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Brickhouse Late Nite Bistro & Bar
Categories: Nightlife Pool Halls Nightlife Bars Dive Bars Pool Halls, Dive Bars [Edit]
730 Main StVancouver, BC V6A 2V7
Neighbourhood: Strathcona
(604) 689-8645
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 8 pm - 2 am
Sat 7:30 pm - 2 am
Sun 7:30 pm - 12 am
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Tue, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- Yes
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
31 reviews for Brickhouse Late Nite Bistro & Bar
Review Highlights
"Clearly, Leo would make a great uncle."
(in 9 reviews)
"Comfy couches, tasty drinks, a pool table, and bike parking."
(in 4 reviews)
"...records, lights, pool table, dart board, and old mismatched..."
(in 3 reviews)
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31 reviews in English
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Review from Edward L.
Came here as a direct result of getting a tip from Reena M. This place delivers big time.
Parking is available if you look on the side streets. Otherwise you're looking at metered spots along Main.
The Brickhouse really is a Dive bar with a capital D. When I first tried going in, I went to the front door only to realize it was gated and padlocked. Huh? The signs on the glass tell you to go to the back. Simple enough, until you realize you have to go through a dingy alley completely with hobos. At this point you're also checking your back to make sure you're not about to get mugged or shanked. When you finally do get to the back, the door is also locked. Huh? Oh, you're supposed to rap on the door LOUDLY, then someone is supposed to open the door!? My head was filling up with crazy unpleasant thoughts when I went through this "Brickhouse rookie initiation" process.
Fortunately, the bartender came a-running and let me in after a few seconds of utter confusion. Wow, this place smells (literally) of character. By character I mean really really dusty upholstery. It was filled literally to the ceiling with vintage knick-knacks, from old textbooks (for those who want to feel "learned") to old soda dispensers. The entire bar is operated by one(!) cheerful girl, who has got to be the friendliest and most dedicated bartender I have ever met in a long time. More on her later, as she deserves a special mention. In the back is a pool table.
Seating came in the form of vintage mismatched (and somewhat dusty) couches arranged around the edges, as well as a couple of tables. The place had a very homely feel to it, as if you are in someone's basement. There were some oldies playing in the background, which added to the vintage feel.
The drink selection is quite wide, with highballs and cocktails to alcoholic eggnog to beer. The beer is some 8 types, all served draught. Only $4.75 (somewhat cheap) for a glass, and $17 (average priced) for a pitcher.
I need to talk specifically about the bartender. She went WAY beyond her duties for my friends and I tonight. When I asked about a beer, she gave me a small "sample glass" after telling me a couple of things about the brew in question. When my friends wanted coffees (some didn't drink), she gladly made a pot for them, no questions asked, for free. She even helped them add their sugars and creams. Our group left her a generous tip at the end of the night.
Even though a few of my friends initially wanted to cancel last-minute when they realized the location and surroundings of this bar, at the end ALL of them were very glad they showed up. The Brickhouse really is something. You won't be here for the upscale experience, but this is the place to be if you want character. Recommended. -
Review from Kathleen L.
Vancouver, BC
12/7/2011
oh man I love this place and I love Leo. I feel so lucky to have this joint in my neighbourhood. My only complaint is that he opens at 8pm every night. I wish he was open earlier in the day so I could come play pool and relax at other times.
Go there for a cheap basic huge glass of wine and fall into the couches or have a pint and play darts. This place has it all. I don't even know how many times I've closed the place out with the workers politely vacuuming around my friends and I.
One important piece of advice: Respect Leo and don't be a DBag! -
Review from Reena M.
8/28/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Huge fan, but this is not a bistro. Just go here for drinks and a good time with friends. This bar is an unpretentious, friend's basement-type of place. They have all sorts of random things on the wall and Leo, the bartender is pretty cool. He's a man of few words I think, but if you visit him and follow his rules (it is HIS establishment after all), you'll be alright. The beer on tap are awesome and cheap! It gets packed on a Friday night.
FYI, unless you inform him before you order that you want to pay by credit card, pay with cash. Also, they will check your bags at the front and make you leave your larger bags at coat check.Listed in: Get y'er drank on!
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Review from Awesta M.
1/31/2012
This is what a dive bar should be. You feel a bit dirty being there and are pretty sure to almost positive that you should not sit on the furniture. But then you have a couple of the cheap drinks and the furniture doesn't look that bad...
