There’s a new upscale sports bar in town. On Wednesday, May 22, The Palms Restaurant and Lounge, located on Douglas Street at the Hotel Rialto, announced on Facebook that The Palms “Game Seven” Sports Bar is now open, just in time for the Stanley Cup finals, NBA finals, and the upcoming Olympics. While owner Rob Ekstrom said it’s an early soft opening and they still want to get their menu and operations in order before their hard launch, he said the doors are now open.
“Certainly, everybody is welcome,” Ekstrom said. Those familiar with the Palms restaurant will know it as a long room with a horseshoe-shaped bar in the middle. A wall now exists on the Douglas Street side of that bar, separating the room into the old dining room from the wall to the Douglas Street windows, and the new sports bar.
The atmosphere is casual yet sophisticated, with large paintings, modern furniture and the elegant details of the heritage building it shares with Hotel Rialto. Ekstrom wanted to distinguish that The Palms is not part of the hotel’s operations, as many people think, but he thought having a sports bar in the space would cater well to the hotel guests. “We are an independent business, but I love being in the Hotel Rialto.
It’s a beautiful boutique hotel. I love the ownership and the management, and we try to be good partners with them.” A frequent traveller himself, Ekstrom thought it would be beneficial for hotel guests to have a place where they could have a bite t.