Must see nightlife in Vancouver

The larger sibling of Commercial Dr's excellent nerd bar, this pub welcomes everyone from the Borg to beardy Lord of the Rings dwarfs. They come to peruse…

Vancouver's best craft-beer tavern pours a near-legendary roster of 50-plus drafts, many from celebrated BC breweries including Four Winds, Yellow Dog and…

A beloved Vancouver microbrewery with a small, wood-lined tasting room. Peruse the ever-changing chalkboard of intriguing libations with names such as…

One of the finest of Vancouver's surfeit of tasty artisan breweries, popular Powell Brewery relocated to larger premises soon after launching. The tasting…

Knowing the difference between Narnia and Neverwhere is not a prerequisite at this brilliant Commercial Dr nerd pub. But if you do, you'll certainly make…

Part of the permanently popular Sylvia Hotel, this was Vancouver's first cocktail bar when it opened in the mid-1950s. Now a comfy, wood-lined…

A warm, small-table hangout that self-identifies as a 'natural wine bar' (there's a well-curated array of options from BC, Europe and beyond). This local…

Gaze through internal windows at the shiny, steampunk-like booze-making equipment when you visit this handsome saloon-like tasting room. It's not all…

This cavelike subterranean bar, beneath Gastown's brick-cobbled sidewalks, is also a brilliant venue to catch a tasty side dish of live music. Most shows…

A java-lover's favorite that only downtown office workers seem to know about. You'll wake up and smell the coffee long before you make it through the door…

Walk through the doorway of a fake storefront that looks like an accountancy office and you'll find yourself in a candlelit, boudoir-red speakeasy…

This windowless snug instantly transports you to a Polynesian beach. The lighting – including glowing puffer-fish lampshades – is permanently set to dusk…

Kafka's has more MacBooks than an Apple Store courtesy of the locals who fill the tables here, silently updating their social media statuses as if their…

Enter through the doorway on 3rd Ave – the red light tells you if it's open or not – then descend the graffiti-lined stairway into one of Vancouver's…

Gastown's coolest see-and-be-seen coffee shop, Revolver has never lost its hipster crown. But it's remained at the top of the Vancouver coffee-mug tree…

One of Vancouver's most welcoming microbrewery lounges reflects the Italian heritage of the team behind it (the name means 'hops' in Italian). Order a…

There's an inviting, den-like feel to this cool-but-friendly games-room bar, where six ping-pong tables combine perfectly with a 12-tap beer selection …

This rambling bohemian cafe is a hip, healthy and ever-friendly Drive landmark, serving a good array of local beers and well-priced vegetarian comfort…

There's a brick-lined, tavernesque brewpub, complete with beer keg light fittings, on one side plus a giant dining room with Yaletown's largest patio on…

Look for the gigantic, stylishly-hatted artwork lady adorning the beacon-like yellow exterior of this popular brewery, then step inside for some equally…