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Speakeasy On Granville
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- DJ
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
23 reviews for Speakeasy On Granville
23 reviews in English
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Review from Mike P.
8/5/2010
I take exception to the expensive beer comments....this place is located in the center of the city, perhaps the highest rent district in all of Vancouver. I'm more surprised that I pay 7 for my sleeve at cactus/earls/milestones than the 5 or 6 I pay here....but anyways...
No line, many many seats in this cavernous bar, this place is ok for what it is. Unfortunately the patio isn't very big because would be a nice place to people watch. -
Review from Stu C.
Vancouver, BC
1/23/2012
The classification for the Speakeasy says it all - it's a dive bar with dive service.
I used to frequent this location of Speakeasy about 5-6 years ago. I had fond memories of having beers and food with friends and family. So, I was excited to try it again when I was in downtown doing some shopping on two occasions in the last little while. I am sad to say, both occasions were very different scenarios, but the experiences for both were poor at best.
The first time was on a Wednesday night several months ago around supper time--the place was very full. There was a little sign out that said please wait to be seated. So, I waited and waited and waited. Eventually after trying to be noticed and also looking hopeless enough, the bartender at the front told me he'd go find someone. A minute later a server came over and asked how many in my party. I said "just me", to which I got, "at busy times we'd like to place you at the bar instead of a table". Disappointed, I said ok, since it did make sense for couples or larger parties to have tables instead of just me. I just wish this was told to me when I walked in, instead of me waiting at the door when I could have been already sitting, having a pint. At the bar, I ordered a beer. Unfortunately, they were out of the beer I wanted. So, I ordered different beer which was slightly flat, but still very drinkable and cold. I ordered some fries and waited. After some time, I was really hungry and my beer was running out, so I inquired about my fries. The waitress went away and came back saying that somehow the order was misplaced, but they could have something out in 10 min or so since there was a backlog in the kitchen. I decided to cut my losses and go after I finished the pint.
Since my experience wasn't great, but wasn't brutal, I decided to give the Speakeasy a second chance one afternoon after shopping with my fiancé at the end of December. Walking in, the place was almost deserted with exception of 4-5 other people spread throughout. We walked towards the back since the booths were there and we had a bunch of bags. However, we noticed that there was a large sign saying the entire back section was reserved, yet there were 1 or 2 other people sporadically sitting in booths. So, we asked one of the many waitresses (there was 3 or 4 of them for some reason) where we could sit. The waitress said, oh don't worry about the sign, we could sit in one of the booths along the wall. So, we sat down and waited. After 5 minutes, we still didn't have a menu, water or cutlery. Eventually, the server put some menus on our table, to which we waited again for more than 10 minutes. At this point, I had had enough, it was time to leave. As we left, one of the many waitresses was sitting at the bar with her phone noticed us leaving and said an exploitative under her breath.
There are so many pubs, bars and restaurants downtown, there's no excuse to have poor service (especially at the prices charged at most places downtown). With two poor experiences with two very different levels of activity in the Speakeasy, I highly doubt I will go back.
The Speakeasy gets 1 star for the experiences and 1 more for nostalgic sake only. A new Speakeasy has opened on Broadway near my place, but I doubt I will go to avoid the poor service I experienced here. -
Review from Martina M.
Vancouver, BC
12/31/2011
After an afternoon of shopping downtown, my fiance and I were looking for a place to relax with some beer and appetizers. Unfortunately, we decided to go to Speakeasy.
We wanted to sit in a booth in the back, but we noticed that there were a bunch of reserved signs everywhere. When we asked a waitress where we could sit, she said we could sit in one of the booths along the wall. We happily sat there, and waited over 5 minutes for any sort of service. Eventually, the server put some menu's on our table. We went through the menu, chose what to order, then waited, and waited, and waited. After 10 minutes, we looked around and noticed that there was absolutely no server in sight. There are way too many restaurants downtown to settle for nonexistent service, so we decided to leave. No server tried to stop us. I highly doubt I will come back here. -
Review from Kelsey P.
Vancouver, BC
8/2/2010 1 photo
I've never eaten here, so I don't know how the food is. But as far as drinks go , this place is great.
It's best not to go with too many people so you can get a seat at the bar. The bartenders are really nice and friendly and will make you anything you ask for (even if your making it up) for a very reasonable price.
Always a good time is had here! -
Review from Alli D.
8/27/2009
This might be the only pub on the planet that has a bouncer, a hostess, and a line at the door. Just by looking at it from the outside, we would have thought it was another nightclub. Inside, though, it's just like any other pub. Maybe with nicer barstools.
