Vancouver Entertainment

  1. Afterglow

    The city's most intimate lounge is tucked at the back of Glowball Grill & Satay Bar. With a frosty-pink interior, silhouettes of naked women a la James Bond and flirty cocktail list that includes You Glow Girl and Pink Pussycat - perfect for washing down those finger-licking satay sticks.

    Read more about Afterglow

  2. Alibi Room

    Alibi's low-ceilinged basement lounge creates an ideal setting for Vancouver's filmmakers and design crowd to brood over their martinis. The moping ends upstairs, where a menu of ridiculously good comfort food perfectly matches the drinks selection of fortifying martinis.

    Read more about Alibi Room

  3. Anza Club

    Local alt-music acts favor this homely, grunge-chic venue that has the ambiance of a worker's club without the edge. Like at an eclectic community hall, there's an odd roster of quiz nights and darts events where you can meet and greet the locals, but there's also some fun grassroots music, including local punk and garage bands and the regular Monday night bluegrass evening.

    Read more about Anza Club

  4. Aubar

    Top 40, hip-hop and house blast from the speakers at this popular, mainstream near-Gastown haunt, complete with three bars and a smallish dance floor. Drop in on Wednesday for cheap beers, highballs and Jägermeisters, or save yourself for Rockstar Saturdays, when the locals writhe around each other with abandon.

    Read more about Aubar

  5. Bacchus

    This decadent lounge has a heady air of sophistication. The carved limestone fireplace, cherry-wood paneling, leather chairs and gold silk accents make it the premier place to warm up when the weather won't cooperate. Choose from a wide selection of martinis, whiskey and scotch, while a piano man jangles the keys.

    Read more about Bacchus

  6. Backstage Lounge

    This lively, newly smartened Granville Island hangout has been a mainstay of the local night-out scene for years, with daily booze specials, DJ-led dance nights and a great chill-out patio drawing the regulars. The live music - usually Wednesday to Saturday - is generally of the upbeat local band variety, with West Coast Wednesdays showcasing two or three of the best.

    Read more about Backstage Lounge

  7. Balthazar's House Of Comedy

    The West End's favorite Tuscan-look lounge hosts a once-a-week stand-up show where you can expect to see a handful of local comics strutting their stuff while you sip on a round of cocktails that will make you laugh at anything. If you're a student, whip out your ID at the door for half-price entry.

    Read more about Balthazar's House Of Comedy

  8. Bar None

    Yaletown's favorite haunt for young professionals has a scrubbed beatnik appearance, but within its exposed brick-and-beam shell the main topic of conversation is perfect cocktails and real estate prices. The great and good come to sip and sway at Thursday's Uptown night (hip-hop, soul, disco and funk) and Friday's Open House (house, retro and pop mixes).

    Read more about Bar None

  9. Bimini's Tap House

    A Kitsilano institution that's been recently refurbished, Bimini's is a trad-looking bar-restaurant where customers are just as happy sipping cocktails or knocking back a couple of beers. Drop by on Tuesday, when draught domestic beer and hi-balls are happily priced, and consider returning to the scene of the crime for Sunday brunch.

    Read more about Bimini's Tap House

  10. Café Deux Soleils

    A neighborhood hangout for the Drive's artsy bohemian bunch, this ramshackle gallery-like coffeehouse hosts poetry slams, open mike nights and live music almost every evening. The eclectic roster of tunesmiths includes singer-songwriters, folk doyens and world music performers, which sound increasingly good as you down the regional beers on offer.

    Read more about Café Deux Soleils

  11. Capones Restaurant & Live Jazz Club

    A convivial restaurant venue - think quality pastas and pizzas - with a surprisingly strong roster of nightly mainstream jazz, this popular Yaletown haunt is an ideal spot if you're hungry for dinner and a show. House pianists and trios make up the early part of the week, while Fridays and Saturdays are reserved for visiting big acts and Sunday is the regular blues night.

    Read more about Capones Restaurant & Live Jazz Club

  12. Caprice

    Originally a movie theater - hence the giant screen evoking its Tinseltown past - Caprice is one of the best mainstream haunts on the Granville strip. The cavernous two-level venue is a thumping magnet for all the local preppies and their miniskirted girlfriends, while the adjoining lounge is great if you need to rest your eardrums and grab a restorative beer. Expect to have to line up here on weekends when the under-25s dominate.

    Read more about Caprice

  13. Celebrities

    One of the city's big gay clubs, Celebrities hosts a series of sparkling, sometimes sequined event nights throughout the week, including a raucous Wednesday drag night and Saturday's massive dance party, when go-go dancers, live singers and occasional circus performers strut for your viewing pleasure. If you're on a budget, Tuesday is cheap highball night.

