This place is a gem. Solid drinks, music, and service. My favorite part is the dark/moody vibes and vending machine full of goodies. Made for a fun night out! read more

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Wonderful retro lounge. Last time I went happy hour was packed and loud. The dining room Was open and very quiet. The service there is always helpful and personable Check Specials Board for weekly veggie burger! read more

Elbow Room - Salad veggie patty & biscuits & gravy - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Vancouver, Washington

Came in on a Saturday afternoon. The bar was definitely giving noir bar vibes, dimly lit, and cozy. I loved the seating and different colored lights. We went up to order and asked for a menu. Bartender said they only had menus on the walls. They were pretty hard to read standing at the bar top and the descriptions weren't much help. The male bartender didn't really seem like he wanted to be there and wasn't very nice. Luckily a female bartender came up and took our order shortly after. The drinks she made were delicious. My friend also ordered the Mac patty melt which was very tasty. We got some really nice selfies in there. Glad I got to check this place out but not sure that I would go back. read more

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We really like the decor, very retro! The service was great & attentive. The servers checked on us, just at right times. We had sandwiches, cheese toasted & Mac cheese Patty both were delicious! We will definitely be back!! read more

After seeing that the elbow room was recently renovated I had to pop in - and what a treat! You walk in and the vibe is already selling you - mood lighting, vinyl playing, leather chairs - all the vibes. The menu is simple and straight forward - I opted for a Paloma with mezcal and my fiend the regular Paloma - both of which were great. Love having more options in Vancouver and this going to be a great go to spot. read more

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First time here. Super cool dive in Vancouver. Great ambiance. Good food, drinks and service.,

Very impressed by what the elbow room has pulled off. I was very shocked to find out they've only been open 6 months or so. Mike and Darby are rockstar bartenders. Keep it up Elbow Room! Can't wait to try Paul's for breakfast soon. read more

Popped into the Elbow Room on a whim and it is everything I wanted and more. Fun drinks, good beer, food options and the service was amazing. It's got all of the nostalgia of my 20s without any of the gross cigarette smell. Highly recommend. read more

Elbow Room - Beer, ambience, sliding booths - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Vancouver, Washington

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Friendly, straightforward, warm, and unpretentious. A winner all around. Bartenders were knowledgeable and curious.

Just went to the newly re-opened Paul's Elbow Room bar...or whatever the name is. It's a great reimagine of a 60's old school bar. It's dark and very retro. Booths and leather. I think the characters from Mad Men would fit in well here. Drinks were good and reasonable. Somehow they got all the cigarette smell out...yay! Can't wait to go back. read more

Dark and ominous. Don't know how to make a Cesar. No energy drinks for mixing... owner thinks they are bad for your health, yet serves alcohol. Bartender was friendly. Patrons dark and ominous read more

Went in after a rough morning shift the other afternoon. Eli was great to talk to and made me forget about the awful morning I had. Great drinks and good service. Elbow Room remains the go-to dive for a reason. I only wish they'd extend their hours. Shelly who came in after shift change was also awesome! read more

Nice little place to relax and strike up a conversation but do be warned that there is no cocktail menu so make sure you order something simple. Bartender made me a nice drink but it had too much vodka in it and I ended up a bit more buzzed than I wanted to be. Great chill place but below par drinks. read more

As I'm taking a walk around downtown Vancouver waiting for a friend to get off work, I am realizing that downtown Vancouver resembles the east side of Portland, 25 years ago. In particular, this current bar I am in, Elbow Room, is the most awesome old-school vintage bar with attached diner. I am loving the booths, they jukebox, the old fogeys at the bar... Love the old style menu and it's something I would've found on Belmont or Hawthorne back in the day. Bourbon and Coke with two chicken strips and BBQ sauce for $7.00. And I mean Coke for color! I'll be back... read more

While with a group of five people, we had a rather disturbing and bad experience here. I don't usually write to shame a business, but in this case, they earned it. We had arrived and ordered a drink for each person and everything was going fine, until we tried to order food, which we where told they didn't serve any. We then pointed out the mildly amusing fact that they have little menus on the tables, and we where told if we order food she would have to go back and make it. Then she laid this nice little line on us: 'if I have to do that, I'll make sure you'll regret it'. Of course after that line, we where cool with no food. As the night wore on we noticed that many, many, many of the patrons where getting massively drunk, and just simply being over served. We then decided to leave at this point. So if you want really drunk people screaming and yelling at you and the jukebox, and some really bad service, here's your place! Overall, stay away! read more

5 stars, hands down. And that isn't JUST because my dad is the bartender. Tommy is an educated, professional mixologist when it comes to the beverages. Whether you're feeling a lemon drop, or a white russian, this guy knows it all. He's a friend to the regulars, locals, and first-timers alike. He has completely changed my idea of a quality dive bar. Come down and have a drink. read more

Elbow Room - Tommy at the Elbow Room serving it up! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Vancouver, Washington