My ears are still ringing (a month later) from the obnoxiously loud music, but I can't complain about the service because we were sitting at the bar. And while we didn't have food, I have no complaints about the drinks, which had the added bonus of being cheaper than those at a different place we went to.Listed in: The Couv
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Review from Sarah O.
2/13/2009
This is not the kind of place where you should take your dates. Or family. Or people that you want to have a conversation with at a normal vocal range. Everywhere you look there are TV screens, every single one of them on the same channel. I was very famished when I got there so pretty much, anything would've tasted good. I ordered a pint of Granville and two appetizers- Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Pita and Calamari with Tzatziki. All I can say is BLEHH... Very Mediocre and I didn't finish the food (and that's not because I was full). Beer tasted a little funky, they probably don't clean out their tap filters by the looks of how the establishment is run.
Not worth going for food. Can find better pints somewhere else. NEXT! -
Review from Roanna Z.
6/29/2009 2 photos
Our Swiss friend was being polite meeting us for coffee when he would rather be watching the Confederations Cup Final Soccer match. I wisely picked up the desire and we went on the hunt for a bar that had the game on.
We found just what we needed in Speakeasy. Not only did they have the game on, but they had tables right up to an open front where we could park our sweet Canine friend. What's more, is that the server was so nice she brought a bowl of water out too.
We ordered Burgers, which were really well dressed and spiced, and a Tuna on a bed of Greens. All were delicious.
You know what's weird though? I have NEVER seen men watching a soccer game so quietly. Clearly, there were no Brazilian's among us, they would have livened things up a bit!
Great game. The U.S. really played well but lost 3-2 (as it should be.)
: } -
Review from Sarah B.
USA8/6/2008
The first time I came here, I was impressed. A good low-lit bar, decent size but intimate in feel, solid drinks and just generally a pleasant vibe. For being on one of the main drags, it didn't feel too touristy or kitchy or otherwise obnoxious. By bar standards, people were downright respectful. It felt a little bit like, surprise surprise, a speakeasy. I was a fan. I would be back.
However, when I did come back - Speakeasy, you ruined everything. Loud bad music, meatmarkety crowd, bland drinks. I have nothing nice to say.
Maybe it's gone back to the way it used to be, but I doubt I'd be willing to give it another shot.Listed in: A Day (or Three) in BC
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Review from Janessa P.
3/11/2009
The spring rolls had so much oil oozing out of them I felt I should put on a slicker and go looking for baby birds.
The bartender was a little surly, and not necessarily in a mean way, just in an I-really-don't-care-about-you kind of way.
The 15 minutes I spent in here could have been better spent at the dentist. At least that way I'd have something to show for it.
The music was fun, at least.Listed in: Le Vancouver, BC
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Review from Peter S.
5/3/2010
Watched the Canuck's Hawks game here on Friday, and A-OK sums it up pretty well.
My reason for coming here was... It was the only place on Granville that had any seats left 10 minutes before face off.
They could use a few more decent beers on tap. Ever heard of R&B, Tree or Storm? The Speakeasy Lager is made by Russel, and I described it as"quite gamey" tasting. Yuk.
A pleasant surprise was the Chicken Club with Yam fries. A most edible plate of grease. But avoid the dry ribs (they really suck!).
Good times had by all, although the 5-1 final score sure helped. -
Review from Nina H.
1/18/2010
We resorted to going into Speakeasy because all the clubs had long lines and the other bar we went into was OVERPRICED. But then again, this place was kind of pricy too and last call's at 2 a.m. WHAT?
The nachos were $15 and $3.75 for guacamole. Outrageous... but delicious, I won't lie. I wouldn't exactly call this place a dive bar because it's slightly nicer than one because there are nice booths and bar tables around the place.
The drinks were quite weak though and our server got an order wrong. My friend really wanted the rocky mountain bear f**ker which had 151, crown and something else disgusting in it. Hahaha but he got us the SoCo and banana liquer shot again which was fine by me.
We tried ordering some AMFs but apparently Canadians have no idea what that is. WHAT? Oh and their Long Island Iced Teas are only 2 oz as opposed to American 5 ounces. Again... WHAT?
But overall, it was a fun place to have a few drinks and enjoy some delicious nachos since everywhere else had expensive cover and long lines.Listed in: Vancouver BC Eats
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Review from Chelsea A.
6/16/2009
So . . . Ummmm . . . .
Why? Why couldn't you have been better? Why?
Well, that begs the question . . .
Why wasn't my food tastier?
Why were all of my servers beer recommendations terrible?
For that matter, where was my server the majority of the time?
(Wait, wait I saw her!!! Sitting at the bar . . . with no other tables. Texting. On her phone. For like an hour, ignoring her one table . . . us.)
(New question: Why didn't my server get a tip?)
