The Ultimate Vancouver Happy Hour Guide

Need to wind down? Grab some friends and head over to these top restaurants for the best happy hour specials

Vancouver, now that our initial giddiness is over, it’s time to get serious about happy hour and ask the hard questions: Where? When?

Happy hour is still a relatively new concept for us, so let us guide you through 22 of Vancouver’s best offerings*, including one for brunch, one that actually happens twice in the same day, and the ones that start the earliest/end the latest/last the longest.

It’s all here. Click through and let the happiness begin…

*Please note that happy hour deals can change. Check current menus on each restaurant’s website for the most updated information.

Ancora – 1600 Howe Street, Unit #2

One of Canada’s best new restaurants is in our own backyard and it has a breathtaking patio view to boot. Ancora is definitely best enjoyed al fresco, so coming early to catch happy hour and getting ahead of the dinner crowd is definitely a strategic move.

Highlights: $2 buck-a-shuck oysters, $6 glasses of wine and specially priced cocktails including the Japanese Tourist (sake, dubbonet, chartreuse, cynar) and the Latin Sling (rum, orange curacao, grapefruit & citrus juices, soda)

Happy hours: Daily, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Beach Bay Cafe and Patio – 1193 Denman Street

This West End gem has freshened up its look and is serving up a happy hour menu full of the same fresh, local West Coast ingredients that grace its full-service menus. With a killer view overlooking English Bay, you’ll be tempted to turn one or two cocktails into dinner into a sunset toast at Beach Bay Cafe.

Highlights: $5 beer, wine and select highballs. Light bites including $2 buck-a-shuck oysters, hamachi crudo ($10) and updated classics such as the chicken burger with marinated chicken, onion jam and fries ($15)

Happy hours: Daily, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Belgard Kitchen – The Settlement Building, 55 Dunlevy Avenue

If ever there was a temptation to head into the Downtown Eastside, it’s happy hour at the Belgard Kitchen. This airy industrial space is warmed by reclaimed lumber—perfect for hanging out mid-afternoon snacking on the ruby red beet dip and avocado hummus.

Highlights: $5 daily feature wines and pints

Happy hours: Monday to Thursday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar – 845 Burrard Street

This beautifully renovated space is your go-to for oysters, especially during happy hour when they’re a buck a shuck. Go back to Boulevard often as varieties on offer are seasonal; but really, their main role is as a carrier for that amazing, fresh horseradish.

Highlights: $6 Arrowleaf wine, $5 Stanley Park beer, and $5 Moscow Mules and Negronis. $5-10 small plates including their octopus ceviche, crispy chicken wings and house-smoked salmon pâté

Happy hours: Daily, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Cafe Medina – 780 Richards Street

Sometimes, 5 o’clock feels too far away. That’s when Medina‘s mid-afternoon “golden hour” comes to the rescue. Their “enlightened” libations feature ingredients like juniper and black tea syrup, yuzu citrus juice and fresh strawberries. They’re practically health tonics.

Highlights: $7 cocktails including the Samanyolu (gin, Fernet Branca, strawberries, juniper + black tea syrup, lime juice, egg white, preserved olive dust), and Agadir Sour (triple-aged bourbon, candied ginger, lemon juice, spiced Moondog bitters, red wine float). $5 local draught beer

Happy hours: Monday to Friday, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Forage – 1300 Robson Street

We all know and love this place for brunch, so it’s only fitting that Forage‘s happy hour is for brunchers. Their “Hair of the Dog” program is the perfect transition to ease into a new day after a fabulous night. Eat, drink and be hairy.

Highlights: $12 for a classic benny and a Caesar, mimosa or draught of craft

Happy hour: Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Homer St. Cafe and Bar – 898 Homer Street

With an established strong brunch following already, the Homer St Cafe now tempts patrons to come in past midday. Sure, their maple chicken and bacon cobbler is a fan favourite, but try an afternoon treat like their chewy peanut butter cookie with nutella cream (gluten-free) for $5 or their limited time summer combo of burger and a Budweiser for $12.

Highlights: $5 snacks and desserts, house wine, wishbone lager and highballs

Happy hour: Monday to Friday, 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Joe Fortes – 777 Thurlow Street

Happy hour in Vancouver wouldn’t be complete without the iconic Joe Fortes. Come early to snag a table on their beautiful garden patio during summer months, while you nibble and sip your way through their extensive happy hour menu.

Highlights: $5 glass of wine, highballs and Canadian Molson beer as well as over a dozen small plates including (of course) buck-a-shuck fresh, local oysters

Happy hours: Daily, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Juniper – 185 Keefer Street

Juniper definitely ups the cool factor to this corner of Chinatown. They feature rotating cocktails on tap (their Negroni—so good) and offer a selection of wood boards that include an all-seafood charcuterie and a B.C. cheese sampler.

Highlights: $5 beer and cider on tap, $7 wine and cocktails on tap.

Happy Hour: Daily, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

L’Abattoir – 217 Carrall Street

Already a beloved fixture on Vancouver’s restaurant scene, L’Abattoir’s happy hour program, not surprisingly, has resulted in daily lineups outside its doors. Located on the site of Vancouver’s first jailhouse, the restaurant retains many historical architectural elements (including the original brick wall), complemented by a contemporary aesthetic. The French-inspired West Coast cuisine and craft cocktails are perfectly at home in this refined yet unpretentious space.

Highlights: $5 beer, $6 glasses of wines, $7 cocktails and 50% off appetizers and sharing plates

Happy hours: Daily, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (bar dining only)

La Pentola – 350 Davie Street

For those nights when you’re not quite ready to go home just yet, pop into La Pentola and join a few regulars at the bar for a nightcap and a good story or two.

Highlights: “Staff-priced” drinks: $6 negronis, $5 wine and $4 local Red Truck Lager and IPA

Happy hours: Daily, 9 p.m. until late

The Keg – Yaletown, 1011 Mainland Street; Granville Island, 1499 Anderson Street; and Downtown, 1121 Alberni Street

This is the kind of place everyone has a story about; we grew up with The Keg, and The Keg is all grown up now too with happy hour menus that mix classic favourites with new standards. While the menus and hours differ at each location, you’ll always find complimentary fresh house-made sea salt chips in the lounge.

Highlights: Menus will vary by location, though a few Keg standards are available at all three, including their classic Caesar salad, mushrooms Neptune and tuna tacos

Happy hours: Granville Island: Monday to Friday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Yaletown: Monday to Friday, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Downtown: Monday to Friday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Market by Jean Georges – 1115 Alberni Street, 3rd floor, Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver

Always the consummate host, Market by Jean-Georges isn’t satisfied with just one happy hour. Oh no, that won’t do.

Come by mid-afternoon for the Early Birds program to enjoy some beautifully crafted cocktails and small bites for an early start to your socialising. But if you blossom after dark, their Night Owls program will take care of you with the same great offers aimed for a later crowd.