After being there for about five seconds (getting comfy on the furniture), you look around and realize everyone there is relaxed and chill. There's not a lot of attitude, you don't worry that you're not wearing the latest and greatest of whatever. Everyone is there to relax, hang with their friends and have a good time. I look for that in a bar and if you do too then you need look no further, Brickhouse has got you covered. -
Review from Patrick Q.
Vancouver, BC
1/25/2012
The place smells like farts, there, I said it.
Other than that, its a unpretentious place to relax at, if you get the leather couches. The chairs stink and you probably would not want to bring a date here who has spent some time getting dulled up. As for cheap drinks, really? I was there on a Wed and Sleeman's was $4.75 a pint, that's not cheap. The bathroom (male) looks like someone hurled in a molotov cocktail, the ceiling was coming down when I was there Jan 18//12. The bartender (woman) was very pleasant and didnt mind talking abut the history of the place. The Ms pacman game is also a nice touch. If they ran a steam cleaner through this place or set off a feebreezed grenade, I would probably give it 4 stars. -
Review from Emma G.
8/8/2011
My friend promised me that she'd take me out for a cheap drinking night, and the Brickhouse delivered!
I wasn't sure what to expect - the outside looked a little sketchy but I loved the inside! It looks very kitschy and cute, with couches everywhere. We got there really early and were literally the only people there at first, so we scored a cute little "table" that was actually just two seats on either side of a Ms Pacman machine. Cute!
It's very much a dive bar and the crowd isn't really my scene, but it's got decently priced beer ($17 per pitcher) and there are some good beers on tap. It was a fun place to spend an evening catching up, and I could see relaxing here with a group of friends as it feels like hanging out at home, but with beer on tap! I like it. -
Review from C E.
Port Moody, BC
8/9/2011
I have been to dive bars that I would easily give 4-5 stars for the drinks, atmosphere, food and service in a lot different NA cities.
This place barely deserves one.
Have people really convinced themselves that this place is 'comfy?'
Drinks suck, the beer is old, the furniture sticks..I am having a hard time finding a single thing I like about this place.
5 stars to me represents the absolute best dinning, drinking experience one could have. It should exceed your expectations to the point where very few others can match.
This place fails on so many levels.
The place was full of people trying to look like they don't care about their appearance, drinking shitty drinks all under the guise of what they think a dive bar should be, under the radar from the Roxy or corporate crowd.
This is place is a dump. -
Review from Malloreigh M.
Vancouver, BC
Okay, I'm confused. How is The Brickhouse a "Late Night Bistro" in any way? I guess they do sell bags of chips.
Anyway, that aside, I really do like The Brickhouse. I've had times where I go often and times where I don't, but I'm back to visiting this bar at least once a month. Why?
Well, firstly, it feels like being in my dad's basement, if my dad had lots of space and could do whatever he wanted with it. The kitschy pictures on the walls, fishtanks, old records, lights, pool table, dart board, and old mismatched couches combine to make it feel funky and cozy in there, which I really appreciate.
Secondly, the wine pours. The bartender/proprietor does not skimp on the wine - for about $5 you get a FULL glass of house red or white. And it's not even from a box! Once, I spilled half my glass, and I didn't even mind because it was STILL a good deal.
The proprietor works every day, alongside an occasionally-changing door/coat-check/cleaning girl. Bag check is free, but mandatory. There is indoor bicycle parking. If you get rowdy, you will get kicked out. Sometimes if he wants to go home early, you will get kicked out. The proprietor's personality is part of the attraction. I think his name is Leo but I've never been formally introduced.Listed in: Exceptional Vancouver
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Review from Gina I.
11/9/2010 1 Check-in Here
The smell was pretty awful. It smells of years of old couch and moldy carpets. But I could be wrong.
I don't know how one man can work a bar, especially if you have a large crowd, but alas..
I'd come back, but I'll put my coat down before I sit on the couch. -
Review from Fab P.
Vancouver, BC
9/27/2011
The beer didn't taste that great, but I really like the fact that you can have a conversation with a group of friends at this place without having to scream over ultra-loud music. I don't agree with the bistro denomination, I think this place would be better described as a lounge. I love the decor, especially the fish tanks!
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Review from Kas D.
Vancouver, BC
4/11/2011
I heart the Brickhouse. It's fantastic. As for the "late nite bistro" part - hmm. I've had some packaged chips there? Fine dining?
