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The Academic Public House
Categories: Nightlife Bars Pubs Restaurants Gastropubs Pubs, Gastropubs [Edit]
1619 W BroadwayVancouver, BC V6J 1W9
Neighbourhood: Fairview Slopes
(604) 733-4141
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 1 am
Fri-Sat 11 am - 2 am
- Delivery:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Music:
- DJ
- Best Nights:
- Tue, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
36 reviews for The Academic Public House
Review Highlights
36 reviews in English
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Review from Paul D.
Vancouver, BC
10/28/2011
I've been here a few times for different events--lunch with clients, beers after work etc. Was in there this week to grab a bite with some friends and watch the game.
We got there early enough to grab the $6 hot wings and beer happy hour special and then I had the Chicken & Waffle sandwich with fries. The wings and beer has to be the best deal in town and the fried chicken between two waffles was really good--a cool twist on a chicken sandwich. I was stoked that they had Phillips Blue Buck ale on tap--it's one of my favourite local craft beers and not the easiest thing to find. .
I don't live close enough for this to be my regular hangout but I'd go back anytime. Great service, comfy room and a surprisingly good selection of craft beers. -
Review from Robin J.
Surrey, BC
11/6/2011
Heading home, this place seemed like a pretty good place to eat, plus I was really craving a burger. I soon realized how bad of an idea it was to go to this place. Half of the place was reserved for a large party coming in soon so we asked the waitress if there were any other tables for 2 available, she told me "go find one yourself." I have no idea why I even bothered to stay and found a table on the patio, where they couldn't even bother to turn on the heaters.
Another waitress came by to take our order pretty quickly so it seemed like things were getting better but that was certainly the end of that. We waited 20 minutes to get our drinks, then another 50 minutes for our meal. I am pretty certain this lack of service and long wait times are just another trademark of the Donnelly Group.
As for the food, it was decent, would have been better if it were still warm. I got the burger while my friend got the chicken and waffle sandwich (which tasted...interesting). The waitress didn't bother to even come back to ask how the food though, so it was a bit hard to let her know the food wasn't even warm. Overall, the food wasn't great enough to really make up for the bad service and its pretty easy something like it at another place in city. -
Review from Aaron S.
9/10/2011
Douchbagelly bars don't come much worse than this one. In their growing list of places this one makes Library Square look like heaven. No heavy metal concert you've been to was as loud as this f'ing place. This isn't my growing age talking either. This place has the music cranked up to 11 on a weeknight and it's just annoying as hell. Here's how the conversation basically went after one drink....
DO YOU WANT??
WHAT?
DO....YOU.....
LETS GO TO POURHOUSE!!!
POURHOUSE???
OKAY LETS GO THERE!
So thank you academic for making the choice to get out of there easier. I doubt I was the crowd you were looking for anyways so you can keep the Ed Hardy jerks and I'll stick to the quiet bars of Gastown................. -
Review from Nicole J.
Vancouver, BC
11/27/2011
I created this account just to post about my horrendous evening at this place.
Went to The Academic for a friend's birthday get together and it was an unfortunate evening of poor service, lack of accommodation and overall frustration.
Despite my friend's girlfriend placing a reservation the day before, it was only that night we were informed that it was a UFC evening and there would not accommodate reservations and a $10 cover would be implemented. No one considered calling her back about the no reservation policy on UFC nights and so all 20 of us showed up... yeah, that's $200 of cover for something we didn't want to watch. With a group that large, it was inconceivable that we could find space elsewhere on a Saturday night. To make matters worse, we were seated outside (because some jerk refused to move). Their staff should realize that their one-setting heaters cannot alleviate the chilly Vancouver evenings, so NO ONE should endure a meal out in the brisk.
We began to order a hotter set of drinks to warm ourselves as we waited for the food. And when the food eventually came, it wouldn't be eaten because there were no utensils (because they still were being washed). I felt so sorry for my chums who stared longingly at their macaroni and cheese, holding the dishware for warmth. Three orders for the same dish were mistaken for another chicken sandwich, so my wait was much longer. And when my Chicken and Waffles came, the waffle was soggy and the chicken was a morsel in comparison. Not worth the $13 or the added gratuity for our group.
