- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Cinema Public House
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:30 am - 3 am
- Music:
- DJ, Juke Box
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Wed, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- Yes
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
34 reviews for Cinema Public House
34 reviews in English
-
Review from Deanna S.
I came here last night with my boyfriend because we were in the area and had a few gift cards. Oh, and it was my birthday. Since it was a Tuesday, I didn't want to do anything too crazy... I had to make sure I'd wake up for work the next morning. So I was fine with anything.
I had never been to Cinema before, but my boyfriend has. He's not a fan of Cinema because it gets kinda sketchy at night. I guess it becomes kind of a dance club but in a pub atmosphere... with a smoke machine. I don't mind clubs, but he doesn't like them... He's more interested in grabbing a beer with friends than mingling around and acting crazy on the dance floor. But when it's a pub, it's just fine. I didn't think it looked amazing inside but it was okay... just really dark which is okay for a bar/club... but for lunch or dinner you may want to sit on the patio or by a window.
I noticed the Tuesday special was a burger + beer for $11 (it is written on the sign outside, and on the walls, and then on little cards on the table). The signs just said "house burger + beer." So I was leaning towards a burger (the power of suggestion...).
The server came and asked us what we wanted to drink. I decided to order a Fruli Strawberry beer because... it's strawberry beer! And then I ordered a burger. I assumed that the beer I ordered wouldn't be included in the Burger + beer special because it was bottled and I assumed that the special would only include a draught beer. The server never mentioned the special to me anyway... even after I ordered the burger. So that was never clarified.
Honestly, as long as I am seen to, and I get my food, I don't have a problem with the servers. She did her job, we got our food, and we were looked after. Had my burger been a part of the special, I probably would have ordered a second beer to go along with it. But now we'll never know and never find out...
What's stopping Cinema from becoming a 4 or even 5 star pub, is that the service is so lacklustre. I didn't have a necessarily amazing experience, but it was definitely okay. The food was great. My boyfriend ordered the chicken sandwich on the waffle with yam fries, and we were both pleased with our orders. My beer was everything I wanted it to be (seriously, it tasted like jam. I will be ordering that again). I will be back here for the food for sure. I just can't believe that the service there is so... lame! I didn't see the waitress smile at us once! And at the end she just kinda flopped the bill on our table.
You could put Megan Fox in a bikini to serve me my meal and I will still think she's lame if she doesn't at least smile at me (let alone tell me the specials). The worst part of this, is that they are working in hospitality and they aren't even hospitable. And then we are expected to tip, otherwise we are jerk off customers. But what are we tipping them for?! Looking pretty?! That's not fair. If you're employed, and at work... you should put yourself together. Especially if you're serving food, because if you look unshowered, that would be kind of gross. This could be a super fun place to be, if the people working there were super fun. They aren't.
Come here for the food, and you won't be disappointed... but don't have high expectations for the staff.Listed in: Eats
-
Review from Amanda J.
Victoria, BC
Admittedly, I'm not from Vancouver, so I don't know the bar scene well, but when I was looking for a place to grab some drinks before a Canucks game, I was happy to find this place.
My friends and I snagged a table with some comfy chairs that seemed made to lounge and drink in. The booths looked rather comfy too. They had $7.25 double highballs on Saturdays, and I enjoyed my G&Ts. Good beer selection, and their fries totally hit the spot.
Would have given 4 stars, but the service was a bit slow. The waitress who seated us ignored us for about 20 minutes, until a manager actually came over to take our order. I had to ask for a glass of water 3 times, while I watched her bring water to other tables. -
Review from Meana k.
Awful choice for lunch. We were looking for another place which we didn't find, and our indecision led us here. Ugh.
I made the mistake of being tempted by the mac n cheese with pulled pork topping. When it came out, I knew right then I was about to consume empty calories and not bother taking leftovers home. It's just not worth eating bad-for-me food when it doesn't even satisfy the tastebuds. Instead, this dish came out with what was clearly overly dried meat piled on top of macaroni that might have been better coming out of a box with powdered cheese. I couldn't finish it, which is a first for me, and I only ate as much as I did because I was starving.
Service -- terrible.
Very pretty young waitresses with lowcut shirts and short skirts and half a brain.
