t doesn’t have to be a grey and windy spring day to justify hearty, simple food that just makes you feel good; the kind an elderly relative of yours may have served you years ago. For this, one can either spend the evening dug into the Food Network or head to the warm, cozy confines of Capones.

Long before the chic boutiques, flocks of hipsters and parking lots filled with big-budget rides turned Yaletown into a super-hot grazing ground, Capones was feeding the locals and quietly building its future. The crowd has unmistakably taken notice, as each time I have visited the entire space has been comfortably full with an attractively mixed metropolitan bag. As a bonus, the service staff seem genuinely happy to have you.

On one recent evening, my guest and I started with the Homemade Soup of the Day ($6) filled with a subtle apple flavour, but this was way dull and predictable compared to what Capone’s kitchen had up its sleeve with the Prawn & Diver Scallop Skewers ($12) and the Beef Carpaccio ($12). From the Tapas menu, these skewers were filled with plump prawns perfectly seasoned in white wine and orange butter sauce, topped with a papaya salsa. The Beef Carpaccio was also a surprise treat, arriving in white truffle oil, Asiago cheese, capers and balsamic reduction. Along with each selection, a martini is chosen to match the dish. The extensive martini menu runs a full page long.

For dessert, we shared the Chocolate Decadence ($12) and the Traditional Tiramisu ($7). Both were traditional, but delightful nonetheless, forming the foundation for a great get-to-know-you, share-a-bite conversation.

On top of the Yaletown-pumping fare, Capones features live musicians playing jazz. The atmosphere is relaxed, funky and intimate, slightly reminiscent of European meals where great care is taken with each dish and the ambiance does not rush the diners. All this comes with a history that’s worth knowing; the location was the first restaurant in Yaletown to feed the hungry patrons and employees that frequented the loading docks and red bricks.