Story by Nikki Bayley | Images by Joern Rohde
Pop the cava and celebrate! Bar Oso is 10 years old. To mark this milestone, Executive Chef Jorge Muñoz Santos and Toptable Whistler’s culinary director, chef James Walt, reflect on the restaurant’s origins and growth.
Bar Oso strikes a unique balance — offering the excitement of something new, while feeling like a well-loved member of Whistler’s community. The space, featuring an back-lit onyx bar, captures the essence of an authentic tapas bar right in the heart of the Village. Walt, inspired by small bars he visited in Spain and New York, envisioned bringing that atmosphere to Whistler. “I’d been to Spain and New York to those small bars and loved them so much. I wanted something like that for us in Whistler. We had this shy Spanish chef, Jorge, in the kitchen at Araxi who was ready to step up,” says Walt.
Photo Allison Kuhl
For Muñoz Santos, the opportunity to lead Bar Oso was one he couldn’t pass up. “When chef James said that a Spanish place would work here and offered me the job, it was so amazing! The main thing is I had to learn to be chatty; I was so shy in the beginning; now the guests have to tell me to be quiet!” he recalls with a cheeky grin.
While the menu of seasonally shifting small plates and house-made charcuterie has remained a staple, Muñoz Santos notes the biggest transformation has been in the guests’ approach to dining. “So many people just wanted [an] appie, main and dessert in the early days, but now they’ve learned to eat Spanish-style, and share plates.”
When it comes to recommendations, Walt highlights the empanada as a current favourite: “It’s really good,” he says. “But from Day 1, I’ve loved our charcuterie; the terrines we make are so great, and it’s got to be paired with a gin and tonic, they’re the best.”
Muñoz Santos says his choice varies with his mood. “I will always order the things I don’t eat at home; for instance, the scallop crudo we have changed maybe five times over the past decade, but the latest version is the one I am most proud of, with crispy almonds and prosciutto.”
Both Walt and Muñoz Santos are enthusiastic about the possibility of opening a second Bar Oso. “We don’t always need a big restaurant,” Walt says. “Smaller spaces satisfy that community need of a really cool bar you can just go to any time.”
Whether for a late lunch, après, dinner, or late-night cocktails and bites, visit Bar Oso on the Village Stroll to experience this inviting and intimate space for the warmth of traditional Spanish-influenced flavours.
Look out for their upcoming Dine Whistler: Spring Edition for a three-course Taste of Spain menu, which will be available from Sunday to Thursday from 4:30 p.m. starting April 12.
baroso.ca | 604-962-4540