All jokes aside, this is a great little bar. It's cozy and kitschy. There are copious amounts of comfy couches around the place, and a random mix of music playing. It's the perfect place to grab a few pints with friends, settle in for a night, have a good chat and play some darts or pool. Oh, and the bar owner Leo is a legend. -
Review from pete d.
Vancouver, BC
1/31/2011
For me, The Brickhouse is a tale of love and loss and then back to love
For many years - it was my local.
But then, there came a point when I felt the Brickhouse had become quite intolearable. Cliques of hipsters in ironic clothing and bourgeoise wannabe activists have descended on the bar like locusts.
But now, with the surge of gentrification sweeping through Chinatown, bringing DHM style sports bars like the nice-looking-but-otherwise-suburban-meathead-water ing-hole that is London Pub .. Brickhouse is back to being a favoured destination.
Sure, it's a bit run down and service can be shoddy - but that's part of its charm.. if not packed - the Brickhouse is the best local pub to have a nice sit down conversation.. -
Review from Ainsley D.
Vancouver, BC
11/9/2010
I don't know about the "late night bistro" part, unless you count a bag of chips as fine dining...in which case go ahead, also in which case copious amounts of body spray does not constitute as showering.
This no frills bar just on the south side of Chinatown's Main street reminds me of the lodge in the Red Green Show.
From the kitschy interior to the line up of some solid microbrews, I have to say this place is pretty cool. Whatever you do don't go ordering a parfait amour or lavender daquiri, lest you feel the need of an icy stare and a firm "No" from the owner/bartender (of which I'll agree with, head on back to Yaletown in your $450 loafers there, Chad).
I feel like I'm Robert Deniro out of "The Deer Hunter" when I'm in here; Tyler you can be Christopher Walken's character (don't do the impression please), but if I see you playing Russian Roulette with a bunch of former Viet Congs, you're on your own.
DIDI MAO! -
Review from Andrea B.
Burnaby, BC
1/11/2011
Is this Eric Foreman's basement?! Equipped with couches, a pool table, and darts this place is soooo chill for a group of friends to hang out and drink beer...legally.
The Brickhouse is easily missable on the streets of Main. In fact, I missed it and probably would've kept walking for weeks if it weren't for a friend pointing it out. IT'S WALKING DISTANCE FROM THE COBALT & MAIN STATION FOLKS!!! Being missable also means it's a hole in the wall- the most welcomed hole in the wall! There's free coatcheck so tropical babies, no need to cheap out and layer them coats like there's no tomorrow!
Once inside, the place is sooo cozy I could've fallen asleep. The staff is super friendly and the bar is not too busy. The only downside is since the space is so tiny, a lot of time will be spent standing unless you're one of the lucky ones to grab a seat then guard it with your life!
All in all, a great place to grab your friends and have a good time. -
Review from Kelsey P.
Vancouver, BC
8/2/2010 1 photo
Next to the Jimi Hendrix shrine, this is one of those places you might walk by a hundred times before actually going in, or knowing what it is exactly. But if you're like me, it only takes one visit to this little hole-in-the-wall to become a fan.
The brick walls, long hallways, stairs up to the bathroom, giant ratty lounging couches, all of it work so well together to create this feeling of nostalgic comfort that so many bars try to embody and often times fail.
This place is a winner. -
Review from Rick C.
11/9/2010
The Brickhouse is this strange place on Main Street that looks more like a basement full of odd knick knacks than a pub.
The Brickhouse was pretty empty beside our large party and the actual bar was way in the back. The place is charming but odd and the bartender was as well.
The service wasn't great and the bartender just seemed out of it in general. I like the place because of its charm but that's pretty much it. There are cool open spaces for games and such, but I had fun because of the people not so much the place. Unless, you like the novelty factor and kitschy decor, check out another bar.
Otherwise it's a neat place. But I have no idea why it's listed as a "Late Nite Bistro". Did I miss something? -
Review from Alex R.
Vancouver, BC
10/19/2010 1 Check-in Here
This is a good pub for late night beers.
It's got games but it's dank and the bartender/owner definitely has a grudge against the ladies. I believe the couch surfers hold their monthly get-togethers which makes sense because the furniture at The Brickhouse is all 'rec-room' chairs and couches. -
Review from Steven S.
9/28/2009
The Brickhouse deserves more stars but because of the experience i had there this week i am unable to be generous.
