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Malone's Urban Drinkery Downtown
Categories: Nightlife Bars Sports Bars Nightlife Bars Pubs Sports Bars, Pubs [Edit]
608 W Pender StreetVancouver, BC V6B 1V8
Neighbourhood: Downtown
(604) 684-9977
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11:30 am - 12 am
Fri-Sat 11:30 am - 2 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Fri
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
32 reviews for Malone's Urban Drinkery Downtown
Review Highlights
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"1 for the beer selection." In 3 reviews -
"...and if in the area and looking for a pub, we would go back." In 5 reviews -
"this place had awesome nachos." In 6 reviews
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32 reviews in English
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Review from Ryan M.
1/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
This review is for 01/02/2012. With less than 12 hours remaining in Vancouver, my friend and I had to celebrate one last time. I have explored most of Vancouver in less than 48 hours and fully understood how everything works. The one thing I got to understand even more is where to go in Downtown Vancouver after work. Well, I don't work in Vancouver, but I now know I can try Malone's Urban Drinkery.
Earlier in the day, I was at Rogers' Stadium and there was a game going on against the San Jose Sharks. The first thing you'll notice when you walk in the Malone's Urban Drinkery are all the Hockey Team Flags, then the TV all set for the games. It was kinda quiet at the bar since most people were headed to the stadium.
We were greeted by our friendly native bartender, Nick. I ordered my usual Cape Cod and my friend got a beer. After that my friend copied everything I ordered. Geez...dude...I ordered a lot of drinks from triple orders of Cape Cod to the Sampler. This was the first time I ordered the Sampler. Most places have it, but I never have tried it until now. I drank those beer samplers like it was whiskey shots. I think I choked on one of them because of I think one of them was a darker beer.
I have no idea how many drinks I had. When it was said and done, the bill came out to $74.54. Hmmmm....there were two of us and we ordered a ton of drinks and still $74?. Not bad at all. I am actually surprised that I was able to walk on my own will power back to Samesun. Overall, its a good bar. I am used to Los Angeles' scene of crowded, but it wasn't crowded at all...not even for a Canucks Game.
I wish my trip didn't have to end here. The last place to forget that I was actually leaving. Only three days in Vancouver and already wishing that I had Dual Citizenship. By the way, I liked how the restroom faucet worked, use your knee to operate the water. I used the wrong knee and hurt myself. Use your left knee :)
Yelp is My Review, My Story, and My Life. Its time to share it. -
Review from Kevin G.
Vancouver, BC
5/5/2012
It is just another Pub to hang around, have some beers, grab some good Pub food, and watch sport events.
May be it is not the best Pub but it is a good one.
I really like the decor and the booths with the red leather seats. Very private and comfy.
On a weekend it can be really crowded and you can meet a lot new and nice people.
The only thing we find a bit disappointing from time to time: Sometimes we have to wait really long for service. That could be way better.Listed in: Food and Drinks
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Review from Herman E.
3/7/2012
Another pub, another meeting place for my alcoholic buddies, and another place where I become deaf after coming out.
It's loud, the food is nothing to write home about, and it can get quite crowded. Actually, really crowded to the point of standing room only.
So to me, it's just another pub. I don't come here for the food, only the liquidification of my stomach. -
Review from Edward L.
Another run-of-the-mill drinking hole.
Parking here is horrendous, unless you come by after 2200.
The place is very dark on the inside. There are large sports murals on the walls. There are some booths, but most people are "standing room". The music was so loud I could barely hold a conversation. Above the bar are several TVs showing various sporting events.
There is a whiskey rack on one side, with different types all on display. Pretty neat.
Another cool thing about this place is the upside down kayak bolted to the ceiling by the bar.
Drinks here are pretty pricey. I had a double crown + Coke and it came to $9. Yikes.
The staff were friendly and courteous, and very very quick.
Next time I'll be back for the food. -
Review from Bryan Y.
5/20/2012
Spent two weeks in Van, loved every minute. Spent several nights at this place. Living in Jersey I miss the Konakee.
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Review from Dale W.
Surrey, BC
4/3/2012
Great beer selection! The food is mediocre though. I like the atmosphere as well.
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Review from Evilyn T.
12/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
A-OK! We made a reservation here for a friend's going away party (which was a bit painful - tried emailing them through their website = no answer, tried calling them and they hummed and hawwed for five minutes before giving in). The reservation worked out in the end, and really that's all that matters, the tables were waiting for us when we arrived and as soon as we came in a waitress showed us to them.
