The Thirsty Camel Cafe has closed its doors as of Thursday, May 12. Owner Ilan Goldenblatt has sold it and the new owners won’t be continuing it as it is. We will be very sorry to lose our upstairs neighbour, who has been a fixture in Nanaimo since Goldenblatt opened the doors in 2004.
Long a popular go-to spot for downtown lunch and early dinner, The Thirsty Camel offered the best falafel in town, huge pitas spilling out with fresh vegetables, made-from-scratch soups, salads, and desserts.
The Thirsty Camel wasn’t just at the forefront of delicious food. Goldenblatt is the former Bowen Road Farmers Market manager, was involved heavily in Nanaimo’s Radio CHLY as producer and executive director, has been a significant contributor to the Nanaimo Fringe Festival, donned high heels for Walk A Mile In Her Shoes, and has spoken out on such topics as peace in the Middle East and food security.
We have been honoured to call the Thirsty Camel our neighbour for four years – many have been the meals brought down from upstairs. We wish Ilan all the best in his future endeavours as well as those of the tight-knit crew that ran The Thirsty Camel on a day-to-day basis.
The tight-knit crew were the ones we saw the most – on busy days they would run down with our orders so we wouldn’t have to leave the shop. We’ll miss all of you so much!
All the best from Hub City Cycles!