Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Vancouver's iconic Five Sails resumes operation under ownership of major local restaurant group

The elegant restaurant has a new lease on life.
five-sails-vancouver-restaurant-interior-view
The beautiful view from inside the dining room at Five Sails. Photo: Five Sails/Facebook

An elegant restaurant in an iconic location is getting a new lease on life thanks to an established Vancouver brand. 

Five Sails Restaurant at the Pan Pacific Hotel at Canada Place Pier closed at the end of 2019, but has now been taken over by the Glowbal Restaurant Group.

Glowbal will operate Five Sails as an independent venture, with many of the restaurant's longtime staff resuming their posts for this next chapter. 

Sous Chef Masa Mabuchi has been a mainstay in the kitchen for many years while Sommelier Ramon Fresneda has been working with the restaurant for 20 years.

Until its closure on December 31, 2019, Five Sails was owned and operated by husband and wife team Chef Ernst Dorfler and Gerry Sayers for nearly 13 years. The couple opted to step away and retire. 

Then Glowbal came on board, and are re-invigorating the award-winning restaurant in its hard-to-beat locale.

Known for sweeping views of Vancouver’s inner harbour, Stanley Park and Coastal mountains, the fine dining restaurant offers a chic lounge area as well as a private dining area for up to 20 guests. 

Five-sails-restaurant-vancouver-foodBeetroot Terrine at Five Sails. Photo: Five Sails/Facebook

“We were thrilled to come on board with Five Sails earlier this year and have been welcoming tourists and locals in the dining room throughout the winter season,” says Glowbal CEO Emad Yacoub. “We will continue to remain open for business in the coming months as we conduct extensive renovations throughout the space and plan to re-launch the restaurant in the near future with a more modern upscale design. We hope to offer guests a fresh new dining experience while continuing to honour the important legacy of this iconic Vancouver restaurant.” 

The current dinner menu posted online includes appetizers like Quebec Foie Gras, caviar, and Warm Dungeness Crab Cakes, as well as mains such as Smoked & Pan-Seared Sable Fish, Honey-Glazed Smoked Duck Breast, and Whole Atlantic Lobster.

Five Sails is located at 410-999 Canada Place in Vancouver

- With a file from Elana Shepert/Vancouver Is Awesome