I arrived at the brickhouse with some friends and one was a soldier in uniform. He was berated by the local hipster / scenesters into leaving, by being called an oppressor. This bar has promise a cozy funky attitude which Vancouver needs. it reminds me of some of my favorite bars in NYC. But the holier than thou hipsters ruin it by creating an atmosphere exclusion not acceptance. From a group of people who claim to be tolerant I guess tolerance for anyone who is not a beardo or rides a old bike is out of the question. And I cannot support a place that would allow a man or woman who chooses to serve their country to be mistreated anymore than i could a place that treated minorities in the same way. -
Review from Simon R.
BC
11/2/2008 1 photo
Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got, especially if you find yourself in the neighbourhood of this bar. Located 3 blocks North of the death metal bars and 3 blocks South of Crackville, The Brickhouse is the cozy nook on Main and Union that is so perfect that I probably shouldn't be writing about it.
This diamond in the rough looks exactly like what you always wanted to do with your treehouse. With it's elegant furniture, antiquated decorations, and just the right amount of dusty useless oddities, it emanates the human condition and feels like home. During the week it maintains its "coziest place to drink yourself to death" demeanor, but on the weekend it fills up with droves of people who all think they discovered it first.
Good for friends celebrating random things, bad for people trying to have sex with strangers. Just make sure you leave promptly when Leo the bartender starts playing "Hit the road Jack" over and over. -
Review from Angela L.
12/16/2009
The Brickhouse looks like an eclectically decorated version of the reading room on the set of Clue. What grungy fun! Choices of seating include old comfy couches or bar stools around the pool table and darts area in the high ceilinged open space or at small tables in the dark back section.
The bar offers a number of local drafts and drink specials are listed overhead on a chalkboard. The bathroom stalls are incredibly dark and require the ascending of a tiny flight of stairs, so you might want to be careful if you've had a big night. They apparently offer a bike storage service though if you have had too much and don't want to drink-ride.
You might find yourself puzzling over the gigantic handless clock until you realize that it doesn't actually tell the time at all. Rest assured that you'll get the memo when closing time rolls around though. The lights went flickering on and off and the muffling sounds of the vacuum blared unapologetically as soon as we were warned: You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.
The Brickhouse is a proper dive with character and serious attitude - just put your drink on the pool table and wait for your lashing! -
Review from Cameron M.
Toronto, ON
11/16/2008
Again, I have to play the devil's advocate against these unrealistically glowing reviews. I could see after one visit , The Brickhouse can seem pretty hip and cool and a great alternative to the plastic pubs and annoying bars of Vancouver.
Yes, it's got pool and a comfy couch and board games, all you could ask for in a nice local pub. Yes, it's an oasis in a normally super sketchy neighborhood that also features a great music venue when it wants to. Yes, it's kitsch and cool and always will be because it's unique. That said, it can never be a good place to go all the time and you can never plan a night around it.
The problem with the place being run by Leo is Leo gets moody and stressed quite frequently and he immediately turns to shutting down the bar. On quiet nights after art shows we've come in groups of 10 and within an hour he's decided to shut down. Even before 11 once. When it gets too busy it's understandably impossible to get a drink from one man and the place gets messy and he gets stressed and it shuts down. It's rare to have a night that isn't cut short and then when it's all over you're left by the viaduct a million miles from even the Royal Unicorn or Hokos. You haven't sobered up enough to bike and didn't hit the toilet before you left.
So yeah, it's cute and fun for sure but be prepared, unless you come in a small group and it is the quietest of nights to get minimal service, minimal drinks and be kicked out very early. It's worth it to experience the Brickhouse but I spend most of my nights there hoping someone could take Leo's idea and make an actual functioning bar out of it. -
Review from Art S.
1/9/2009
When I stayed at the now defunct Dominion "Art" Hotel in Gastown, I was looking for a local watering hole where I could wet my whistle. I had already gone to a few bars and hadn't quite found the dive bar type place where I could find some random strangers to befriend for my short time in Vancouver.
Luckily, that's when the clerk at the hotel suggested Brickhouse.
After making my way through Chinatown and the minefield of crackheads (literally) looking to buy or sell, I stumbled upon the bar.
I knew I liked it as soon as I walked in, but then I saw it -- confirmation that there is a cosmic force beyond rational explanation in the universe. I found the one bar in Vancouver that happened to have a Hartford Whalers jersey hanging in it.
If that wasn't a sign from the universe that I was in the right place, I don't have any other explanation for it. -
Review from Edwin G.
8/29/2009 1 photo
Brick House has a clock with No Time
Brick House has Goldfish that will not remember You.
Brick House has a Bitter Bartender, his name is Leo.
Brick House has 2 popular beer (420 & Pilsner),
the rest are Sour.