We ordered up some drinks (which were decently priced, I think double highballs were on special so that always scores points with me cuz not everybody drinks beer but I bet everyone will drink a highball). We also ordered up some small nachos, which were pretty okay, but I wasn't a super fan of the green salsa. OUr waitress was on the fuckin ball, taking down names and orders as to easily seperate the bill at the end of the night, she was a pro, and knew exactly what we wanted. Can she please teach other restaurants and pubs how to easily split up tabs and keep everyone's bill sorted? Thanks. She ended up asking us to settle up with her a few hours into our binge, which was totally fair, as she definitely earned the tips we left. (For groups they charge an automatic gratuity of 18% which they told me when I made the reservation.)
Other than that, this is a pretty standard after-work sports pub, it had a nice brick interior, and has a bit more of an edgey feel. I would come back for some after-work drinks again, it's a pretty chill space. -
Review from Tai V.
2/2/2012
Great Nachos!!! That's about all I remember.. And Hockey!!!
Good sized place, not too squishy like some pubs, half classy I'd say :D -
Review from Moon S.
West Vancouver, BC
4/9/2012
I'm here everyday for my after work beer, usually at the Side Bar. Love that they have awesome microbrews that change all the time, and they are offered on special. None of that Kokanee crap, just good clean microbrew! The staff is great, and it's my fav spot for a cold one.
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Review from Charly S.
12/10/2011
Surprisingly better than I thought it would be. We went here before a concert with some friends, and were not expecting much. They have a great beer selection, even a tasting flight if you're so inclined. The delirium (pink elephant) is fantastic, if you'd like to try a great beer.
Our waitress was fantastic, very helpful, friendly, honest, responsible and efficient - seriously, very good service.
The food was much better than the pub grub we expected, one had the chicken salad which was a lettuce mixture with tortilla chips and chicken, but very fresh and a great dressing made it above average. The philly cheesesteak sandwich was great, very nice tasting and great bread.
Nice atmosphere, music was playing but not so loud that we couldn't hear our group conversation. Definitely a good experience, and if in the area and looking for a pub, we would go back. -
Review from John R.
12/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Urban Drinkery? Yes, that certainly seems to belong in the title. When we were walking down the street to find the place we knew we did not need to look up at the sign when a fight was starting to break out at the front door. The person that seemed to be causing the most problems did back down and just walked away but it certainly was an interesting way to be greeted at the door! Inside we mused at the fact that the clock was only turning past 6:30 PM on a Friday!
The beer selection is great and I made a small tasting tour during a dinner of fish and chips that I was very happy with. A large piece of fish, nicely breaded, on top of a good quantity of fries.
Service was great and one of us being a football fan was quickly able to get one of the hockey screens tuned to the game of interest so in the end we were all happy.
The funnier part of the night came when the person looking to fight outside came back in later in the night and started drinking again with the 'friends' he was about to brawl with at the door. I guess in the end drinking was more important than fighting for this Friday night... -
Review from Ramon V.
Malones has upped their game over the years from being just another sports pub to one of the better beer sampling bars in the area.
There once was old Malones. It had a small beer selection and average food menu, but was the happening place on a weekend. I remember many a Sunday night spent dancing to cheesy tunes after a guest band had the stage for an hour or two.
Things have changed and times have changed. Malones is a bit more grown up now. It still has a firm grasp on it's old traditional downtown sports bar feel, but you can now expect a pretty surprising and decent craft beer selection on the beer menu.
The guys from my company make this a regular stop on their after-work wind-downs. They got me hooked on the Lagunitas IPA.
The food is so-so. The nachos are definitely smaller than they used to be, and pricey. It's difficult to pick a decent food option after a few visits because it's pretty typical of a downtown pub.
+1 for the beer selection
-1 for the same ol food.
Two bad experiences:
I was denied access when they were charging a cover fee on St Patrick's Day even though the place was half empty at 4:30pm and my fellow workmates had a table with ample room.
This October, I saw a sign outside that said $4 Oktoberfest beer. Inside, they had a pretty good looking beer menu applied to this special, but we were informed that none were actually available. Since it was a company function with 30 people expected, we asked them to change the A-board to say something else to avoid embarrassment. They eventually did. -
Review from Nicole F.
6/18/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Ummm.. where do I begin? Let's see...
I'm pretty sure our server (though very nice) was the ONLY person serving. Everything took a painfully long time, especially since we meant to be quick. They weren't super busy or anything.
We were pretty confused, because we asked for a drink menu and were informed that they don't have one. Yet two of the people at my table were ordering off their non-existent drink menu less than a week before. Wtf?
So since we couldn't have drink menus, we asked if there were any drink specials and were told "Oh, we don't have any because its Friday."