Why did the bartender, who might have honestly been entertaining (people were at least sitting at the bar) look (and for that matter sound) like a total douchebag? Why?
Why did it have to have a sorta cool atmosphere (front not the back) but be a total let down?
(On a side note: I originally had this review posted at the wrong bar. I'm super sorry!) -
Review from Megan S.
12/30/2008 1 photo
Pub- what do you expect?
My husband digs the yam fries here. I prefer the potato skins.\
Anytime there's a game on this place gets crowded, and I believe that there is sometimes a cover charge. I've only been on Saturday afternoons- and there's been no charge to get in. I don't think I like this place enough to pay for the great experience.
I find the mixed drinks to be small and weak with too much ice. The beers are standard and the custom Granville St markup. You can find decent stuff here- but there's better options a block away. -
Review from Stephanie M.
Vancouver, BC
11/11/2010 1 Check-in Here
I had been to this place a few times years ago, and suggested it as one stop on a girls' night out. Big mistake! I appreciate the (if not cheap) not overpriced drinks, and the variety of the menu, but the experience was a huge letdown.
Our server was terrible. First she made us move from a completely empty table because apparently the guy who had been sitting there before (occupying a 4 person table by himself) was just "out for a smoke" and coming back. Then after we ordered she practically ran away from us immediately, leaving no opportunity for us to request anything further. The trend continued when she brought our drinks and food. When I tried to change my drink order, she told me the bartender had already started making my drink, but it took another 15 minutes for our drinks to arrive at the table! Overall her attitude was very unfriendly and hostile.
The nachos that we ordered were also nothing special. Not nearly enough toppings and barely any variety of toppings to speak of beyond cheese and peppers.
I'm in no hurry to return.Listed in: Best Nachos
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Review from hayley v.
Updated - 4/7/2010 4 photos
Brought my fam to this spot for Easter Sunday and I had the same awesome waitress! The Granville winter ale was all out but our excellent server made a recommendation for a summer white ale that was every bit as delicious. love.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/25/2010
Is it just me or is everyone really good-looking in Canada? Especially law enforcement and… Read more »
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Review from Tim S.
7/7/2010
Overpriced and certainly not a pub. Just another top 40 club with overpriced weak drinks and guys wearing shirts borrowed from their kid brothers
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Review from Kal B.
5/10/2010
no wait or lineup on a saturday nite.. thats pretty much the main advantage of this place
they have a decent setup to watch a game
the nachos look great so wouldn't mind trying them some day
drinks were decent as well.. average price for DT granville -
Review from Alex D.
Vancouver, BC
3/1/2010
Ahh the best part about going back here is that apparently I am banned for life. There was no where else to go that didn't have a line so I jumped in for a beer. Well to be honest it did have a line but that was easily parted because a girl we were with had boobs until Tuesday. Yes, it is that sort of a place.They have some seriously bad staff here. My favourite, lets just call him douche number one alternates his time between checking his hair and hitting on everything with two feet and a heartbeat. I laughed so hard when he shouted a group of girls their last round with a sleaziest of winks that would have likely induced vomitting in even the most desperate of ladies. Needless to say they left with my friend instead...oh well.
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Review from Christina R.
6/12/2010
Great bartender on staff the nite I was there. Good vibe for the croud and the space has a dark upscale divy feel I love. The person who selected the music should be shot. Who plays emo- disco anymore (excluding goth clubs)? And the music was very very loud. One other drawback, drinks were pricy for my blood. 8 bucks Canadian for a gin & tonic? Good thing I don't drink heavy.
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Review from Chelse d.
North Vancouver, BC
4/12/2011
Love the bar, great service, n amazing food! Just great! Been back many times and will go again!
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Review from Daniel J.
4/29/2010
A bit pricey for what you get, $5 pints and $13 chicken club with fries.
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Review from Darien C.
BC
11/18/2008
Gosh Golly, I love a good throwback to another time. That shit's the bee's knees! And who doesn't love that tragic time in history known as prohibition. Americans have made so many glaring cultural mistakes. Drying up their country may not be the worst, but it's arguable. As a pleasant reminder of this period, go check out Speakeasy. I have yet to check out the new location on Davie Street, but the one on Granville has always been great for martinis and eyeballing walker bys. Who doesn't love a good stare? No one, that's who. The drink prices are downtown average and the place is deceptively large. I often come to this spot when I want to get a drink late on a Friday or Saturday night. Due to the size of the room, one tends to be able to sit down most times during the evening. This is certainly not a destination, but true to the name is a relaxed place to unwind.
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Review from Lucas B.
Vancouver, BC
11/2/2010
Great place to hill. Good music, atmosphere.
