought in Toronto-based Batay-Csorba Architects, whose design for ShuckShuck makes a striking statement with a singular, commanding feature: a custom 17-meter-long (56 ft) curving concrete table. This raw-concrete centerpiece perfectly embodies the bar’s ethos, evoking the solidity and natural protection of an oyster’s shell, even though the mollusk’s interior is quite the opposite of the fluid, curvaceous table. Polished-concrete floors, exposed utility pipes, and minimalistic light fixtures complete the pared-back, industrial aesthetic that is both daring and stripped down.
The culinary concept at ShuckShuck is equally daring, focusing exclusively on one type of oyster—the Miyagi Pacific oyster—sourced from their sole supplier, Evening Cove on Vancouver Island. The decision to narrow the oyster selection is part of the owners’ broader mission: to educate consumers about oysters as a sustainable and versatile food option. In a move that sets them apart from traditional oyster bars, ShuckShuck embraces the unconventional by topping their oysters with a variety of playful ingredients that bring an unexpected twist to the sea-born delicacy. Maple syrup, bacon, ketchup chips, peanut butter, and even lemon curd are regular fixtures on the menu, alongside Big Mac-inspired toppings, Korean kimchi, and gochujang for those with a more adventurous palate.
While it’s too early to predict the lasting impact of ShuckShuck in Vancouver’s ever-evolving culinary scene, the initial reaction is sure to be one of intrigue. In a city known for its diverse and competitive food landscape, ShuckShuck’s unique fusion of raw simplicity and innovation promises to make a lasting impression on those open to the unexpected.