WTFx2
Okay then. So I asked what was on tap and settled for a pint of something I can't remember that was pretty decent for about $6..
The food was apparently pretty good. I watched all my friends eat while I waited for mine to come out.. and waited... and waited.. and waited. I couldn't even ask our server if it was on the way because she was nowhere to be seen.
Eventually I flagged someone down and asked him about it and he was very apologetic. They'd forgotten to make it and took if off the bill for me which was nice. That's why they got a second star. It didn't take long to make and bring out because it was just perogies. They were okay, probably cheemo. I'm not surprised.
Uh, yeah. I'd come back if someone else wanted to but it will never be my first choice. -
Review from Cody S.
3/18/2011
This is a great bar.
I came here for a couple of drinks while waiting for a friend and I had a great time. I really like the bar setup....the double bar is always my favourite. The staff is super nice and very helpful.
It's a nice atmosphere with an unassuming feel to it. Malones is in an odd place for me, but, I will definitely be back soon. Cheers! -
Review from Russ P.
5/24/2011
Just ok. We had a few drinks and some light dinner. I had the chili and my buddy had a chicken sandwich.
There was a big Eastern Conference Hockey Game on that we wanted to watch and we had to ask them to turn on the audio fo the game. They compromised by turning up the game audio slightly (you could barely make out anything) and kept the music loud - even though there were about six people in the whole place! You call this a sports bar?!
Not a good choice, in my opinion. -
Review from Victoria R.
Vancouver, BC
4/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
My buddy is a musician and my first forray into the world of Malones was when he was playing a gig.
I sat at the bar with another pal, and we spent more time watching the massive lady across from us singlehandedly slaughtering a large plate of nachos (designed for sharing). I may have taken a picture for posterity. She made it look so damn good that I ended up getting some food even though I wasn't hungry - and the food was good.
When the waiter gave me my drink, I noticed something at the bottom - it looked like a pill and I had a near panic-attack, handed it back to him and asked him to please make me a drink without a roofie in it. I ended up feeling like a complete tool, because what I was so sure was someone trying to drug me turned out to being the little "coke" tab label on the fountain drink hose having fallen in to my drink. He got me a new one and took no offense, he completely understood my fear (perspective people, I'm a 5'0, 98lbs girl!).
My second visit was during the playoffs, Canucks lost. But I was with a large group and we had table service from a really nice lady who remembered everyone's orders (party of 9). The food was good, the drinks were quick to arrive, and the company rocked.
Oh, and bonus points for not getting roofied. -
Review from Tabatha Anne Y.
Richmond, BC
2/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here Saturday with a small group of friends. Our waitress was quite slow and not very polite, but she was swamped so that probably explains things. The food tasted ok, nothing spectacular and took roughly an hour to get out to our table.
A cool thing they have is trivia for free appitizers, I thought that was pretty awesome although I didn't play.
I'll come back if others suggest it, but it wouldn't be my first choice. -
Review from Lori O.
Surrey, BC
2/26/2009
Malone's is a solid 'meh.' I used to frequent the place when I worked downtown because it had really big booths that could handle the large groups of people from my work with whom I used to drink there.
The food is unmemorable (possibly a result of the excessive amounts of beer that was consumed). The service is consistently very slow. Also, there were one or two waitresses that were kinda bitchy, but that might've been partly our fault. One or two of the technogeeks I used to work with liked to let loose a little too much after a few drinks. I also seem to recall an incident that led to our group getting kicked out...
Anyway, all the bad things said, Malone's capacity for taking large groups kept us going there. And they are mostly tolerant with drunken outbursts. But if you've got a smaller group, there are better options in the area. -
Review from Darien C.
BC
12/12/2008
Malones is a decent bar slowly encroaching on the sleazy part of town. Not quite committed though, the colourful screams of crackheads makes any night down on Seymour extra memorable.
The bar is large and tends to push a great drink special. The adjoining motel/hostel definitely attracts some interesting characters, but the vibe is friendly and the staff welcoming.
I mainly come here for the pool tables. There aren't many great places to play a game in this city, so when you find one its a treat. Malones is hardly a destination, but is great for a more relaxed Friday night in a part of town sans-snobbery. -
Review from April R.
9/25/2011
We enjoyed Malones on our bar hop. They have a good selection of beer, wine and mixed drinks. Food menu looked pretty good, we had an order of perogies and they were excellent. Fun, large place.
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Review from Dayna B.
Vancouver, BC
8/24/2009
Admittedly, Malone's never really stood out for me before. It was always the place you ended up when you couldn't get in to where you really wanted to go. But behold! Have they changed?