This was an deplorable experience. Even after my friends spoke with the manager, there was nothing done. I do not recommend going here. -
Review from J N.
Vancouver, BC
6/5/2011
Wow! Even after a long night of partying after the game, this place is AWFUL.
The poutine ('cuz that's what you order at that hour) tasted like petrol. Not gas, but petrol (if there is a difference). There was dark liquid poured on the fries that reminded me of the left over coffee you find at the bottom of a french-press.
I think that was supposed to be gravy.
The sliders were okay at that hour, actually.
The cover. Seriously, for this place? Ridiculous.
The music was so incredibly bad that I wouldn't have danced even if I'd wanted to. Even after I made some requests, nicely, in a desperate attempt to pick up the night, the music was all soo incredibly bad.
Do not go here, even if wandering around the 'hood after a long day and night after the game. Go home or go to a proper restaurant that might still be open at 10:30. If you want to dance, find somewhere with good music.
Oh, and if you do decide to check it out for yourself, be prepared to be asked for your credit card thousands of times by an apologetic waitress before you are finished eating, just in case you have that sudden, classy desire to dine and dash. Apparently, this is the norm here.
I only give two stars because I felt sorry for the server and the burgers were decent, otherwise it would have been a definitive one star. -
Review from Martina M.
Vancouver, BC
8/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
My boyfriend bought a groupon for this place ($15 for $30), so we decided to check it out. We were happy to find out that the $30 covers anything on the menu, not just food. The patio is small, but we easily found a table there.
We picked a great night to come here, Tuesday night is $3 local craft beer night. They offered 4 beers: 3 Granville Island (Hefeweizen, Honey Lager and Pale Ale) and the Phillips Phoenix Gold Lager. Also, for $11 you can get a burger and a craft beer, which is what my boyfriend did.
I ordered the BLTA sandwich with organic greens. The sandwich looked small but was very filling. The rosemary aioli was great. I wasn't the biggest fan of the organic greens because I don't really like cranberries, but the dressing was perfect. I stole a bite of my boyfriends burger, and it was really good. His fries were great too, not too greasy or salty.
When it came to our bill, the final total was ~$33. The waitress told us that we didn't have to pay anything! We left a tip because our waitress was really friendly, but that was unexpected!
After reading other reviews of this place, I probably wouldn't come here later on at night. However, if you're looking for a nice casual meal on the patio, this place is great. -
Review from Malloreigh M.
Vancouver, BC
4/14/2011
Smells like chicken wings, looks like aggressive douchebags, feels like... yet another Donnelly pub. I just don't get why these people have, what, ten bars around Vancouver and all of them are exactly the same. The same long-haired thin waitresses all wearing the same black tshirt, black miniskirt, black tights and black shoes. The same beer list, the same black interior. The same white light-up neon sign.
Honestly, this makes me so sad. There is so much potential for interesting and vibrant nightlife in Vancouver, yet it feels like more and more of it is owned by the Donnelly Group, whose aim in life is to make Vancouver a homogenous sea of douchebaggery.
I had actually planned on going to Moxies for a glass of wine, but their West Broadway restaurant closed a week or two ago. I mean, I'm desperate enough when I'm going to friggin MOXIES, but then I had to settle for the Academic. As Gabrielle P. has said, they couldn't have chosen a less suitable name. There is nothing even remotely academic about this place - and I was hoping to read my schoolbooks while having a beverage. Couldn't do that, even, because about halfway through my visit, a person who I assumed was the manager TURNED THE LIGHTS DOWN while standing RIGHT in front of me while I made eye contact with him. Seriously. I was reading. It was 5pm. But no. Lights had to go down even further. Urgh.
One redeeming quality: my server was friendly, efficient, and sweet. -
Review from Shannon B.
Coquitlam, BC
4/24/2011
Oh look, another shitty douchebag bar!
