An iconic venue in Winnipeg is preparing to once again start serving people.
Dos Pampas Skyline Restaurant will be taking over the spot where revolving restaurant Prairie 360 used to be and will be run by Alfonso Maury, who was previously the chef at Prairie 360.
Maury owns Argentinian restaurant La Pampa and previously owned Corrientes with his wife, Rosana, until June 2025. He said the idea for him to reopen the restaurant came six months ago following a discussion with Edison Properties, who own the space, while purchasing a parsley chopper from the restaurant.
Maury said administrators from the company told him they were looking for the right candidate to open a new restaurant in the former Prairie 360 location, which closed in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve had a couple of propositions, they said, but we don’t like them. It was just people with money to invest, and they told me they didn’t want that. They just wanted someone running a restaurant, no big projects, no VLT machines…just bring the restaurant back to life for the city and the community," said Maury.
Maury presented a business plan for the restaurant, which will be a steakhouse influenced by Argentinian cuisine with some Manitoba touches, such as bison empanadas and venison schnitzel.
The restaurant is located on the 30th floor of Fort Garry Place and offers a view of Winnipeg.
“I don’t think there is any other space with this view in Manitoba. This space is beautiful.”
Maury said opening this new restaurant is a passion project for him.
“I’m not doing this for the money; I’m doing this because I love the project, and I think the city will love it too,” he said.
An opening date has not been set, but Maury is aiming for early October. Maury said he is currently working on getting a liquor licence for the space, cleaning, installing a new refrigeration system and hiring staff. When it eventually opens, it will be open from Tuesday to Saturday.
As for the most important question, will the restaurant revolve again?
Maury said it will.
“We are working on the mechanism and it’s coming back,” he said.
Exchange District sees a boom in new restaurants opening their doors
They’re not the only people bringing life back to downtown eateries.
Despite some relocating, like The Keg, and a number shutting down, including Boujee, Tavern United, and Rudy’s Eat and Drink, new places are opening in the Exchange District.
“Now we have four locations within a stone’s throw, a couple blocks from each other,” said Anton Pradniuk, director of operations for True Hospitality Inc.
True Hospitality has added two new restaurants to their roster in just a few weeks. They first opened Cibo in 2013 on Waterfront and then James Avenue Pumphouse in 2022.
House of Ma—a modern take on Asian cuisine—opened in July and Highwater Bar and Eatery opened right next door, taking people back to a 1920s feel this month.
“Many of our recipes do come from moms themselves and we’ve got a few of our chefs’ mom’s recipes right in the menu there,” said Shannon Bauer, general manager at House of Ma.
“We wanted to go as a Chicago supper club, speakeasy, prohibition adjacent with some modern touches,” said Nancy Teixeira, general manager at Highwater Bar and Eatery.
Staff said the appetite is there for customers to come downtown. They believe in the potential for new growth.
“Honestly, it’s the community as a whole, there’s just been a resurgence and reinvestment, not just from us but from other restauranteurs,” Pradniuk said.
