Entertainment in Canada
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Lennox Pub
This narrow Granville St drinkery never seems to have enough tables to go around at the weekend, when the noise levels prevent all but the most rudimentary of conversations. It’s a different story during the week, when calm is restored and you can savor a good roster of 15 drafts from Belgium and beyond – try the Leffe or Big Rock Grasshopper. The decor is reproduction old-school and the upstairs seating area is a popular couples’ nook.
reviewed
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Le St-Sulpice
This student evergreen is spread over four levels in an old Victorian stone house – a café, several terraces, disco and a sprawling back garden for drinks ‘n’ chats. The music changes with the DJ’s mood, from hip-hop and ambient to mainstream rock and jazz. It use recyclable glasses and also sells alcohol-free beer.
reviewed
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C
Montréal Canadiens
The Canadiens of the National Hockey League have won the Stanley Cup 24 times. Although the team has struggled in recent years, Montrealers have a soft spot for the ‘Habs’ and matches at the Bell Centre sell out routinely. Scalpers hang around the entrance on game days, and you might snag a half-price ticket after the puck drops. Bring your binoculars for the rafter seats. The center also hosts big-name concerts, boxing matches, Disney on Ice and visits by the Dalai Lama.
reviewed
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Cambie
While this increasingly gentrified area still has plenty of dodgy dive bars that are best avoided, the Cambie is a local legend that most Vancouverites love, even if they haven’t been here for years. Summer nights on the raucous patio are grungy fun, but perching at a sticky bench table inside with the boozy-but-friendly regulars is a blast. You’ll be treated to some of the cheapest suds – go for a Cambie Pale Ale – in town plus a $7.50 burger and beer deal that’s seriously good value.
reviewed
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Sticky Wicket
This cavernous complex is the place to head if you want a noisy night out with the locals. The Wicket's main bar serves popular (if slightly pricey) Irish beers, while its menu serves up heaping plates of pub grub, ranging from burgers all the way to chicken strips. Live sports are pumped through the TVs and there's a poolroom upstairs. The highlight bar is Big Bad John's, a tiny hillbilly nook with tree stump tables and a carpet of peanut shells.
reviewed
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Charlatan
Reinventing the old Bukowski’s bar, the charming Charlatan has quickly become a Drive favorite. In summer the windows are flung open and the tiny patio is crowded, while in winter it becomes a cozy joint to watch the game or just chat in a corner. The hearty food covers a wide array of comfort dishes, while the 20-strong draft beer selection runs the gamut from Strongbow to Sleemans. Food-wise, go with the pulled pork burger or brisket sandwich.
reviewed
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Steamworks Brewing Company
The signature beer at this giant, edge-of-Gastown microbrewery is Lions Gate Lager, which is a good summer tipple, but the Empress IPA is also worth a try. A favorite of the after-work crowd, the pub downstairs can get noisy, while upstairs is all about serene views across to the North Shore. The menu is packed with pub standards, but the pizzas and fish-and-chips are standouts.
reviewed
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Flames Central
The place to be to catch a hockey game on the big screen. The huge interior of what used to be a cinema has been transformed into the sports bar to end all sports bars. With more TVs than an electronics shop, you'll definitely get a good view of the game - just make sure you're not cheering for the Oilers. There is an on-site restaurant and it has concerts from time to time.
reviewed
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Le Club Social
Another character-filled mecca literally a block away from Olimpico. Its terrace is equally sun-kissed, its coffee as flavorful, its ambience as lively. (Most patrons split their time between these two legendary establishments.) You’re apt to spot a rock star or two bicycling down Rue St-Viateur or ordering a cappuccino after rolling out of bed at noon.
reviewed
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Mado Cabaret
Mado is a flamboyant celebrity who writes a column in Fugues, the gay entertainment mag. Her cabaret is a local institution, with drag shows featuring an assortment of hilariously sarcastic performers in eye-popping costumes. Shows take place weekend and Tuesday nights.
reviewed
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Else’s
A warm and welcoming neighborhood bar where, as the saying goes, everyone knows your name. Settle into one of the worn chairs for an order of nachos, a tasty microbrew and a big portion of chat in front of the ceiling-high windows. Late-night jazz is a joy on weekends.
reviewed
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Bookshelf
Part lefty bookstore, part cinema, part cafe, Bookshelf is the pacemaker of Guelph’s cultural heartbeat. Swing by to read the paper, catch an art-house flick or have brunch in the Artisanale Café & Bistro (brunch mains $4 to $14, dinner $16 to $22).
reviewed
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Zaphod Beeblebrox
‘Zaphod Beeblebrox’ means ‘kick-ass live music venue’ in an otherwise undecipherable alien tongue. Grab a Gargleblaster cocktail, and let the trippy beats (from New Age to thumping African rhythms) take you on a ride to the edge of the universe.