When we first arrived, we asked what the $9.50 lunch special was. She said "oh, I can write it out for you." I replied... "can you just tell us?" She replied "yeah, it's just some of our sandwiches and one of our soup and salads". We stared at her confused. "Which ones?" She replied back "oh, ya, there's a few of them."
Alrighty then. If I were someone who acted upon my instincts, I would have walked out right then and there. Instead, we decided to stay and continue the train wreck.
She lacked any personality and couldn't even muster a smile or pleasant small talk as she waited on us. She was just dumb and awkward, quite frankly. And then, we had to wave her down to ask for the bill when our plates had been cleared already for several minutes. Annoying. It's lunch time. Know your crowd. Or at least pay attention to them.
I'll never return here -- I don't care enough to find out how the rest of their food is or how the bar atmosphere is. No thank you. Not in a city with so many great choices. -
Review from Vannessa S.
Burnaby, BC
Guys, seriously, it's a Tuesday night, there's no game, you have no excuse. The waitresses are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, not even stopping at the tables they're serving, giving you greasy fake niceness when they do stop to say a few words. The music is bad and loud and the layout is cramped and terrible. Cocktails are crazy expensive and the nachos are not nearly as good as my friends lead me to believe. If they drag me here again I'll go, but that doesn't mean I'll like it.
-
Review from Lindsay E.
Vancouver, BC
They've got Granville Island Winter Ale AND Twilight Zone Pinball, what more could you ask for at a Donnelly Bar? I haven't had a chance to eat there, but I did see a fantastic looking Chicken and Waffle dish come out of the kitchen. I was also impressed that they own a shuffle board table - if only I could remember how to play it.
I'll definitely be back to Cinema. I appreciate anywhere on Granville Street where I feel comfortable enough to hang out for a while. -
Review from May P.
Vancouver, BC
I'm sorry to say this place does not dazzle my wazzle.
The service was appalling, which made us leave after 1 drink.
Some places deserve to be pretentious this place does not.
To be fair though I should of learnt my lesson by now.
I knew I wouldn't like this 'type' of place but still gave it a try for my friends.
I am way too old for this part of Granville St!! -
Review from Sarah A.
I went here for lunch yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised. The steak frites was delicious. When we first walked in, it took a while for anyone to come help us. But once our server showed up, he was very helpful.
It's dark in here and not all that aesthetically pleasing. They don't take debit, so you will have to use their ATM to take out cash (for a $3 ding!) or use your credit card.
Good in a pinch, but I wouldn't set out to come here. -
Review from Malloreigh M.
Vancouver, BC
What, you say? Another Donnelly Pub? Why have I ended up visiting so many of these lately?
I dropped in to Cinema on a Monday and was pleased at their $5 for any glass of wine on the menu special. So, I had some good wine. We went there to play the pinball machine they have. The place is mirrory, black leathery, and really upscale feeling - much like every other Donnelly Group place. -
Review from Amy T.
Came here for a coworker's farewell party and everyone had a good experience. The food was decent and better than most pub food. I shared the mussels and squid dish and they were both good. I'd give the food 3.5 out of 5.
The service was not bad, but could have been a bit quicker. The drinks were great, but my double vodka tonic didn't feel like a double. They also gave me a gin and tonic when I asked for a vodka tonic. They did however, make my Moscow Mule very lemony, which I liked. -
Review from Tamara H.
Donnelly pubs have become a brand in Vancouver - so you know what you're getting. But I've been surprised by how much the service changes from location to location. Cinema is definitely at the bottom of my list of donnelly pubs to eat at. The drinks were decent and the food was fine (there were some rave reviews for the chicken waffle sandwich) but the service was bad. It took over 30 minutes for our waitress to take our food order - and in fact it wasn't even our waitress - another waitress came over to see if we wanted to order more drinks when we said we had been wanting to order food for the past 15 minutes. It's a stat holiday at brunch time and you have a waitress working who can't handle the 5 tables with people in them? Will definitely go to one of the other 5 Donnelly pubs in the area if I'm looking for brunch
-
Review from KAM S.
