Renovated downtown Bowmanville restaurant thriving since re-fresh

Diners at Bowmanville’s iconic Three Six Kitchen have been greeted with a new look since the restaurant re-opened after a six-week closure earlier this year.

Chef Mike McKay had owned the Bowmanville restaurant since 2015 and had been contemplating a change when COVID-19 landed, putting a delay on any improvements. He was able to get through the pandemic – a difficult time for anyone in the business – and added pastry chef Katherine Shaw and longtime server Danielle Taylor to the ownership team last year.

The new team made the decision a refresh was due and after the New Year’s Eve party set to work on a complete interior renovation.

The restaurant now features new furniture, hardwood finishes and gold accents, a new rich green interior and a stylish new bar that was relocated from the entranceway to the main dining room area to better blend into the space.

The team upgraded the kitchen facilities as well, including new cooking equipment, and a larger fridge and freezer so that they can keep delivering quality with the increased traffic that happened since the re-opening.

The commitment to quality has not changed, however, with Three Six Kitchen using local produce, meat and other locally sourced ingredients in their menu items, which features dishes like Beef Brisket Ragout and Buttermilk Fried Chicken – prepared by McKay, a Red Seal, award-winning chef with 20 years of experience working in kitchens around the GTA.

“We were very proud when it all came together,” Taylor told Shaun Bernstein of Downtowns of Durham. “We were envisioning in our head what things would look like, but to actually see it come to life was really cool, and it suits the food so much better now.”

Beef Brisket Ragout

“Everything we have is made in house,” she added. “Right down to the ketchup.”

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

There are favourites that are a constant but McKay changes things up on the regular, with dishes like risotto and duck added to the menu on occasion and there are always some vegan options as well.

Three Six Kitchen is also popular for small weddings, wine tastings, date nights and community events, as well as special evenings such as Dining with the Dead, an event next scheduled just before Halloween on October 28 that is already sold out.

Three Six Kitchen is open Tuesday through Saturday at 36 King St. E., Bowmanville.