On the hottest Friday night, presumably ever, I was melting into the big comfy booths but didn't mind because, for the first time ever at Malone's, our waitress was attentative and on it with jugs of water and beer.
On top of that a few appetizers were ordered for the table. Mini-burgers and the goat cheese plate. Let's just get it out there. These mini-burgers were the best mini-burgers in the oversaturated mini-burger market that is the trendy scene these days. These were giant pieces of good beef topped with pure deliciousness. 3 mini burgers? I didn't have a big dinner but still, getting through all 3 was a two person effort. Not bad at all.
As for the goat cheese, I consider myself to be a connoisseur of all things goat cheese (check out my "info" section), and this was good goat cheese. They mixed it with rosemary and they gave you a lot of it with nice bread. This is my own secret shame but I had to leave some goat cheese behind! Considering we ordered only two appetizers and I can eat like a sailor, which says a lot!
So for now I give them 3 stars, if they keep it up and try to get their live music in order I might even start going there more often!
But remember kids...Mini-burgers! -
Review from Reena M.
3/3/2010 2 Check-ins Here
$20 for a plate of nachos? Luckily they were a good plate of nachos or I would have been disappointed. And they were huge.
The bouncer is a bit of an ass.. but otherwise, it was a good time. Good crowd, especially after Canada won gold in hockey.
I didn't have to pay for any of my drinks so, can't comment on the price of those. Otherwise, they've standard shots and beer. Although, I do remember that it was good beer because it didn't make me feel sick afterwards.
How many people reading this can tell this was the night of the Gold Medal hockey game and that at this point of the night, I wasn't remembering a whole lot of details?Listed in: Na'cho mama's nachos!
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Review from Louise P.
3/8/2010
After an amazing dinner at Chambar, my bf and I walked many blocks to Alibi Room, so excited to try their huge selection. What a bummer to find out it was CLOSED. Soooo disappointing! We took a cab back to our hotel at Seymour and Dunsmuir and wanted to buy a 6 pack to take up to our room.
Enter Malone's. They sell beer for you to take away but also have a bar and tables to hang out and enjoy a drink. We bought a 6 pack to take back to our room and had a Granville Winter in the bar. The bartender was really great and the price wasn't too bad. At 10 pm on a Sunday the place was totally empty and we enjoyed it. -
Review from Tolga E.
3/3/2010
My Olympic home away from home was Malone's. Downtown Vancouver during the Winter Games was kind of like a polite, clean version of Manhattan on a normal day. Completely chaotic and mysteriously orderly at the same time. That's exactly how Malone's was as well. The draw is simple: they have lots of HD TVs and lots of beer.
I watched the Canada-USA Gold Medal hockey game here after lining up outside for 3 hours to get in. The great news was they limited the crowd so that you could almost breathe in there (they could have made a lot more money just violating the fire code). Immediately, me and my 7 star-spangled banner-clad friends were approached by this huge Canadian dude who offered us his protection in case things went south with the home team. Of course, the home team won, Canadians were screaming and falling all over themselves in the bar, and order was restored to the world. Still, I have to stay Malone's was surprisingly the best place to watch the Games.
Oh, and they have Granville Island Brewing Co.'s Winter Ale, which is fantastic and very comparable to the Golden Vanilla Ale from Thirsty Bear in San Francisco. Be sure to try one. -
Review from Chloë E.
Vancouver, BC
11/13/2008
For a big group, Malone's downtown is a really good choice. I've never seen this place busy but it does have sufficient flat screen TVs to be a hardcore sports bar, so perhaps a big game night is the missing piece to my empty Malone's puzzle.
The servers offer unmemorable service and the food falls into the same category. Most of the menu is good for sharing and in that typical pub-grub category. Avoid the nachos. As the kitchen deep fries the chips to add extra crisp, your plate of nachos will come out in a grease-laden state that will do your stomach no favors.
Good to head here for beers if you don't want to wait for a seat or the game if you're a sports fan, but not much else. -
Review from Cameron M.
Toronto, ON
12/12/2008
I personally think Malones leaves a lot to be desired. In a downtown core that has a pub every few blocks Malones is dirty, cold and not very impressive. It's the size of a place that should be a club or something and stretches the limits of the pubs capabilities by not really having working waitstaff.
I had an event here as well once and things didn't go great. They offered to cater and give free drinks for a reasonable price but the 'catering' was pretty cruddy pub food and free drink tickets confused the bartenders. It was an overall annoying experience and what's worse is they closed super early before anyone really had a good time.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with the place. You wont get poisoned or stabbed. But I'd say avoid it nonetheless. -
Review from Seth T.
