Discover Victoria's underground oasis

CENOTE is one of Victoria’s foremost cocktail lounges which, after expertly navigating the COVID crisis, is now soaring again.

Located on Yates Street, close to the Odeon movie theatre, “Cenote” is a Mayan word for an “underground oasis” and that’s what co-owner Seth Asch wanted to create when opening the lounge 14 years ago.

“The name is a metaphor for being able to go underground into a watering hole,” Asch says. “The Mayan Riviera has tons of cenotes. So really it’s a metaphor for a place that is in juxtaposition to the outside.

“People love an underground cocktail lounge. A secret, hidden kind of place.

Boasting a "chilled" and "comfortable" vibe, “what I hear from everyone is that we’re the cosiest place and exactly where people want to be in winter,” Asch says.

Adds bar manager Thomas Goodine: “I think it evokes a certain energy you’d find in a New York city underground cocktail scene.”

Asch says the highlights for Cenote have been making memorable relationships with patrons – and surviving the pandemic challenges.

“We have lots of regulars; lots of people really championing us. Definitely it’s been a different world in the last five years and trying to get back to where that kind of energy and excitement was.”

Goodine says Cenote is unique in that people who’ve never met can have earnest conversations about anything. More than 2,000 books and paintings are part of Cenote’s internal decor, described by Asch as “living books,” tomes used in their graduate studies – and by Goodine as “conversation starters.”

“We’ve read them and lived with them. I studied philosophy and my business partner English,” Asch says. “I think everyone who works here has had quite a relationship with higher learning and intellectualism.”

Goodine studied English literature at UBC and some of his cocktails reference literature he likes or that influenced him, such as the Leaves of Grass mocktail, based on the poetry of Walt Whitman.

Creating a space where people felt inclusive was key to their mission.

“I wanted a space where people felt comfortable and would come down and read a book on the bar... a space that was accessible and affordable. At the beginning it really was a space for artists, academics and activists," Asch says.

“At the very beginning we wanted a space that was anti-racist, non-misogynistic, critical of patriarchy, part of the Occupy movement and what’s been incredible is that now every place believes in those values."

"What I hear from everyone is that we’re the cosiest place and exactly where people want to be in winter."

For Goodine, “I think creativity and the arts are kind of the backbone behind this space. Like creativity on the bar, for example, kind of the driving force, pushing the envelope and trying to create something that is thoughtful and unexpected.”

He tries to “encapsulate the business philosophy in every cocktail he makes," he says.

“I try to make them like works of art. To me, the culinary arts are a very interesting area of art because they engage taste and smell – but also have the visual element and textures. And they are a one-time experience."

That approach is at the forefront on weekends.

“We’re doing lots of different cocktails all the time,” Goodine says. “Every Friday and Saturday, we come up with a cocktail for each of those nights – every week of the year. And we also do original monthly cocktails, too. So we’re constantly engaging new techniques and flavours.

“And from the perspective of the employees, it really sharpens our abilities.”

Asch and Goodine agree that being challenged and keeping things fresh and different has been a secret to their success.

“You strive to have consistency, the same type of energy every day. But what do you bring them that’s different?” Asch says. “You need to add difference – otherwise it’s boring and stale.”

Goodine joined the Cenote team in the spring of 2024, knowing immediately the place was different.

“I’m absolutely delighted Thomas has come on board,” Asch beams. “He fully understands what we’re doing here and he throws down all the energy and work to help make this happen. The bar manager is probably the leading man of this theatre.”

Goodine says a highlight for him has been getting to serve a range of “amazing local people, ” from doctors to delivery drivers, as well as other Victoria bartenders who come to experience the Cenote magic.

“We have people sitting on the bar that could be talking about Dungeons and Dragons or the election and there’s no judgment.”

Getting through COVID was “incredibly tough,” Asch says, but he’s glad to be through the worst now.

“There was the impossibility of trying to open up with the new regulations and then the difficulty doing it without resources, without staffing and then without patrons and with inflation and the inability to get goods. And yet we prevailed and have tried to sustain the values and consistency that we always strive for." he says.

“It’s sad that the independent operators who are trying to do something different have such a hard time competing against the corporate spaces.”

"We’re so excited about moving forward and welcoming a Victoria that is curious, full of joy and wanting to pursue new experiences."

Looking to the future, Goodine said creativity will play a big role.

“From my perspective, we’re always pushing the envelope and very ideas-driven. I’m excited for people to see and experience our new cocktails, such as the Yambrosia. And then we’re also improving our daily specials and happy hour offerings," he says.

“I think there’s a lot of desire for more things to do and different places to go. So we’re trying to fulfill our role in fulfilling that desire for people to get out and live and feel like they’re part of an urban landscape.

The team is about to launch a happy hour that they think will be the best in town, Asch says. "It’s going to be a combination of our late night happy hour and our regular one. Four cocktails, one high-ball, beer, wine and four nice nibbles. All on special twice a night from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. to close.

“And again this is moving back into being accessible, affordable and trying to be generous and vulnerable with our patrons and hoping to have that type of mutual reciprocity.”

I sampled two delicious cocktails: the Yambrosia – with sweet potato puree, rye whiskey, oolong tea and coconut; and the All Your Tiki Belong to Us, blending coconut, lime, pineapple and peaflower syrup. On the food front I enjoyed the “show-stopping” Baked Brie.

“We’ve never had a better staff (including Front of House, Cameron Jaimet) or a better product. And we’re so excited about moving forward and welcoming a Victoria that is curious, full of joy and wanting to pursue new experiences,” Asch says. 

“For a long time Victoria has been a provincial little town and it would be really exciting to be understood as one of the 10 urban centres on the West Coast. And that’s what we want to be known as.”

Cenote