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J-Lounge
Categories: Restaurants Tapas Bars Nightlife Bars Lounges Tapas Bars, Lounges [Edit]
1216 Bute StVancouver, BC V6E 1Z8
Neighbourhood: West End
(604) 609-6665
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Music:
- Music Videos, Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Mon, Tue, Sun
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
12 reviews for J-Lounge
12 reviews in English
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Review from Vik F.
Burnaby, BC
8/14/2011
I went here for a free (yes, FREE) queer improv show and it was fabulous (as most queer things are). The drinks were good and the calamari was very nice. I will definitely be going back.
Tops & Bottoms is the improv show and it's every Monday at 8pm for free. They ask a small donation after the show to keep it going. The entertainment is so worth it.
I highly recommend this place for entertainment and cocktails. It's a very casual place with seating in the form of couches and lounge chairs rather than dining chairs. The patio is wonderful and the location is in the heart of the gay district of Vancouver (Davie Street). Everyone was absolutely lovely during my visit and I'm looking forward to seeing them again when I go back. :) -
Review from Evilyn T.
Updated - 8/24/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Somehow I ended up back here, the persuasion of friends shall never be doubted. When we arrived just after 9pm they had a show about to start which included a $12 cover. We weren't really interested in paying a cover, we just wanted somewhere close to home to sit and have a drink at. They ended up letting us sit out on the patio for free, so we could just have a drink and chill.
The patio was decorated with lovely gas firepits, which kept us warm and looked super chic. It was like camping out at a restaurant, except nobody had smores. Our waitress was very sweet and a little sassy, which always makes for a fun evening. She let us know about the pizza special on Tuesdays where you can get a glass of house red and one of their 12 inch pizzas for $12 (so essentially you get the wine for free). Hell yea! I ordered the red, with the marghertia pizza, and both were pretty good. Although I still had a bit of fear, since getting super sick after my last visit, but I decided that it was summer and technically I could use a day off work if need be. I am happy to annouce I had no problems, and I would consider eating there again.... cautiously.
The show consisted of some jazz routines, dance routines (that were like a G rated burlesque mostly involving hair flipping), and some magic. Technically I'd say we had the best seats in the house since we were so close to the back of the stage and the sound was not so overpowering that we could still carry on a conversation.
In any case, one visit that was good out of three ain't perfect, but it's an improvement!Listed in: Drinkin' that Hate-orade, Best Pubs/Clubs, Beers, Steers and Queers, Nacho Libre
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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2/26/2011
I didn't think my experience could get worse than the last one, but it did! I came by here to see… Read more »
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Review from Kat S.
1/3/2011
Oh J Lounge (Formerly Jupiter Lounge). Not even free cover for New Years could make me like you.
You don't have drink menus, nor do you have specials, and your speakers are terrible. Cranking them up to ear splitting levels also doesn't help. Your gross sofas need some cleaning.
You get a star for our friendly server and nice bartender, but other than those two, everything else was pretty pathetic, including the front of house staff trying to charge us for cover despite the advertised free entry before 10:30.
The DJ played a couple fun songs that we danced to, but it would have been nice if the shitty speakers weren't garbling the sound. It also isn't necessary to pump the same music into the back room, distorting the sound further.
Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky, but $6.25 for a highball is a little steep.Listed in: Never Again
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Review from Albert K.
7/23/2010
Casual bar that is HIGH on FUN - the servers and bartenders are super friendly here and the place is definitely a cool casual place to hang out with friends -unpretentious and welcoming from every aspect (decor, people, atmosphere, food and drinks!) only downside is that they seem to be a bit understaffed for crowded nights but that's a small problem really.
While the interior is pretty normal and casual, the outside patio is SUPER DUPER - spacious, large comfy seats and cushions if you're lucky to grab the bed sofas as I'd like to call them. I've only been here on Monday nights to watch the comedy show Tops and Bottoms - great killer comedy improv show and the perfect spot to host it too! I have never fail to have fun here -absolutely love it.