Standard model thin waitresses, expensive drinks and slow service. And just like every other poster had mentioned, why is the music so loud here? At least it was good music, but our party literally had to yell at each other across the table. and my ears were ringing when we left. -
Review from Mark H.
4/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Drunken Ninjas deserve better.
Decked out with Sapporo swag and my handcrafted ninja headband, I stumbled over here for the after party.
Walking in, you get your standard cut-sheet Donnelly Group specs. Loud music, full with Yaletown yuppy gypsies and hot servers.
It was cheap draft beer night or something, so we ordered a round. It took eons to get our beer. Despite our server being quite sweet/hot, the bartender worked at a sleep-walking pace.
Had a few bites of their brownie (average).
Music kept getting louder as the night went on. Having to scream to keep a conversation going: not cool.
Non-ninja-certified. -
Review from Joshua N.
2/13/2011
WOO HOO!!! Saturday night at a Donnelly pub! YEAH!
Wait one hour in line in order to pay $10 cover! On West Broadway, the happeningest club venue on the whole lower mainland!!
Dance to super-loud 90s hip-hop and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" on infinite loop!!!! Fight your way through crowds of desperate and aggressive 40-year-old men and pathetically falling-over-drunk 30-something women!
Have to go to the bathroom? Too bad! There's only one urinal and one stall in the guys' bathroom! And the bar easily holds 250 people!
Despite the fact that the menu says "on tap", pay FIVE DOLLARS for a 350mL bottle of Kronenbourg -- which you've just been informed was that night's "special" (no seriously, how much does it cost during the week? $100?)!
Sit on the heated, quiet, comfortably enclosed patio -- only to get kicked out at 11pm because the patio closes earlier than the bar!!!
Man, I love partying! It's way better than sitting and talking to my friends! -
Review from courtney j.
Vancouver, BC
2/17/2011
Holy hanna - I'm not 60 years old, but we went to Academic for my birthday last weekend and the music was brutally loud. Their AV needs a serious re-model, quiet on the actual dancefloor and deafening by the bar. Better speakers would make a serious difference.
Not to mention the Donnelly group can't seem to get their poop in a group, they had promised us a round of drinks for my birthday (of course they make you ask repeatedly and chase them around and end up with a round of crap shooters) and then when we asked to hear some Madonna on the dance floor the DJ says "I don't play that kind of music" and instead played angry hip-hop. No thanks! -
Review from Betty L.
1/7/2011
Went there with a group of girls for dinner and drinks. It was quite quiet for a Thursday night. Since there were daily specials, so I decided to take advantage of it. I ordered the steak & fries along with a mojito. I was really shocked when I saw the portion for it. I wasn't expecting a huge big juicy steak like the ones you get at a steak house, but I sure wasn't expecting to get a tiny piece either. I guess I have a hearty appetite. Don't get me wrong, it was cooked to my specifications and was flavourful. I thought a "special" meant a promotion on one of their dishes on one of the evenings. I wasn't expecting them to also reduce to size to accomodate the price. The mojito wasn't mixed properly because I could really taste the alcohol and it wasn't cold enough. My girlfriend ordered the same thing and she had the same problem.
Since the other girls paid full price for their meal, they got full portions for it. Overall, everyone had a nice time. I won't be back for a while because there are similar pub/restaurants around town that I could try. -
Review from Stu C.
9/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
I saw this pub several times by my house and always thought to go in. I looked up the reviews on the Academic on Yelp and saw they were less than favorable. This made me hesitant, since usually with enough reviews, especially semi-lengthy ones, a rating is pretty spot on with Yelp. However, one day I got an Groupon deal for the Academic ($15 for $30), and had $10 credit on the account, so I figured for $5, I'd try the Academic.
I ended up going on a Tuesday night for my first time to the Academic. Their deal of the day was a beer, burger and fries or salad for $11. This is a pretty good deal as far as I'm concerned, Groupon or not. I was happy to find out that subsequent local beers (Granville Island and the Phoenix Gold Lager) were only $3 a sleeve. This made me very happy after a long day at work.