Vancouver, BC
A few weeks back I was invited for a birthday dinner and sadly it was at cinema. I must say the layout is nice as is the decor but the service is beyond
S-L-O-W! Our server was nice but you could tell she was over worked and had far more tables then she could manage. We ordered our burger right when we arrived and received it about 30 min later. Out drinks were late or never arrived.Some of us actually went to the bar to get drinks because of the delay. After about an hour we decided to leave so we asked for the bill, of course that never came. I then walked to the sunken bar ( bartenders probably will have back problems after bending to mix drinks) and asked our sever to pay again she was busy so she just brushed off. Finally a manager helped us pay. We had to chase staff down to pay,ridiculous! If you didn't want our payment you should have said so we would have gladly left perhaps with less of a bad taste in our mouth. Ps: can you install adequate lightening in the ladies' room so I don't trip and sue. Never again. -
Review from Irena L.
This place is really a mediocre miss or a complete miss! Seriously! been there three times. Food is ok, drink menu is ok and prices are average. But it's the service that does it. All three times we had to wait ages for our server, and 2 out of 3 times it wasn't even busy!!! Last time I went there we had to waive down the manager/floor supervisor to get us our bill, then we waited and waited and waited and waited....AND WAITED!!! After 30min of waiting I had to waive him down again to run my card through, and he comes back with the bill, drops it on the table and storms away. He charged $200 on my credit card, and the bill was $70. Seriously WTF?! Our server finally came by after being MIA for about 45min to ask me do I need a bill. Oh god...I explained to her what has happened, so she took my credit card and went to charge me the right amount. She came back after 15min! 15MIN!!! For God's sake!
Let me break it down to you
Time spent eating and drinking 1 hour and 27min
Time spent waiting on my server 1 hour and 27min
Feeling after I've left the place PRICELESS! -
Review from Karen N.
Cons:
Guy at the door said there'd be dancing inside (around 10/11pm).
Paid $8 to get in. There was no one dancing, the music was top 40 but not very loud.
Most people just sitting around, looking "cool" and then around midnight the bar emptied out considerably and we left.
Pros:
The music selection was a good mixture of Hip Hop, House, Top 40 but some weird mixing at times... -
Review from Evilyn T.
Like all Donnelly Clubs, this place is black with a white neon sign, and sports on all the TVs inside. The waitresses are skinny, pretty and generic, much like the people who frequent the Donnelly clubs.
The BF wanted to grab a quick lunch here since we both had an hour break. We stopped into this "public house" which is really just a fancy name for pub, and is run much like the Cactus Club, and other resto-lounges, where you don't get to seat yourself, you're guided to a table where you are seated.
The menu is filled with meaty delights and typical pub favour, and one lonely veggie sandwich, so unless you are interested in a $16 salad, you're going to be stuck with the $10 veggie sammy and fries. I ordered the veg sammy, which was pretty bland (onions, tofu, sprouts and cukes) and got some garlic dip for my fries, which was basically just mayo. I also requested some salt and pepper, which was dropped off at the table next to us. Thanks! Since we were on a work break we didn't order drinks, even though it would have been nice to have a cold one on a hot day like today, we behaved ourselves for once.
I doubt I would bother going back to this place, since they don't really have anything that would rouse my appetite, and I certainly wouldn't be inspired to hang out here with all the Granville Street garbage on the weekends. Thanks but no thanks.Listed in: Drinkin' that Hate-orade, Best Pubs/Clubs
-
Review from erica c.
I slid into the booth and wanted to slide right out. Definitely not a place go to during the daytime when you can see how filthy the seats are. The food was nothing to write home about and the service was slow.
-
Review from Melissa F.
Toronto, ON
Dear Donnelly Group,
DO BETTER.
I'm tired of going to the same bar with your standardly subpar experience.
you have to same menus, the same average service, the same annoying douchey clientele that you call "regulars" and the most confusing DJ/Dance floor setup I have ever seen attempted.
Why am I gracing you with two stars? Because the Donnelly Group DID have a bar called Biminis Tap House once upon a time. And it was awesome. It was in Kits and it was the PERFECT combination of pub and club.
I'm hoping the Donnelly group can identify that their series of black interior dark, idiotic setup of a venue is a BAD model and go back to the little tap house that could.
