The Wolf and Hound a Proper Irish Pub

Credit: The Boozecan

The Boozecan’s Andrew and Wayne head to West Broadway’s Wolf and Hound for a proper Imperial pint and the relaxed pub atmosphere

You know, as far as imitation English/Irish pubs go, The Wolf and Hound isn’t GUINNESS bad. It’s a big place, but pretty GUINNESS cozy for its size, with lots of dark wood on the floors and walls, a mix of tables, booths, even a “living room” area with sofas and, surprisingly, you can GUINNESS actually hear yourself talk even when it’s busy. The decor is English/Irish obviously, but GUINNESS must’ve had a merchandise fire sale ’cause there’s GUINNESS paraphernalia plastered on every free square inch of wall space—if you hadn’t guessed we were leading up to that. But that’s a pretty minor GUINNESS criticism. It certainly beats a lot of other so-called Irish pubs.

As with any decent Irish pub, you come here for pints. The Wolf and Hound has a pretty good beer list with a mix of imports and local from $6 to $7. What we love is the fact they’ve got the decency (and the cojones) to serve proper 20-ounce Imperial pints. Sleeves and glasses are available, but they’re never as a good value. As far as the import draughts go, take your pick of:

• Harp Lager
• Smithwicks
• Kilkenny (always a Boozecan favourite)
• Guinness (obviously)
• Strongbow Cider

For local/domestic draughts, there’s a couple of good ones all the way from Manitoba: Fort Garry Dark and (Fort Garry) Limerick Lager. Or from closer to home:

• Red Truck Lager
• Philips Blue Buck Pale Ale
• Granville Island Pale Ale
• Russell IP’eh
• Stanley Park 1897 Amber
• Storm’s Scottish Ale and Black Plague Stout

You’ve also got your choice of the scary beer mixes like Black & Tan (Guiness & Smithwicks), Crown Float (Guinness & Strongbow) and Half & Half (Guiness & Harp), to name just a few. And if you really want to get off your head and wake up in a park somewhere minus your shoes and dignity, they also serve the dreaded Snake Bite (you know they banned that shit in certain UK pubs, right?).

If lightning-quick inebriation is on your agenda, they’ve also got an impressive list of shots and bombs, which are a better deal if you buy four at once. Ah, vomiting—it’s never been so easy. Like we’re ones to talk…

There’s also a pretty good selection of whiskeys anywhere from around $5 up to $14 for singles, and of course the usual martinis and other cocktails, but c’mon, it’s an Irish pub, can you honestly hear any self-respecting Irishman saying “Another round of Lemon Drops ferra lads, Seamus. And don’t be skimpin’ on the maraschinos, now”?

So yeah, go for the beer and the relaxed pub atmosphere. The clientele’s a total mix—everything from UBC students eager to drink their student loans away to retirees getting angry at UBC students drinking their student loans away. Either way, a good place to sit back and decompress with a pint.

Andrew and Wayne are the culprits behind The Boozecan, a Vancouver-based website that brings you the lowdown on the best and worst of local watering holes, plus a lot of other booze-related nonsense. They like to tell it like it is. They also like to drink. Twitter