    Read more about Celebrities

  14. Cellar Restaurant & Jazz Club

    A serious muso venue where you're required to keep the noise down and respect the performers on the tiny corner stage, this subterranean 70-seat resto-club is as close as you'll get in Vancouver to a classic jazz venue. Known for showcasing hot local performers, as well as some great touring acts, this atmospheric spot lures aficionados from across the region with its mix of mainstream and edgier fare.

    Read more about Cellar Restaurant & Jazz Club

  15. Cobalt

    Vancouver's punk, hardcore and metal fans have made the grunge pub Cobalt their home in recent years. Don't be put off by its dodgy downtown Eastside location: there's a welcoming, if mostly black-clad, crowd. The music - thrashed out by bands such as The Fiends, The Pissups and Malhavoc - is of the blistering, ear-bleeding variety and is scheduled Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

    Read more about Cobalt

  16. Commodore

    Up-and-coming local bands know they've finally made it when they play the city's fave mid-sized music venue, a lovingly restored Art Deco ballroom that still has the bounciest dance floor in town - courtesy of stacks of tires placed under its floorboards. If you need a break from your mosh pit shenanigans, collapse at one of the tables lining the perimeter, catch your breath, grab a beer and then plunge back in.

    Read more about Commodore

  17. Commodore Ballroom

    Up-and-coming local bands know they've finally made it when they play the old Commodore Ballroom, now managed by the House of Blues entertainment group. The club also books international touring acts, and on disco nights its big bouncy dance floor gets packed.

    Read more about Commodore Ballroom

  18. Denman Street Freehouse

    A compact but swanky reinvention of the neighbourhood pub - think polished hardwood floors, modern furnishings and waiting staff all in black. The main draw here is the boutique selection of draught European beers, plus the fab patio views across English Bay. It's an ideal place to catch the sunset with a glass of cheery Belgian beer.

    Read more about Denman Street Freehouse

  19. Fairview Pub

    Like a neighborhood pub that time forgot, the Fairview is a great little laid-back joint if all you want to do is grab a few beers, nosh on some chicken wings and catch some great blues licks. The regular house band hits the stage on Thursdays with a rumbling back catalogue forged from 12 years on the road. Most Fridays and Saturdays there's an eclectic roster of music, including jazz, funk, retro and rock and roll.

    Read more about Fairview Pub

  20. Honey

    A refreshing alternative to the Granville St party rabble, this laid-back resto-lounge venue transforms into a hopping club on weekends and is especially renowned for its Friday night Mod Club, when a welcoming and pretence-free crowd of young hipsters dresses up for a night of pop-soul-and-everything-else fun. Good drinks specials, too.

    Read more about Honey

  21. Irish Heather

    Not only does this popular pub pour the best Guinness in town, but it also shows genuine Irish hospitality by offering up excellent country fare, live music most weekdays and a glassed-in back patio among its labyrinth of rooms. Seek out the Shebeen Whisky Bar in back, where 140 varieties lie in wait.

    Read more about Irish Heather

  22. Jericho Folk Club

    Hosted by the Jericho Folk Club in this convivial beachfront sailing center, local folkies stage their regular Tuesday night event, kicking off with a fun jam session. The evening then moves on to an open-mike hour - make sure you bring your tambourine - and concludes with a headline act that's guaranteed to have your toes tapping.

    Read more about Jericho Folk Club

  23. Jupiter Café

    Another lounge that likes to add a laughter track to tackle the Monday night blues, the upstairs Jupiter Café offers a regular comedian-hosted improv night. Reflecting its neighborhood, expect plenty of naughty gay-themed jokes to keep the locals giggling. If you just don't get it, drop by on Thursday instead when it's live jazz night.

    Read more about Jupiter Café

  24. Main On Main

    Complete with a restaurant serving good Greek comfort food, the warm and welcoming Main is one of Vancouver's liveliest folk and roots music venues. Professional performers - usually heartfelt local soloists or guitar-wielding singer-songwriters - hit the stage Thursday to Saturday, delivering an ideal accompaniment to your souvlaki or moussaka.

    Read more about Main On Main

  25. Media Club

    This intimate, dimly lit indie space tucked underneath the back of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre books inventive local acts that mix and match the genres, so you may have the chance to see electro-symphonic or acoustic metal groups alongside power pop, hip-hop and country bands - although probably not on the same night. A great place for a loud night out, this rivals the Rail for catching up-and-coming Vancouver bands.

    Read more about Media Club