reviewed
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Belfry Theatre
The excellent Belfry Theatre is a showcase for contemporary, especially Canadian, plays and is one of the country's most respected independent theatre companies. It's housed in a converted 1890s Baptist church.
reviewed
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Benevolent Irish Society
On the north side of town, this is a quirky place to catch a ceilidh. Come early, as seating is limited, and enjoy the gleeful embrace of Celtic music and dance.
reviewed
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Bières & Compagnie
This relaxed pub has a great choice of European and local microbrews alongside excellent pub grub and mussels.
reviewed
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Cinecenta
UVic's Cinecenta is where old classics and curiosities rub shoulders on a nightly changing schedule.
reviewed
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Québec Kebs
The city’s brand-new basketball team, the Québec Kebs play at the 5000-seat stadium of Pavillon de la Jeunesse. In the Atlantic division of the Premier Basketball League, the Kebs play from December through March. Incidentally, the logo of the Kebs (a jumping frog that goes by the name ‘Dunky’) is a still a sore spot for some locals. ‘Frog’ has long been a derogatory name the English have used for French-speaking people and some consider it racist. When the man behind bringing the franchise to Québec City, businessman Réal Bourassa, said the new team name would be either the Québec Jumping Frogs or Kebekwa (how Québécois is pronounced in English), the uproar was heard …
reviewed
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Irish Heather
A serious Irish pub without all that leprechaun blarney, this wood-floored, exposed-brick hostelry is a breath of fresh air. Head to the rear glass conservatory to sup on Vancouver’s best-poured pint of Guinness or settle in at the Shebeen Whiskey House, a tiny, windowless bar out back that stocks dozens of malts: it’s the kind of place you end up staying all night without realizing. The Heather’s food is the best of any pub in town. During the research period for this book, plans were in the works to move the Heather (and Shebeen) directly across the street in the near future. Ideal for a shared plate of finger food, but it’s just as easy to cover all the necessary food …
reviewed
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Martello Tower 2
Martello Tower 2 is open to the public only during staged events, like the Convict’s Last Drink. This lively interactive theater (in English) gives a taste of 19th-century justice. It features a mock trial of a soldier accused of a crime, and the audience will decide his fate while – and this is the important part – sampling homemade beers. Because alcohol is served, those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult; reserve through the Discovery Pavilion or by phone. A French-language version (La Dernier Verre) takes place at 6:30pm daily (mid-July to early September). Other shows include an ‘1814, council-of-war-style’ feast (adult/child $35/32), during which diners must…
reviewed
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Orpheum Theatre
If you’re lucky enough to catch a show at the Orpheum Theatre, be prepared to gasp when you enter the auditorium. Built in 1927 and now designated a national heritage site, the sumptuous Spanish baroque interior of multiple arches topped by an ornate painted dome harkens back to a time when theaters offered a fantasy escape from reality. But the beautiful old gal isn’t just a well-preserved relic. In fact, she’s steeped in theatrical history. Originally part of a Chicago-headquartered chain of vaudeville houses, stars who have hit the boards before the near-3,000 seats here have included Bob Hope, Shirley MacLaine and Harry Belafonte – check out the commemorative wall p…
reviewed
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Rogers Arena (GM Place)
With a new corporate sponsor officially renaming what everyone still calls GM Place in 2010, you’ll likely hear both names bandied around. Whatever the moniker, the newer of Vancouver’s two downtown stadiums hosts the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. Game nights, when the 20,000-capacity venue heaves with fervent fans, are the city’s most exciting sporting events – you’ll enjoy the atmosphere even if the rules are a mystery. The main hockey venue during the 2010 Winter Olympics and the home of a large Canucks team shop, this is also a favored arena for money-spinning stadium rock acts. Behind-the-scenes tours take you into the hospitality suites …
reviewed
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Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre
A restored masterpiece, the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre is the world’s last operating double-decker theater. Constructed in 1913, the stunning Winter Garden was built as the flagship for a vaudeville chain that never really took off, while the downstairs Elgin theater was converted into a movie house in the 1920s. Saved from demolition in 1981, the theaters then received a $29 million facelift: bread dough was used to uncover original rose-garden frescoes, the Belgian company that made the original carpet was contacted for fresh rugs, and the floral Winter Garden ceiling was replaced, leaf by painstaking leaf. Public tours are worth every cent.
reviewed
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Cultch (Vancouver East Cultural Centre)
This once-abandoned 1909 church near Commercial Dr has been a gathering place for performers and audiences since being officially designated as a cultural space in 1973. But following a comprehensive $14 million renovation that was completed in 2009, the Cultch (as everyone calls it) has become one of the city’s best performance spaces and the performance jewel of the Eastside. Appearing on the charming Historic Theatre main stage is an ever-eclectic roster of local and visiting drama plus music and dance troupes. After the show, hang around in the lobby wine bar to mull over the show and chat with the locals.
reviewed