The patio was small and right in front of the establishment, but for some reason nobody was using it. It was a little small for a patio, but the sun was out (but there were umbrellas if you wished), it was 25C out with a light breeze, and it was after 6pm so only mild traffic passing by. I couldn't figure out why people decided to go inside instead of outside. I lived in Edmonton for 5 years where it's 10 months of winter and 2 months of poor sledding, so having a patio with sun, warmth and beer seems like the place to be.
The burger was nothing super fancy, but it had all the groceries on it (tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles, etc). I was happy with it and it came with a decent portion of fries that were nice and crisp, but not too greasy.
At the end of the meal for the two of us, the bill came to $34. The waitress went away and came back when I gave her the Groupon and she informed me that not to worry about it, the bill was considered paid. I was already getting a deal with the Groupon, and then I was told I didn't have to worry about the remaining $4.... I don't know about you, but I RARELY or never get that kind of service at pubs or restaurants unless A) They screwed up on something on the bill or B) messed up the order and gave me something to comp it. This is especially with me being a first time customer as well. I'm an average looking guy at best, so I'm really sure she wasn't giving me a break due to my looks. With the friendliness of the server and the quality of the food, I became a fan.
People seem to complain about the music being too loud at this place or the food being lousy. I've found just the opposite so far. Mind you, all the times I've gone now have been before 8pm for a brew and food, the music and people have never been a problem inside or out. I've always been able to have a conversation with the person I was with and have been greeted with the same good service. Maybe things have changed since people have gone last and written their reviews on Yelp. To see this "other side" maybe I will venture out on a weekend night and see the difference. However, from my experiences so far, if you invited me out before 8pm on a weekday, I wouldn't hesitate at all to tag along for a brew and food at the Academic. -
Review from Meaghan R.
Vancouver, BC
8/16/2011
This is a typical Donnelly pub, so nothing too special when it comes to the atmosphere. The patio is small and cramped, and inside can get ridiculously loud. The food is nothing to write home about, but they do have decent specials. The last time I went the servers were slow and inattentive, so all in all I wasn't too impressed. I've never been on a weekday though, so that should be taken into consideration!
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Review from Melissa F.
Toronto, ON
8/16/2010
So I've tried this place several times.
When it first opened it was slower and Ihoped it would pickup. It's been a long time since the Donnelly Group had something uptown and as a loyal tried and true fan of Biminis Tap House on 4th ave I wanted to give it a try.
But to no avail.
This place is possibly the worst of all the Donnelly pubs because they attempt the EXACT same menu, dancey/pub experience but it is a COMPLETE fail.
Well, almost a year later I come back to give it another try. Why not?
WRONG- I took a group of girls here for a bachelorette party. As you can CLEARLY see from the website they say that they "take care of you" if you decide to hold your bachalorette party here.
Umm, this is what "taking care of us" meant:
-Insisting there was no room at the time we requested, booking an earlier time, and then only to find out that the resto was COMPLETELY empty for the rest of the night.
-Asked for something outside for a late dinner when making the reso. The person gave us a "no problem". When we showed up there was no room on the patio and the woman insisted she had no reservation for us. when I explained what we were celebrating there was absolutely no congrats or not attempt to seat us where we had requested.
Now, this was no ordinary reservation. Not only did I talk to the resto/manager to get the reservation, but I talked to their events coordinator person who organizes ALL of the Donnelly Group pubs.
So I made this "special event reservation" via many levels and they STILL managed to fail.
boo.Listed in: Donnelly Group FAIL
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Review from Christian M.
Vancouver, BC
10/20/2010 3 Check-ins Here
While I try to steer clear of the Donnelly Group of pubs (mostly because of clientele) and support independent haunts around the city, The Academic is a reasonably decent version and has good deals on pints on Tuesday nights.
I was there recently to enjoy the deal on domestic sleeves ($2.90 Tuesdays) but was reminded of why I seldom visit the other Donnelly pubs. The television volume was really loud and during commercials they let the advertisements blast through the place and it was tough to carry on a conversation. When the sports finished, they replaced the loud television noise with even-louder music.