Bring back Biminis!Listed in: Donnelly Group FAIL
-
Review from Sahar M.
Went for some drinks and had a great time! Hostesses greeted us at the door with a big smile and lead us to a table where our server showed up fairly quickly. She was super nice and was very attentive!! Our drinks were great and we were greeted by an awesome GM! Love how there is minimal wait with great drink specials! $5 glasses of wine?? Yes please! Would definitely go back again for a "chill" night out.
-
Review from Kat S.
Went into this place before the Conan show last night. It's very pleasant inside, though the theme is quite dark. The waitresses and hostess were friendly and prompt. We just had a quick drink and some wings which were on special ($5/lb on Wednesdays). The wings were pretty good, and I liked the Thai flavour, though I would have preferred a little more kick (spice!) to them. The beer special said domestic beer for $4.15 a sleeve, but apparently it was only Bud that was available for the special that day. The waitress says it changes up. I went for the GI Pale Ale instead.
Their website says they are part of the Green Table and Ocean Wise programs, which is nice.
There's a crazy strong hand drier in the washroom, and it's not one of those Dyson ones. This one blows a jet stream onto your hands.
Overall it was a pretty good experience. Can't say much more since we were only there for a short time. The food on the menu looks good. I'll give it another try another time, and maybe I'll stay a while.
They sure have a lot of TVs so at any angle you can see at least a couple. Good for watching the hockey game. Last night they had a few different sports channels going at once.Listed in: Best Bathrooms
-
Review from Nathan B.
Vancouver, BC
Last time I was here I had a great experience, the door staff were talkative and entertaining plus our server was great. She was very friendly and accommodating without being too clingy, unfortunately I didn't catch her name to write in this review. I went for the cajun chicken sandwich with yam fries, who eats regular fries these days?! The food was hot and delicious, this experience was the four star.
Last night myself and a friend decided to go back for some late night, break from work, eats. The door staff were friendly just like last time, and even cracked wise. We were sat down and waited 5 minutes for our server, Chelsea. No hello just "are you gunna have drinks?" and then we are abandoned. Finally it came to ordering, I ordered the chicken sandwich, which came cold this time. The yam fries, not edible due to too much salt. With the Server acting like we are an inconvenience for sitting in her section, she disappeared again after dropping off the bill. We had to get someone else to pay the bill.
If I was the type to not leave tips... I wouldn't have. It felt like the game "how little can I talk to my table." It was uncomfortable. I would've preferred the hostess to be our server, she seemed happy to be there.
It's too bad, I came back because last time we had a great server and great food. I will probably go somewhere else next time, I think it's what they wanted. -
Review from Bec A.
North Vancouver, BC
Went there this afternoon with my partner. The server was nice, if a bit absent and rather slow.
Food was not as good as I would expect for the prices.
Our starter of yam fries came out AFTER our mains did....
I ordered the salmon with mixed greens. The salmon was dry and over cooked -worst salmon I've had in Canada. The mixed greens was just lettuce which was disappointing, although the vinaigrette was rather tasty. The salmon came on a bed of half-cooked cherry tomatoes - an odd choice in my opinion. It also came with two stalks of broccillini. Not a meal to have if you are hungry, even though it is a "Main" as there wasn't that much food on the plate.
My partner had the steak sandwich. He was rather surprised that the steak came out pre-cut. Average steak. Not worth the price in his opinion.
Would not eat here again, but would go back for a drink. Only not if we're in a hurry. -
Review from Stephen K.
Vancouver, BC
Typical Donnelly cookie cutter pub. Why does every one of their places look the same? Because they realize people don't care. For every person that chooses not to go back, there are 5 people to take their place. They're after our money and they're getting it. They got mine.
Would I go back? No.
Went there for a Canucks playoff game last week. Our server was overworked. You have to give her credit, she was working hard and the drinks came fast. They always come fast.
The food on the other hand... comes *SLOWLY*. I ordered a burger in the first period, got it at the end of the 2nd. 40 minutes for a burger. My friend ordered soup. Guess how long the soup took? Well, I couldn't really tell you because we cancelled the order after 50 minutes. FIFTY MINUTES for SOUP?!
But the drinks come fast.
So I guess we know what they want you to do there.
