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1619 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6J 1W9
Neighbourhood: Fairview Slopes
(604) 733-4141
Vancouver, BC V6J 1W9
Neighbourhood: Fairview Slopes
(604) 733-4141
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- DJ
- Best Nights:
- Tue, Thu, Fri
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
17 reviews for The Academic Public House
All Reviews
The Academic Public House
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.
The Academic Public House
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!
The Academic Public House
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
The Academic Public House
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.
The Academic Public House
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 »
The Academic Public House
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!
The Academic Public House
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?
The Academic Public House
3/13/2010
Came here to meet some friends ~8. There are lots of seating for groups, but it didn't matter cause I could not hear the person next to me. So now my voice is hoarse from yelling at everyone and I am deaf from club loud music, even though I liked the rock/dance playlist..
It was nice they started playing sports on their many nice big LCDs everywhere, but around 9 they started to play a movie "stand by me".. Excellent movie but wtf? Put sports back on or something we don't need to hear..
Also, they started a $8 cover charge after like 9:30... Maybe only Friday nights? That's kinda lame for a pub/ loud bar.. They do have a dance floor in the back and a pool table that was covered so you could not use it.
Food we got were some appetizers like nachos, fries, spring rolls which were not bad. Pitchers of beer were almost 20 and if you order a double scotch, they only give a single..
If you want loud music, pay a cover, with nice decor, lots of seating, and a dance floor this is for you..
The Academic Public House
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.
The Academic Public House
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.
The Academic Public House
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.
The Academic Public House
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.
The Academic Public House
3/6/2010
I hate it when I think I'm going to a pub but it's actually an obnoxious bar. The horrible blasting music completely nullifies the otherwise pleasant experience sitting in the nice booths talking with friends. After screamng over the music trying to catch up, I eventually just let myself slip into a depressed comatose state staring at the Canucks loss highlights repeat over and over on the pointless screens. When I slipped outside to make a quick phone call (it would have been impossible inside), I was told by one of three bouncers that I couldn't make the call just outside the door, and had to go out on the sidewalk. Huh? It's not like there was a line, people on the patio or anything. The excessive security staff were incredibly rude, and I felt for our nice-enough server having to scream at all her tables in order to be heard. The best part about the night was that Granville Winter ale was on special, but I definitely regretted ordering the edamame: yet another Vancouver business making loads of cash off throwing frozen edamame in a bowl with salt and pricing it excessively. There was obviously some sort of VIP in the place, or perhaps the bouncers just circle the bar constantly like sharks in order to make it look like there is.
I was happy to see a pool table, a recent anomaly in newer Vancouver bars, so perhaps that can be construed as a positive, but really, it's best to play pool in dive bars where the drinks are cheap and the place doesn't reek of hip pretension. Don't get me wrong, I'm a non-crotchety twentysomething who likes going out, but I just don't see what this bar has to offer anyone.
To be fair, this review is all based on the fact that this place was just not my scene. If you like really loud bars that try to appear very happening when it's only really a shell of a building and forced early hearing loss, then by all means, The Academic (they couldn't have thought up a less appropriate name) is your place. Honestly, I would have rather been at Earl's, and that is kind of saying a lot.
The Academic Public House
3/24/2010
Average beer and food, high prices. Terrible management, bad scene. I will never return. Stay away!
The Academic Public House
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.
Listed in: The Chain Gang
The Academic Public House
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.
The Academic Public House
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.