I realize that I was at a pub and should expect a fair amount of noise, but when I have a hard time hearing the person I'm sitting beside because of the ambient volume, I find myself craving a quiet spot instead.
Our bartender was attentive and kept an eye on the level of our drinks without being always intruding on the conversation, which is definitely a plus. Unfortunately, I can't cite his name because policy has replaced all of the server's nametags with numbers and you have to refer to the other employees by their two-digit moniker. Thanks for the pints, 21.
Enjoy the Academic when their nightly deal suits your needs, but I probably wouldn't make the place a regular haunt for my nights out at the pub. -
Review from lili d.
8/16/2011
ordered mushroom ravioli only to get about 7 on my plate. It was tasty but i was left hungry, scavenging off my husbands plate. If i would visit vancouver again i highly doubt i would hit this joint again.
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Review from Paul N.
Vancouver, BC
10/31/2010
Thanks goodness for TV screens lining the walls or we wouldn't have been able to read the menus it was so dark in the place...which may have been a hint that the food wasn't so good. The menu is uneventful so I ordered a Turkey Sandwich as it seemed to be the only really good looking, lighter food item on the hard to read menu. When it arrived an HOUR later, the bread was stale, there was very little dressing and the meat was just your average deli meat. My friends said their burgers were hard and had no flavour. The food was just bland, blah and badly cooked.
Our server was good but I absolutely would not go back. -
Review from Kris E.
Vancouver, BC
10/6/2010
I'm fairly new to Canada so I don't know if this is the norm but this was my experience.
- Waited outside for an hour without moving before finding out we needed to tip 20 dollars a person. Got inside and it wasn't packed at all.
- Bought 3 beers (2 Heinekens and a Corona) for 29 dollars and then came back for 2 more (1 Heineken and a Corona) and was charged 14 dollars. Both times I tipped 5 dollars.
- Great music and great crowd. Beautiful people for a beautiful city.
I'm usually a big spender but after being hustled I felt the need to go spend where they treat the customers a little better. -
Review from Patrick Q.
Vancouver, BC
8/24/2010
I like this place. It's comfortable and is not jammed with people all the time.
They actually have an above average brunch and I really enjoyed sitting outside for brunch. Earls, by comparison, was full and loud and is right next door.
I've done the late night thing here too and it's fine but nothing too crazy.
Nice staff and i like the vibe. Donnelly group aside, i think it's a nice lil' place for a beer and a burger or brunch. -
Review from Anne W.
Vancouver, BC
1/9/2010 2 photos
I dropped in to this new pub last night for a couple of glasses of Shiraz.
The place was rocking for a new establishment - full of people, loud talk and laughter. There seemed to be a good amount of seating with booths and tables for groups to mingle. The bartender fixed me up quickly and I settled in.
All in all, it seems like a pleasant enough place to hang out after work... except for the prices. This is the sole reason for my bestowal of a mere two stars for the pub.
Perhaps I don't get out enough (in fact, I know I don't! Anyone want to go for drinks?) but I'm not accustomed to paying nine dollars for a small glass of mediocre Shiraz. Am I too cheap? Please let me know. -
Review from Tim S.
1/18/2010
Sometimes I mistake a thing for something that it's not. I think that happened tonight.
I walked in, ordered a manhattan. Bartender fumbles around his glassware, looks confused. Minutes pass. He consults with another bartender. "... vermouth, bitters ...," I overhear. Uh oh.
Minutes pass again. I hand over my dosh and find a glass in front of me. I sip. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't a very good manhattan.
Moral of the story, I guess, is don't order an old man's drink in a young yuppie's bar. Music was dancey (nobody was dancing), golf (??) was on the TV (nobody was watching), hmm. Good, if bland, aesthetics, at least; lots of dark leather and reflective surfaces. It was pretty full but not packed on a Sunday night.
I guess I might head back with a collared shirt and nicer pants someday, if just because it's the only locally-operated joint in the neighborhood. I want to like this place but I'm not there yet. -
Review from Carolyn C.