Thus this is the Tragedy that creates beauty in Life
Brick House is most Awesome on TUESDAYS;
Travelers from all over the globe
gather through Couchsurfing.
'Yay! I'm a fan'. -
Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
1/21/2009
Next to the Railway, this is probably my second fave hangout in the city.
Sure, it has a high concentration of scenesters and beardos, but they're friendly scenesters and beardos -- you know, the type who actually look you in the eye and say "hi" and "excuse me". Wow.
Also, if you want some of that couch action in the elevated section of the bar, you better get there early, or you'll have to fight me for the pleasure.
Hoo-ha! -
Review from Anthony C.
1/29/2010
Looks divey on the outside, but on the inside is a bar full of character and characters - good ones, including a good crowd of good looking youngish folk, a good-guy bartender, and some good goldfish swimming around in in-wall aquariums.
Comfy couches, tasty drinks, a pool table, and bike parking. Authentic vintage decor is the old-school cherry atop this casual sundae of a watering hole. -
Review from Timothy M.
Vancouver, BC
4/3/2010
On a gusty wet Friday night my lovely friend and I swept into the Brickhouse and whoa....it was nearly empty. Are Vancouverites that afraid of the weather? It's a very comfortable place.....sofas, high-backed bar stools, an aquarium, pool table and a dart board. Leo....our affable barkeep kept us entertained between serving drinks....and more drinks. There's a great library of assorted paperbacks...lots of bric-a-brac and some mighty fine Scotches and Bourbons. The place filled up somewhat over time but never felt claustrophobic. I'll definitely be back.
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Review from Leslie C.
Vancouver, BC
7/8/2009
I've seen some reviews of the Brickhouse that list it as serving food; they do not. Until recently, they allowed patrons to bring in some food of their own, which I thought was very accommodating, and one of the reasons I really enjoyed going there. This policy seems to have changed, however, which was frustrating enough to discover, before discovering that now apparently the tap water is either unsafe or forbidden, and getting some water requires waiting at the bar, which can take a forbiddingly long time on a busy night and also irritate the bartender.
The comfy couches are a real draw, though as some others have said, it's important to get there early if you want to reserve them for your group. On weeknights the music is often quiet enough to be able to conduct a conversation without yelling; on the weekends the volume gets turned up.
Contrary to the information in the header, there is actually a coat check. I think that's recent though, and it might not be available every night. -
Review from Mike S.
Delta, BC
6/10/2011
Really cool bar I discovered a few years ago. Comfy laid back spot. This place used to be a jazz bar back in the 70s 80s aparently. Still had that "old" feel to it. Check it out.
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Review from Daniel L.
1/29/2010 3 Check-ins Here
Funky room has an old timers style bar, retro couches with bookshelves perched above, flags and even a bunch of large and small fish bowls, sounds eclectic, oh ya, very finely aged, this cool pad has seen some parties, Complete with a pool table and dart board, full of trendy Strathcona/Main st crowd that goes late most nights.
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Review from sarah r.
Vancouver, BC
2/28/2010
My favorite neighborhood bar. Leo is great. Although, it can get a wee bit crowded on the weekends.
Listed in: Eastvan, Strathcona Reviews!
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Review from Jennifer C.
Vancouver, BC
8/21/2008 ROTD 7/10/2009
So you want to have a party in your bachelor uncle's rec-room, but he doesn't have a rec room (or you don't have an uncle). Never fear! There's always the Brickhouse. This pub has been a neighbourhood watering hole for ages, and you can tell from the cluttered, eclectic décor - think retro poster art from the 70s, signed celebrity photos, a cigarette machine, pool tables, darts, giant fish tanks and a working Pac-Man machine. This ain't no high-end gastropub; The Brickhouse is the kind of place where you down a pint of lager (Tree is on tap) and eat a bag of salt-and-vinegar chips. There's also the hard stuff, of course, including a decent selection of whiskeys. The Brickhouse has become a weekend hangout for Vancouver hipsters, so on Friday and Saturday nights, it's frequently packed with kids wearing cool sneakers and thick-framed glasses. During the week, however, it's quieter - the pub actually appears to be closed - but patrons in the know can gain access by knocking at the back door and talking to the owner, Leo. Leo, by the way, is a bit of a local legend. Charismatic and talkative, he'll chat you up while he fills up your pint, just as he's done with thousands of patrons over the years he's owned the Brickhouse. Clearly, Leo would make a great uncle.
