Raven’s Cafe returns to its previous home inside the Imperial Billiard & Bar on Front Street. The owners had vacated the spot some years before to open Zephyr downtown, and felt the time was right to bring back the original restaurant.
Haydar Suyun originally opened the business in 2003 and ran it until 2006 when he opened Zephyr. He said that he simply didn’t have enough employees to cover both at the time.
“Now we have enough crew and knowledge to run both places,” he said.
He reopened about a month ago with separate crews for the two restaurants.
Under its chef, Beau Schooler, Raven’s Cafe seeks to supply casual food for the Front Street crowd with burgers and sandwiches and the like. Suyun feels this is a good menu for being both inside the bar and for the mixture of tourists and residents seeking casual dining.
“I think we’re doing a proper cuisine for the bar setup. People like to have fries and burgers here,” he said.
Imperial Manager Shelly Hurt said four different places have been in that kitchen spot since Suyun left, including Mexican and pizza places.
“I was really enforcing hard for them to come back because their first go-around was so good,” said Hurt.
Suyun said the homecoming has been welcoming.
“It’s been really good because most of the people and shopkeepers around here are happy for us to come back,” he said.
Hurt agreed that its business has been good since reopening. She said tourists there have even commented that they remember it from years ago.
Suyun said there have been some improvements in the bar since 2006 that will have a positive effect on the reopening. He also said the non-smoking laws for the bar will especially increase his food business.
Suyun is now working on his next business venture. He plans to open a Belgium beer café and bistro near the Harley Davidson spot downtown. He hopes to open it around January.
• Contact reporter Jonathan Grass at 523-2276 or jonathan.grass@juneauempire.com.
Comments (22)
Add commentGo Haydar!
"a Belgium beer café and bistro"? AWESOME - can't wait!
Love the cuban sandwich..
Love the cuban sandwich.. reminded me of Key West! I would hope they'd consider adding a pizza steak sandwich, one of my favorites from Mr. Z's (also key west) and they are SSSOOO good....
Too bad it's in the Imperial.
Too bad it's in the Imperial. It's going to be damned hard to get a drink to go with my food.
More beer...
Belgium beer café..just what we need. Another beer joint downtown.
maybetheydoknowyou
I only go to the Imperial 8-10 times a year, so I'm certainly not a regular. I have yet to have any problem getting served. Even with my sporadic patronage, Shelly normally remembers my "usual".
I do hope that this food service lasts, as that would be my only complaint with going to the Imperial. Seems like too many bar based kitchens in Juneau don't last.
worst bar service
dartbucks must be a friend of shellys,
This bar has the worst service, Friends of mine like to dance there otherwise i wouldnt ever step in. The bartenders will ignore you and not serve instead they talk. I will tip 4 for a beer and that is generous but they expect 10 which is extortion.
I never even get a thank-you , save you $$ and let it speak at the viking or alaskan or rondevouz. they all serve with a smile.
smell
I would love to try this restaurant, but I hate to say it I can't get past the stale beer/ puke whatever smell it is in there. Do they ever clean it up? It stinks and I can't enjoy even good food while smelling stink.... If you know these people, please ask them to make it smell better.. At least when there was smoke, it covered up the smell of barf and beer.
Imperial = Disgusting
It's really too bad this cafe is located in the Imperial because I bet the food will be decent.
The thought of eating lunch in the same spot a 21 year old puked at 3AM that morning will ruin any meal no matter how good it is.
I have to agree about the snobby bartenders there too... Can't stand that place.
It does seem like they are
It does seem like they are limiting their clientele. I personally have no interest in eating in a bar.
Great Food!
Great Food!!! Great prices!! I live downtown and vist the Imperial a few times a weeks with the wife, we love the Bartenders! Shelly, Sharron,Cryistal and Anna all very nice. The place is always clean and neat. Clean bathrooms!! The roll up garage doors in front is fun for people watching. Awseome Tatter-tots!!
When was the last time
you went in to the Imperial? The crew there has done an incredible job of keeping that place top notch! If its been awhile, give it a go again.
If I were the owner & staff of the Imperial...