Vancouver, BC
5/10/2011
Went for a hockey game not too long ago... Now I'm not a prude and enjoy the game loud, but this was overkill. Within 5 minutes I had a serious headache. Even with screaming into each other's ears we couldn't hear a word anyone said. The service was unbelievable slow (yes, they were busy, but as a server I can tell when someone is just being lazy). Not going back.
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Review from Martin T.
Québec, QC
1/12/2010
I think having a pub at this location is a great addition to the neighborhood. There are other restaurants around, but they are all part of chain and serve relatively the same thing.
The Academic tries to be an upscale pub. It is a large rooms with a pool table, fireplace and plenty of seating, booths and tables. I went twice with friends to catch up, have a Guinness and some happies.
The service is good, the food is okay, but it is on the pricey side. Being part of the Donnelly Pub Group (Library Square, Republic, Bar None) comes at a price, which I think doesn't have its place for a pub on Broadway and Granville. -
Review from Tae K.
Vancouver, BC
7/14/2010
I don't know why this place isn't more full on Tuesday nights. $2.80 domestic pints and $11 burger and beer deal? Where is everyone?
Oh right, it's a work night. -
Review from Emma L.
Updated - 6/23/2010
Just got back from a going away party here, and they've totally upped their game. Staff were more polite and less harassing, and managed to handle our large party playing musical chairs fairly well.
Between 4 and 6pm on weekends you get cheaper ($6) selected appies, which worked out well for us. Their spring rolls are yummy, if small, as were the wonton prawns, but I don't think I'd ever pay full price for them.
Bonus: If you're there right at 5pm you can get your second round of drinks for free!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/31/2010
I've been here a couple of times, as I was very excited to have a new bar in the neighbourhood. I… Read more »
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Review from Vincci L.
6/22/2010 1 photo
Came here for their Customer Appreciation Party and the NBA finals. It's very very loud in here. I understand it's a pub and it's supposed to loud, but it's extra loud in here. I had to yell really loud to talk to my friend.
Good atmosphere, with a small patio. Dark furnishings and dark wood accents.
Had a Cajun chicken cheddar cheese burger and it was surprisingly good. Chicken was juicy and fresh, and I love that it came with skinny fries!
Cocktails were on special for $6.30, so I got a pisco punch
pisco capel, lemon juice, pineapple juice, simple syrup, soda. This was a tad bitter, but it got better as the ice melted more.
Service was ok, at times slow.
An alternative to pubs in downtown, food was ok, and specials everyday. They even have Monday night pub trivia night! -
Review from Dani B.
1/11/2010
I didn't even notice this place because it used to be a steak house and as a veg. I'm usually not attracted to those types of places.
However, The Academic is a great lounge bar to catch up with friends. The atmosphere is dark and the music is really good, so good I danced from the bar back to my seat and didn't even notice.
There's a pool table and plenty of seating so if its raining outside and you want to go somewhere way better than Earl's (which is located right next store) then stop by for a drink, you won't be disappointed. -
Review from Sanaz J.
Vancouver, BC
3/3/2011
The only reason I went here was for a work function and haven't gone back ever since. The food portions are small, beer is overpriced and the loud music at night makes it impossible to hold a proper conversation!
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Review from Larry L.
4/2/2010
We came here for the The Show Off after party. Hungry thirsty and hungry.
My brother says the menu is exactly the same as another place near the Library Square downtown. He said their fish n chips was just like highliner microwave style fish and chips. Grossssssss!!!!
Well, of course, now I had to try this locations and see if it was really true.
To start, I have to say the service was pretty good and our server was very nice. :)
We got drinks on time and food came out pretty fast, but the Fish and Chips were true to what I was told. Our first attempt was a plate of chips with the machine battered and processed fish on top. The batter was baked or fried or nuked to a chocolatey brown CRUNCH. Inside was a thin tiny piece of dry cardboard dry fish. Oh so sad, but I had to laugh and my brother said that this was worse than his at the other place. We asked to return the rock "hard" cod (get it? ) for something that wasn't going to break my teeth.