I've been coming to Paul's Elbow Room for years. It was one of the first places I was introduced to when I turned 21, and I would to this day consider myself a regular. I love Jen, who is my normal bartender. Strong drinks, great price, and fabulous personalized service. I work in the service industry, and weekdays are usually the only nights that I can come in, so I don't often get the opportunity to come on weekends. However, my schedule will be changing soon to having sun-mon off, so I decided to stop by on a Sunday recently on a random night off, and BOY was that a mistake! I have literally never had worse service IN MY LIFE. I had to wait 15 minutes to be asked if I'd like a drink, on account of the bartender being out "on a break". This was a running theme throughout the night, as she is apparently a smoker and requires frequent breaks. When I finally got served, my drink tasted like garbage, and I only held her attention long enough to be asked rudely for my card to start a tab. She spent much of the rest of the night gossiping with other customers about fellow employees, and even customers! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I have had the displeasure of running into this bartender on another occasion, when I had brought friends from work with me who were unfamiliar with Elbow Room. Two of them were hoping to be able to order something in the way of food, even if that was just greasy finger food like fries or tots, or the awesome soup that is usually on hand that I am fond of raving about. They were informed that it would be a major annoyance - in words that we ourselves would never dream of using with customers - to make anything, so we decided to grab food at shanahans instead. Unfortunately, after multiple run ins with such a horrible woman, I will be taking my business elsewhere. Not a single dollar of my hard earned income will line the pockets of such a rancid human being. I believe her name is Nicole(blonde haired), in case the owners care to look into this. She is a huge disservice to one of my favorite establishments, and it is with great regret that I will not be returning unless I am sure that Jen is working, or you get a new employee to fill these shifts. read more

Best place to be on a saturday night. The Elbow Room, is never packed, it is easy to find a table. The decor is bad art deco, with wood paneling, and stained glass. The drinks are strong, and cheap. On weekday mornings from 10-12 they offer 3.95 breakfast consisting of 2 eggs, bacon, sausage, or ham, and hashbrowns. read more

Never had the food and never intend to. Even the bartender joked and said "Yeaaaaah, you don't want that". I saw the bartender later warming up a bowl of mystery something in the microwave within the ambiance of the muted TV playing some old procedural crime drama. There's always a mix of a crowd here. Punk rockers, old "regulars", and others both old and young. But when I say "mix", take that lightly...the place has never been busy in the 3 or 4 times I've been there. Even on New Year's Eve, there was ample seating when other bars in the area were packed. The place isn't very clean. It's not abysmal, but it's not warming, either. There's nothing particularly interesting about the decor. One of the booths my girlfriend sat in rocked like it was going to tip over. Realistically, the only reason to go here is to get hammed smashed faced. A well drink easily has 2+ shots in it, for like $3 or whatever. The pours are so heavy I'm surprised that this place hasn't gotten into trouble. Really though, sometimes you just want a few really strong well whiskey/Cokes for $3 a pop. And for that reason, I'll be back very soon. read more

I usually LOVE dive bars. But there's something off about Paul's Elbow Room. Partly is that it is too-well lit. A dive bar should be dim, to obscure the grime and create an intimate atmosphere. This place has the lights so bright as to wonder if they've issued last call for alcohol. Also, the crowd is somewhat sullen - unusual for Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest, where friendliness and cheer are the norm, not the exception. My service was quick and friendly, but I paid and left after consuming my drink -- I just got a bad feeling about this place. read more

Stopped in for drinks. Drinks were fine. Bartender was nice as were the other patrons. It's an old fashioned dive bar. A lot of these are going upscale. Glad to find this spot in a town I associate with strip malls and suburban sprawl. read more

Great bar if your looking for a place to go and visit with friends. Not to much noise. Small town old bar feel. Great bartender. Tommy is on point and personality to match. Fast and efficient. read more

Paul's Elbow Room is a great place to meet with friends. there is no one single vibe or theme that some may look for in a drinking establishment. if you're 21 and new to bars, this may not be the place you have imagined when thinking about legal public drinking. but if you're easy going, want a place where the staff are friendly/funny as could be, and a place to sit calmly and watch a game or visit with friends; you've found it! the prices are EXTREMELY fair, certainly the most fair in downtown Vancouver. there are 2 minor complaints i have however; their beer selection is close to nonexistent, and they could benefit GIGANTICALLY from having a menu after 6 pm. however, should you find yourself here before 6pm, they have very good food, i personally have never been disappointed with the food or otherwise. final thoughts: if you're coming to Vancouver from Portland, you might be disappointed by the lack of headache inducing, flashing lights. furthermore, you may be disappointed in the lack of scantly-clad women or hormone injected meat-heads and the annoyance they usually bring. but if you and a few friends want to do something that MOST people go to a bar for, drinking, then you've hit pay dirt! also a great place for that one final drink you may want while winding down your evening. read more