Order another drink while you wait for your food. Maybe order two. Or three.
Maybe the kitchen was swamped, but it's not like they opened last week. They are well aware of what kind of crowd a Canucks playoff game can draw. If the kitchen can't keep up (and others have complained of this before), either they're understaffed (which equates to poor management) or they're inefficient (which equates to poor management).
But they're really good at pouring drinks.
So only come here for some drinks... or maybe, just maybe, for some food on a rainy event-free Monday night when you'll be lucky to get the kitchen's full attention. -
Review from jim g.
Burnaby, BC
I've been in for drinks a couple of times. The first time I had to instruct the bartender on how to prepare a 2 ingredient drink with a simple garnish and ended up with cucumber pulp in the bottom of my martini...who interprets "garnish with a cucumber slice" as put the cucumber slice in the shaker with my gin?!
My second visit I stuck to beer.
Keep it simple and don't give them an opportunity to think. -
Review from kath r.
Decent drinks specials and bar food w a great location for people watching and some of the best service on Granville Street!
I'm the last person to ever initiate supporting Corporate. But, on a recent night when the Canucks were playing (max TVs and viewing is key) and motivated by decent beer and food specials, I found myself on the bench, in the lounge of the Donnelly Group's newest addition: Cinema Public House.
Located on the corner of Granville and Smithe, the bank of windows that wrap around this pub make it the perfect place to rest up and people watch after a day of high-street shopping. In fact, the Lennox and Winking Judge will finally have to compete for my daytime drinking dollars, since I always end up @ either one of these pubs purely by default: they're a top spot for people watching.
Food was decent enough but the menu is exactly the same at all of the Donnelly Group pubs, there's certainly nothing on it that would drive me to them over say....The Lennox (whose steal of a tasty deal: Greek salad topped w/ NZ lamb chops *baaa* for $15 is tough to beat).
So, for the price point, the food was pretty good, nothing super inventive or progressive, just solid bar fare.
We stuck to the beer specials, local drafts like Granville Island and Stanley Park for $4.15, but as a Donnelly Group pub they have all the standards available and different specials daily. Again, these aren't cocktails by Lauren or Jay but then nobody's going to Cinema for cocktail love.
What made our night was the service. We never wanted for a thing! Our server kept us topped up, fed, and was friendly and personable. When we wanted the bill, we didn't have to hunt her down, nor did we have to request separate checks. This was the most impressive part of the evening, and given their competition, is what would bring me back again should I be in need of a boozy, people watching respite on Granville Street. -
Review from Zach T.
Vancouver, BC
Went to the newest Donnelly Group Pub last night for the opening. I was treated to a few free drinks and an opportunity to be one of the first people in Vancouver to explore the menu. Although I only ate the spring rolls, which came 5 on a plate with greens. Initially I thought they would be dry and hard as they were so tightly wrapped and thin, but they were surprisingly packed full of goodies. Good things do come in small packages.
Both the drink and food menu live up to what we have come to expect from the Donnelly Group. The descriptions made each dish sound unique and tasting. Local ingredients are definitely on display here each and every night.
The atmosphere was great, there were small booths and larger tables were you can gather after work or before a night on the town. -
Review from evie t.
Vancouver, BC
Myself and a friend decided to give Cinema a try today for lunch, I didn't have too many expectations I pretty much just figured it would be something like Metropole and after taking a look at the menu they did in fact have a few of the same items but more and for a little pricier, however the quality thankfully was a lot better than Metropole's.
My friend had the Jerk flavoured chicken wings with blue cheese sauce on the side while I opted for the Cajun chicken burger with cheese and added an extra $2 for a poutine instead of regular fries.
The food took a little longer than I thought it would to be made seeing as they weren't really busy, I think there was only two other tables taken. But then again that could be the reason it took some time, under staffed in the kitchen during 'downtime'? it was around
2:00 after all.
At first glance of the poutine it looked a tad bit disappointing but what it lacked in looks it made up for in taste. The chicken burger was quite nice as well. As for the wings they might have been alright if my friend had chosen a different flavour but otherwise they were nothing special from what I could tell.