Round 2. (Ding!!) Out comes the fish, this time it's not as dark, but still crispy. not concrete, a bit more edible, but it was sad that this wasn't typical pub fare for fish and chips. It was a really cheap way of saying we don't do fresh food here. We love our freezer frozen fish sticks and fries in a bag.
I did make sure that I ordered the alternate veggie burger and salad. That wasn't so bad and ate that up cause I was hungry.
Somehow the fish was consumed and that was that. The drinks helped to make up for the rest.
What else? Nacho's -- average
Wings - a bit dry, but again, frozen and then fried.
.....but the service was great and the staff all had smiles on their faces!
And of course, we did have some fun. Didn't we Joyce P? -
Review from Emily C.
8/31/2010
donnelly brothers? big fat fail.
i hate how they own [almost] everything in this town! why is vancouver big fat series of chain restaurant/bars?
but reasons as to why i will never ever go back here is the food/brunch.
we came here for brunch in the summer and while service was fine, the food was a negative infinity. i LOVE all foods, and the typical breakfast with sausage, eggs, toast was disgusting. dry, bland, i had to force myself from heaving. am i mean in saying this? maybe. am i honest in my food critiques? hell yeah.
NEVER AGAIN! -
Review from Kelli R.
Vancouver, BC
1/26/2011
The first time I went to Academic was for my friend's birthday last year. It was on a game night and I arrived a short while after the be there time so I ended up waiting outside in line for over an hour. Once I joined my group it was fun. The food is basically pub food and it's just average. I found it to be on the expensive side for what you get so if I were to never return, it would be all right with me. So when I received the invite for my same friend's birthday this year, I relinquished a huge sigh. She must really love this place! She even made it clear "get there early, 'cause it's game night and you don't want to be waiting in line". The drink special was a good deal, doubles for $7 but the food was the same, average. But this time our waitress was fabulous! The service we received was great! She accommodated 25 of us like we were a table of 4. When our drinks were low, boom! she'd be there with another. Fantastic! Super fun and she really did a great job! I can't say I won't be back because this friend just might want to go again. Thankfully birthday's only come once a year.
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Review from Southern C.
Richmond, BC
3/24/2010
Average beer and food, high prices. Terrible management, bad scene. I will never return. Stay away!
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Review from Luisa D.
1/19/2010
It was fine for what we wanted. A group of us after work looking for a pint and some snacks. The beer on special was Budweiser so we all passed on that. The food special was 2 for 1 appetizers until 7pm which we totally took advantage of! Seven of us had at least one drink each, some had two and we shared 8 appetizers and the bill came to $114 before tip. The nachos were nicely dressed. The wings were decent (all drumstick) - I preferred the hot over the peanut sauce. I passed on the mini burgers (3 to a plate) but my cohorts gobbled them up. The yam fries were very tasty with nice crispy bits and weren't greasy. The plate was huge for sharing! The spring rolls didn't do it for me. They weren't bad but not worth the calories. I tried the pork ones but didn't bother with the vegetarian as I doubted they'd be more flavourful. Our server Angela was friendly and efficient. The room is dark and the hockey game was on. I noticed on Sundays they have $4 Caesars - I'll likely be back to check that out.
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Review from J M.
Vancouver, BC
1/31/2010
Spent a Saturday night there with a group of friends. The food was good, the beer was fine, and the attitude of the staff sucked. The servers were rude, pushy, bossy and impatient. They also have a really annoying strategy to increase bar sales; everytime we put our drinks down on our table, they were trying to clear them away. I usually like DHM bars, but the servers here apparently dont like customers much. I won't be going back to The Academic.
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Review from John M.
1/4/2010
We stopped by for some drinks on our way to dinner .. great atmosphere and location ... the staff were pleasant and the food smells from the kitchen were great. The drinks list was extensive and there was an impressive list of beers on tap ... the big problem here was the noise level ... the place was not crowded but the volume level on the TV's made it virtually impossible to hold a conversation. There was a football game on which was bearable but when the commercials came on it was painful to the ears. Our server said she was not allowed to adjust the volume level ... too bad as this place has great potential but I don't see many people wanting to have there ears subjected to that much noise just to have a pint.