I'd get VERY busy fighting the bad rep with major cleaning, consistent janitorial, and customer service training for the servers. Being "ignored" by a bartender is absurd, and the owner should seriously tune up or fire those who refuse to learn what good customer service actually means.These local impressions are not just isolated experiences, and if the Imperial brushes them off, their clientele will continue to be unimpressed.
Oh, and...
...Tater-Tots do not qualify as "Great Food!"
have you had the tater-tots?
?
what about family
if its in a bar, how is a regular family supposed to try it out.. kids arent allowed in a bar.. too bad you wont have a family style place and only cater to the drunks of juneau... juneau doesnt need another bar in downtown.. there is enuff puke on the streets and urine smells on the corners
You can say what you want
You can say what you want about the imperial but tater tots are undeniably a great food.....
Family
During the day, I've brought my granddaughter, 2 daughters, and son, in there and had a very nice dining experience....the kids loved the tater tots. No, I wouldn't want to take them there at 9 on a Saturday night, but a Wednesday afternoon lunch there was quite nice, no smell, great wait staff. Maybe you're mean and don't tip, thats why you get ignored. Try a smile ;)
Anyone who doesn't want to
Anyone who doesn't want to eat there, doesn't have to!
JNUKara wow you are angry
I would love to try new food..... but again I shall say it... if you want to entice customers, please clean up the smell
That is CONSTRUCTIVE criticism..... one is supposed to listen and benefit from it, not be angry.........
LMAO!
Wow, alaskansfirst - you like to make assumptions about people you don't even know - I'm not angry at all - why should I be? I don't care if people don't want to eat there - I don't care if people DO want to eat there. I was merely pointing out that there is a freedom of choice here - don't like it, don't eat there. I don't need your "constructive criticism" - I don't own or run the place. I'm not "supposed" to listen to you - I don't even know you. I will not benefit from anything you said. Sounds to me like you're the angry one, since my comment wasn't directed at you, but yours is clearly directed at me. Get a hobby or something. There were 7 other - positive - comments about the place, so why are you singling me out? Holding a grudge from a past debate, perhaps? Who's the angry one?
I almost get the sense that
I almost get the sense that people making comments about the service and the smell at Imperial have it confused with The Alaskan. I've never had anything but excellent service every time I've been in The Imperial. I've eaten there a few times since the new cafe opened, and each time the food has been fantastic. Try the Cuban sandwich!
And yes, the 'tots are fantastic! Better than any fries in town, in my opinion.
Imperial...best bar in DT
The Imperial is the best bar in downtown. Yes-I am a regular-so I am biased.
However, I came to this as one who went to every bar in DT (well, except the Arctic) on a pretty regular basis.
The Alaskan smells like urine/poop/stale beer (which they are trying hard to make better!).
The Rondy's men's bathroom is GROSS, although this is my #3 spot.
The Viking front has very rude staff during the afternoons. The Viking back is great for dancing...but I hear a lot of talk about bad things happening there, no fault of the staff or place, but the people who frequent it. The Viking upstairs is my #4, great staff, fun crowd, and no loud music.
The Hangar is way too preppy for me.
I have a soft spot for the Lucky Lady, but since Sharon passed away, it is not the same for me.
The Triangle is another great bar, if the Imperial is closed for a private party, this is where I go. The small TVs and lack of satellite TV sucks though.
Baranof Bubble Room is good for a pre or post date cocktail.
Bergman, well, let’s just say that it is a good last stop on the walk home.
The Imperial is clean-when the smoking ordinance passed they were the only bar in DT that actually cleaned, painted, and replaced the carpet. The bathrooms are clean. The staff is great-if you have to wait it is because there is a line. Being a regular, I have to wait my turn just as much as everyone else (which I like). They have plenty of TVs and buy the MLB/NFL/NBA/NHL sports packages and open early on Sundays for the NFL. They make good mixed drinks/cocktails. They clean their tap lines.
Now with Raven's Cafe, the food makes it doubly nice. Good food, prices are a little high but in line with the rest of Juneau.
Now if they just got Bud on tap I would be really happy...