Vancouver bars and restaurants for weeknight revelry
If you’re a bartender or server who works on the weekends, you’ll likely want to blow off some steam when the rest of the city heads back to the office on Monday morning. Main Street has a concentrated collection of bars with some great industry night specials for the folks who work hard to keep the weekend crowds lubricated and well fed. Here are a few great places to go if you’re looking to boogie Sunday through Wednesday.
Meet on Main
4288 Main St, Vancouver BC V5V 3P9A good night out begins with ballast. Whether you’re vegetarian or not, this comfort food joint at Main and 27th is the perfect place to pad your stomach with a burger, poutine, or smaller sharing plate. Wash it down a few pints or one of their signature cocktails before hitting your next spot.
Uncle Abe's
3032 Main St, Vancouver BC V5T 3G5There is a gaping Rumpus Room-sized hole on Main Street where the Rumpus Room used to be. Seriously, it’s a pit in the ground where a condo will be built at some point. Luckily the people who brought you Rumpus Room opened up shop a few blocks south at a new spot. Named after the owner’s newborn son, Uncle Abe’s hosts Happy Hour from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, during which the oddly delicious Pickleback (shot of Jameson followed by a shot of pickle juice) and a rotating selection of cocktails are super cheap.
The Narrow Lounge
1898 Main St, Vancouver BC V5T 3B7Look for the red light at the door to beckon you inside this dimly lit, always packed, hole-in-the-wall at 3rd and Main, where the bartenders know just as much about cocktails as they do about music. While downtowners tend to take over on Fridays and Saturdays, this small room fills up with the kids who aren’t working for the weekend the rest of the time. In the summer, the take to the Tiki-themed patio, a neighbourhood hotspot to sip a tropical cocktail or four.
Cobalt Hotel
917 Main St, Vancouver BC V6A 2V8While Boxcar and the Cobalt might technically be two separate establishments with different names, it’s kind of like they’re in the same house with two separate bedrooms. On one side is the Cobalt, which gets particularly packed on Mondays for Earmuffs Karaoke and Wednesdays for SNAG, the weekly live painting art raffle. When you feel like popping a squat for a drink, walk about 10 metres north to the Boxcar for one of many beers on tap or a wicked cocktail. It’s bar hopping without even having to go outside.
Caffe Brixton
212 Georgia St E, Vancouver BC V6A 1Z7Caffe Brixton offers a great selection of nightly specials on food and drinks like Margarita Mondays ($5 singles in flavours like jalapeño pineapple and organic rhubarb) and Toonie Taco Tuesdays (exactly like the name says), which make this Chinatown watering hole a perfect place to blow your paycheck efficiently on a weekday. The bar is open until 1:00 am Sunday through Wednesday and is located within stumbling distance of most other places on this list.
Alibi Room
157 Alexander St, Vancouver BC V6A 1B8Long wooden banquet-style tables make for a communal atmosphere at the Alibi Room. Head to this Railtown favourite and saddle up to the bar with your crew to enjoy a plethora of beers on tap, rotating casks, and a select few ciders mostly from all over B.C. If beer’s not your thing, the folks behind the bar can craft you a cocktail from the well-tailored list or pour a pretty great glass of wine.
Bayside Lounge
1755 Davie St, Vancouver BC V6G 1W5Okay so it might not be on Main Street, but Bayside Lounge has got seriously good weeknight chops and a beautiful panoramic view that rivals any bar in East Van. With $7 double Caesars on Sundays, $3 highballs available Sunday through Thursday during Happy Hour (the brief yet effective timeslot of 9:30 to 10:30 pm), and a cushy booth-lined room that centres around a circular bar and hovers above English Bay, this place is less pretentious than a Bob Ross painting lesson and worth the trip to the West End.