It is definitely a great summer place to hang out with your buddies over few drinks and delicious food. you feel comfortable, relaxed and welcomed here which to me is the perfect and ideal hanging out with friends experience.
You GO J-Lounge -
Review from Paola C.
Vancouver, BC
1/25/2010
Well, after months of disappearing from the social scene, I was recommended this place by the DJ himself, obviously for support as well.
So, we decided to hop on out, on a Saturday Night. I actually quite enjoyed it. The crowd was mixed, although I believe it was a latino night.
The dance area lacked a bit of ventilation because after dancing one song I was sweating like a pig, or maybe that was just me. lol
Overall, it was pretty good. I wouldn't give it a 5, it wasn't a "omg I love this place and I need to go every weekend" material. So yea, that's my input on this place. Plus the staff seemed to be really friendly.
No Lines, No Cover, Good Music, Average Priced Pitchers, Friendly Crowd = good times -
Review from Andrea B.
6/29/2010
This is a great place for LARGE groups!
Came on a Friday night and they accommodated a large group of approx. 30-40 people. In other words, if you're coming with a group of less than 4 people...you might as well drink/eat at home because if we weren't there, the chairs would've been quite lonely. And this place is pretty spacious - 2 rooms and 2 patios. Of course, one of the patios and rooms could be renamed "the leftovers" because that's what it feels like when you're in there. We were initially placed in the leftover room and I'm not sure if it's the lighting but it felt like we were in a banquet hall that was under renovation so we eventually moved into the main room.
The decor reminds me of a vampire's lair but I believe they meant to make it jazzy because they put on live music. Before the partyers come out, they play live music - a lady sang quite nicely until around 9:00pm - and then the itty bitty stage becomes a dance floor for those brave enough to break a move.
J Lounge also offers food. I didn't eat anything but people kept telling me the Yam Fries were good. This would also be a great place to watch the game (remember, with a BIG group) because there's a gigantic screen in the main room and smaller tvs spread throughout.
The service was good too. I think there was only 1 waitress serving the lot of us so we would have to go up to the bar to get our drinks but understandably so. I mean, like I said earlier, this place is EMPTY...usually. The bartender quickly served up drinks even with a broken wrist. And when I accidentally spilled 1/4 of it, he kindly refilled it.
All in all, a great night but only because we brought the crowd. Come before 9pm if you like live jazzy type music (don't worry, there were people enjoying the show) or after 9pm if you like an almost empty lounge....it'd be kinda awkward to bring a first date here. -
Review from Tim L.
1/1/2010
What was previously Jupiter Cafe has now become J Lounge and it's unfortunately nothing spectacular.
Rob Erickson (who I'm pretty sure is the same Rob Erickson that was at Wild Rice and might still be) is the chef here at J Lounge and unfortunately the appetizers and bite size dishes my friends and I had here were all met with the same expression "bleh".
It seems most of his bios online say his experience comes from extensive travels in Asia with one specifically saying 6 months in Thailand, Taiwan and Japan. Just because you travel through a place doesn't necessarily mean you pick up the skills to prepare that style of cuisine. Otherwise wouldn't many of us be masters at every cuisine?
Anyways maybe he did have instruction while traveling there and I would think he would have picked up something having worked at Wild Rice, but alas all the Asian inspired tapas were just not good enough to impress anyone.
If you're here at night to lounge and drink they do what many other places do, they hold a line up outside despite being empty inside. You know it's the "let's make this place look super popular!" line up. Unfortunately with the layout of this place being on the second floor, it forces a lot of people to stand on the staircase. Add some woman with insane heals and a little bit of alcohol and it's only a short time before there's a domino effect in that stairwell.
There are two roof patios which could be fairly nice when the weather clears up but the layout of the interior is not much different from Jupiter. Plenty of room for the wall flowers and a back room for private parties. It definitely seems like the space could be utilized a bit better.