1/25/2011
Love this bar. My friend and I stayed at the hostel upstairs, so this was where we started and ended every day we were in Vancouver. The food was decent, and the drinks were moderately priced, but the staff here made everything worthwhile. Super cool and super nice, they treated us like long time friends by the time we left. If Fernando and Danielle are still working there, tell them Seth and Paul sent you and they'll take care of ya. :0)
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Review from Danielle B.
Vancouver, BC
8/27/2010 1 Check-in Here
My coworker and I went in to Malones because we saw a "burger and beer for $10" special they had advertised recently. We mentioned this to the server and there seemed to be some confusion over the whole deal and whether or not it was still available. She left our table to speak to the manager and came back saying, "You can get the deal, but only domestic beer is included". That was fine - we ordered our domestic beers and when she brought them to the table, she mentioned that the burgers did not include cheese or bacon - they would be extra. We ordered one with cheese and one with bacon & cheese. "Fries ok with that?" she asked. We said yes. As we waited, I looked around the nearly empty bar and couldn't believe how much dust & dirt there was on the window sill. In fact, there were cobwebs on the window, just a few inches from our table. I took a picture because I couldn't believe how filthy it was. I could have easily written my name in the thick layer of dust. The staff should be paying closer attention to the cleanliness of the restaurant, especially when it doesn't seem that busy.
We sat drinking our beers and a minute later she came back to say that the special did not include fries and we'd have to pay extra. We thought it was odd, but we said that was ok - and we decided to split an order of fries. It's like walking into a dealership to buy a new car, but finding out that the steering wheel and tires are extra.
10 minutes later, the manager brought our burgers over and explained that the mix-up with the burger special had something to do with game night. In any case, he said he was giving us a better deal than what we thought we were getting. That sounded good to us. We ordered a second round of beers and tucked in.
The burgers were ok - not great. The buns were whole wheat and the lettuce was very droopy but everything tasted ok. The fries were disappointing - it looked like they dumped the bottom of the bag into the deep fryer because there were dozens of tiny pieces and only a few normal sized fries in the bowl. Not that big of a deal, but it just seemed really cheap, especially considering they were "extra".
The bill came and we were a little shocked at how much we had been charged. We had a $20 gift certificate that we presented to the server but after that had been taken off the bill, we were still charged $26.75. Considering that the beers were $4.75, it seemed a bit much that we'd be charged that much for 2 beers and a side of fries. It's a little like "bait & switch" where you think you're getting a good deal, but then you're hit with all these "extras". If I'd known going in it would be that much, I would've had something other than a burger, especially one that wasn't very good. The manager's comment about us getting a better deal sort of stuck in my head, so we called him over to ask where this "deal" was that he mentioned. He conceded to knocking off one round of beers, which made the bill much more reasonable. My issue is that if you advertise something, be clear with your customers - up front - what is included, or in this case, not included. Our waitress was very friendly and I thought the service was good. I also appreciated the end result after speaking with the manager, but chances of me returning to Malones are pretty slim and I would never recommend this place to anyone. -
Review from Mina B.
2/18/2010
best pineapple cocktail everrrrr! (too expensive tho)
great food too.
yum -
Review from Robyn G.
Vancouver, BC
8/25/2011
Watched a few hockey games here. Good burgers and nachos. Wide variety of beer on tap and mediocre service. Will keep on returning to this place.
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Review from Vanessa D.
Vancouver, BC
6/5/2010
the nacho plate may be huge, but it is amazingly bland and boring. not to mention expensive. drinks and beer are average. lots of tvs to catch the game, loads of different seating and some pool tables. your basic after-work pub.
standard, solid, unmemorable. -
Review from Sonya R.
Burnaby, BC
1/28/2010
Boy you guys are tough... this place had awesome nachos. Delicious fresh guacamole, salsa and sour cream, chips are also made in-house. Admittedly it is $17 with $3 for guac, or chicken or beef, but the plate is huge! I'd say tastier than Steamworks'. And they pile tons of cheese, tomatoes, olives and jalapenos on, unlike some stingy places. I talked to a girl that was eating here and she said she is a nacho connoissuer (her expression) and she said they were amazing. So there you go. The servers are down to earth and nice, and I like the interior, it feels so comfortable. It smells really strongly of beer though, kinda stale, and when there is live rock music here, it hurts your ears. At least it hurt mine. It's really busy and has so many different crowds in here.. not a sports fan so I don't enjoy their TV's, but someone reading this might. It's a great location and it feels like a really down to earth place, if you ask me.
Listed in: Where to Eat?