Cinema has a not so bad drink menu, Cocktail specials going for about $9. Was not in the mood for a drink so skipped out. Our waitress was very attentive and made conversation. The local of the Cinema is GREAT for people watching! Especially now that the sun's decided to come out and we're nearing closer and closer to summer.
I would go back, but would not be my first choice of places. -
Review from Taylor G.
3.5 stars. People are a little hard on this place. We went for an early dinner and drinks before a concert at the Commodore. We sat outside, which was nice. Service was great and our meal was good. I had the veggie sandwich with sweet potato fries and it was really good. My friends liked their meals as well.
-
Review from win l.
Vancouver, BC
I been here for lunch 3 times with other friends. The service was friendly & the atmosphere was nice. The food was OK...nothing that would make it stand out. Prices were a bit on the high side for the grade & quantity of food we got but I guess that is the norm for restaurants in this market segment. Fortunately a couple times we had ent book coupons so that helped make the cost something we felt was more appropriate. This is one of those restaurants I'd go if I had promo coupons.
-
Review from Melody M.
This is the first time I've been here with some friends. I like the place because it has a nice casual, pub style feel to it. It's spacious with lots of comfy chairs. The decor is black, with tv screens all around to watch the games. The food is okay and so are the drinks. A great place to go once to try out, but nothing special about it to bring me back.
-
Review from Bryan W.
Vancouver, BC
This is another bar owned by the donnelly brothers.Right in the granville entertainment district this is a hot spot.They don't charge cover on weeknights and their drinks are decently priced.They have good service and a large patio where you can people watch the afternoon or evening away.
-
Review from Margaret T.
We found this place while shopping and decided we should stop by to check out the nightlife in Vancouver. You walk in and there's a hostess standing in a room with with padded walls. Hmm where are you supposed to go? They opened the padded door (uhhh WTF that's so awesome) and the hostess actually walks you to your table. Never ever been to a "pub" like that before and they seated us in a secluded corner. I just imagine places at home where you need bottle service to get a table and service like that! Drinks were okay, food was good (sweet potato fries and salt & pepper chicken wings), music was decent (music itself was cool but DJ was awful), and service was EXCELLENT. My only complaint is that it died down pretty early - I guess this is where people pre-party and not party-party. If I were ever back in town, I would come here again.
-
Review from Laura P.
I was surprised when i searched this place and saw it had fewer stars then what i'm rating it as. There really isn't anything too special about the place, but i think it's a great bar to catch a quick bite to eat or drink and catch a sporting game on TV at the same time. They have a plethora of flat screens all around, you'll always be in sight of at least one. I've been here twice and have never had to wait for a table so that's nice too. Our service was great, either they were having an on day in the kitchen but i didn't have the experience most have below with the food taking forever. My friend and I shared the garden sandwich, would recommend it. pretty bland and the long sprouts were annoying to eat. The appetizer beef sliders were delicious! I loved the presentation on the small cutting boards as well. Presentation can change ALOT, and they nailed it! For two shots, two beers and two plates of food under 60$ i'd say that's a pretty good deal.
-
Review from Kristin H.
Vancouver, BC
If you are a vegetarian - don't bother eating here unless you want a salad. The veggie sandwich is pretty awful. However, the goat cheese salad is delish.
Cinema is definitely much better for drinks! Go on a Thursday night when all classic cocktails are on special. Try the Tony Sinclair. Yum!
Cinema is a lot like the typical Donnelly pub....same decor, same music. But I've been there 4 times now.... and have had a blast every time! -
Review from Jeanne L.
Vancouver, BC
A group of friends and I went to view a Canuck Playoff game. The layout - 2 bars and many large TV's throughout the place -which presented good viewing regardless where you sat. The ambiance/crowd was suprisingly quiet, not sure if I would go back to watch a game. Food - cost of wings $13 (a bit on the pricey side). Good range of beer/drink choices. Service was ok, waitress did a good job considering the crowd and attempted to replenish drinks as quickly as she could.
-
Review from Tom D.
North Vancouver, BC
Went to this place for lunch today to watch the football game, had the turkey sandwich and it was terrible. Dry, no flavor. Subway could do better! Only good thing was the service, nice waitresses, and the beer special ($13 pitcher). Only go for drinks, not food.