The crowd is well mixed and is actually the redeeming factor to give this place its 3rd star. Otherwise as the ratings go. "Meh, I've experienced better".
The staff are generally nice and seem to mean well but seem a bit lacking in terms of skills. It just seemed unpolished. They're trying hard to serve but seem to get overwhelmed. -
Review from Cameron H.
Vancouver, BC
7/10/2010 1 Check-in Here
J-lounge could be a great restaurant could be a good place but it always falls short. The ever changing menu has never been finalized so you might as well not bother with it because they never have what you want. They don't have a real bar menu either. I used to watch Glee there and they never had beer on tap. When a bar runs out of beer that's not acceptable. It's like McDonalds running out of burgers and this was a regular occurrence. They only put one server on a night so good luck getting her attention.
I will say that they do a great job with the entertainment and but it's a shame that they don't put the same effort into the rest of the experience. Waiting forever for a bottle of Heineken because that's all there is makes for grumpy patrons. I've given this place more than a fighting chance and I just can't justify supporting an establishment like this anymore. -
Review from Jasmine O.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 2/19/2010 1 photo
We are talking a HUGE screen for sports. I love a giant screen for hockey and when they let you pull all the tables up close in a group of 15 or more, then yeah, I really like this place. Service is still not the best but it was much better than last time. I really appreciated the food and how well it was made and presented as it suited the gothic decor much more than the rowdy crowd cheering on the game. It's like The Narrow http://www.yelp.ca/biz... with a million more seats.
Listed in: Where you'll find me, Drink it up
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/16/2010
Improv comedy and burlesque on a monday night? No cover? Sweet. The $11 pitchers of beer made up for… Read more »
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Review from Nadine N.
Vancouver, BC
2/23/2010
My friends and I had planned to go to Score for the Canada-US hockey game, but the wait to get a table didn't look good. One of my friends had noticed a J-Lounge sign on Davie St. advertising that they were showing the Olympics so we decided to give them a try. Apparently, they take reservations for the big games, so they didn't have a whole lot open for walk ins like us. They did accomodate us at the bar, which turned out to be great. Service was excellent and the food was really good. In the future, I'll be sure to call ahead to reserve a table in front of the giant projector screen.
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Review from Mina B.
Updated - 3/2/2010
guess i gotta say the olympics tought me how to love this place. thanks to our friend we had front row reservations for a few olympic hockey games. lounging it up right in front of one of the best screens you can get and one of the best sound systems you can find during the olympic craziness f****** ROCKED
no line up, no cover AND sitting on a couch in a room full off hockey fans????? hell yeah.
i feel sorry for everyone who paid $20+ to squeeze into a pavillion to pay $9 for plastic pints.
they did run out of some foods tho and the service was still slow BUT WE WON FRIGGIN GOOOOLD!!!!Listed in: best (pub) food (Vancouver)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/21/2010
first time we ordered a red and a white from the menu but they didn't have either. i ordered a… Read more »
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Review from Vanessa G.
3/1/2011
I have been coming here forever. Formerly a great meeting place and lounge before going out and currently still the same even 10 years later. A new name, well they just dropped the upiter from Jupiter, J lounge has opened it's doors to the community and host's a variety of queer friendly events. I come here mainly on Monday's for a improv event called 'Tops and Bottoms' which is a great way to kick start the week. I tend to be in stitches. The event is by donation, pizza and wine or beer combo for $12, and other drink specials have seduced me before. It's popularity has grown, and so it should so the place tends to be packed leaving standing room sometimes. If you stay for the later show which rotates during the month you will be entertained as well. I am so impressed by the talent of these guys and gals. Service is attentive, and fast. The big ass deck opens in the summer which makes the lounge change completely. The food is OK, it's pub food at a reasonable price. It does have room to grow. This is also a great place to take a date, or come as a gay single because you will get chatted up if you are open to it.
