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Ivanhoe Pub

3.8 (41 reviews)
InexpensivePubs
Closed 11:00 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)

Ivanhoe Pub Photos

Business Info

IVANHOE PUB ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Loud
Live music
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Ivanhoe Pub

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Ivanhoe Margarita. The way a good stiff Margarita should taste. #ivanhoepubvancouver  #margaritaontherocks #nastynathanial
Nathanial T.

Howdy folks. Well, there are certain types of reviews that I really enjoy writing and that is of classic American dive bars. Only this gem is not in the good ol' United States. It's north of the international border in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I'm talking about the Ivanhoe Pub. So without any further due let's get into this bad boy. Or bad girl. Whichever you prefer. Hole in the wall dive bars are a dying breed. At least down in the states they are. But I am glad to know they are alive and well in Vancouver. The Ivanhoe Pub in located very close to Pacific Central Station which was very convenient for me as I had a southbound bus to catch. So having a few hours to kill I needed to find me a place to grab me a drink. There is nothing like traveling when you're buzzed. That and Barbara Streisand's "Yentl." WTF! Ok never mind. Lets get back to the Ivanhoe Pub. So after watching a few Canadian Geese cross the street, I headed over to Ivanhoe Pub. As soon as I stepped inside I knew that I was going to dig this place. The decor had Dive Bar written all over it. It even had that classic Dive Bar smell. For those of you who know what I'm talking about, there's nothing quite as refreshing as walking into a bar and getting a refreshing whiff of stale cigarette smoke and booze. It's better than the smell of a new car. I bet ya all thought I was gonna say that it was better than s**. Gotcha! Before I go any further I want to point out how when I say "Dive Bar" I don't mean that in a derogatory fashion. It's actually a groovy thing as the Dive Bar is my bar of choice. But as I mentioned earlier, they are a dying breed. Anyways, I make my way over to the bar. It's not long before I am greeted by my bartender. I failed to get his name. So I'll just refer to him as "Canada Bob." He just looked like a Bob. Now I need to spend a whole paragraph devoted entirely to this guy. This guy had SCTV written all over him. I have a feeling that he was TV actor in a former life. That or a Mountie. He was tall with grey hair and a goatee. And when he spoke it was a pure Canadian accent that came out of that Elkon tunnel. I knew right away that I was gonna dig this guy. Well, not in the way that some of you who know me well might be thinking. I ended up going with my usual which is a margarita on the rocks. Now I had sampled a few Canadian margaritas at some other establishments I visited during my stay in Vancouver. But none of them would live up to the "Nasty" Standard of what a margarita should taste like. But the margarita that Canada Bob served me met the Nasty Standard to a tee. This was the kind of margarita I'd expect to be served at Louie B's in Santa Maria, California. Seriously this margarita set the standard for how a margarita should be served. It had the perfect mixture of ingredients. It was a stiff brew, but not to the point where I was breathing tequila fire. I must tip my hat to Canada Bob for this tasty beverage. In addition to the fine cocktail itself, one of the things that I really digged about Canada Bob was his attentiveness. When my glass was starting to get low he came over to ask me if I wanted another. That's a sign of a great bartender. He should never let your glass go empty before checking to see if you want another drink. So many bartenders leave you empty handed before they even bother asking you if you want another drink. That's something that has always irritated me. But that was not the case with Canada Bob here at the Ivanhoe Pub. All in all I'm going to say that my experience at the Ivanhoe Pub was absolutely fabulous. That means I'll give it a Ten Fingers review. Top notch, I would definitely go back to the Ivanhoe Pub for a good stiff margarita the next time I'm in Vancouver. Hopefully Canada Bob will be working the bar that day. So until next time, may the reviews be "Nasty" and the margaritas be stiff. Alrrrrrrrriiiiiiiight! Happy trails. NASTY NATHANIAL

Simon R.

The Ivanhoe definitely has some redeeming qualities, like comfortable seating and cheaper than cheap drink specials. It's just that it also has certain negative implications, like the filthiness of the floor (and customers), and the fact that there's a good chance that you'll get in a fight. Tough and lowbrow, it earns some of its reputation by being located in the death-metal district of Vancouver. People are usually happy though, and if you can swallow your pride you'll probably have a good time. It's always nice to drink somewhere where everybody else is already drunker than you. Think middle aged and tattooed, but the music is pretty dead-on. Like I said, as long as you don't hold eye contact with any of the regulars for too long you can enjoy yourself and get hammered for less than $15.

Matthew R.

A cheap bar that's open late and serves food early. The regulars are covered in tattoos and there's always motorcycles parked in the back. I've seen people pull out knives in the back corner of the bar before, so watch out who youre making fun of. Theyre not the only people here on any given night though, a lot of construction workers, old men, and pool sharks make up the roster of a typical night here. This bar used to be a lot more easy going when there was a smoking section. You'll still find yourself talking to strangers going out back to smoke, but people like to keep to themselves with their cheap beers. The beer tastes like water, but for $11 a pitcher, you cant expect much better. There's a jukebox with some OK music selection available, and a live blues cover band that can be a lot of fun to watch on the weekends. There's never any cover to the bar, and the security is of a take-no-shit variety that will have you leave the moment they sense trouble. I am probably more partial to this bar because I live up the street from it, and remember visiting it between bands at the cobalt for cheaper beer and a quieter atmosphere. Now that the cobalt's closed I am betting the clientele will be a bit less mixed, despite the hostel rooms upstairs.

Strong Bow is awesome all the way down to the lime...

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1 year ago

The Hoe! Epic place with a lot of old timers and stories to be told. Been here a couple times, would recommend.

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Ivanhoe Pub Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - Ivanhoe Pub

There's a jukebox with some OK music selection available, and a live blues cover band that can be a lot of fun to watch on the weekends.

Mentioned in 4 reviews

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I've been here a few times already and liked it every time. However, in my last experience (which…read morewas this last weekend), my friends and I didn't have the best experience. We were four friends that came for happy hour. Here are the details: Service: we were helped by three different servers but the main server helping us seemed to have screwed up our orders. We each ordered our own individual dishes but in addition to that, we ordered the crispy cauliflower (3 in total). When the food came out, everything came with one of the crispy cauliflowers and we reminded the server that there should've been two more. However, a few minutes later, a different server brought out one more and was surprised to learn we order three and we were waiting for the third one. So a bit of an off service day. Food: food seemed to be okay. It was much better the previous times I had been there so I'm not really sure if it was just an off day in the kitchen or not.

Had a good time here. We had made a reservation for the Seahawks game and they had a place at the…read morebar reserved for us. The Cobb salad, and especially the chicken, was surprisingly delicious! Service was friendly even though they were busy, although some people at the bar didn't seem to know how to pour beer (I watched one waitress pour out ~5 pitchers of pure foam over the time we were there). It was a great environment to watch a game.

The Ballyhoo Public House

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5 stars for Ballyhoo Bar! The bartender was super friendly, and you can tell the drinks are made…read morewith love. I had the Paloma, and it was perfectly crafted :) refreshing, balanced, and just what I needed. Definitely a spot I'll be coming back to!

Staying at The Sutton House, I had passed by The Ballyhoo a few times and I knew it was just a…read morematter of time before I decided to go check it out on a whim. This corner spot is neatly tucked away with a few outdoor seating spots, but the magic in itself is inside. The mix of vintage and old glam showcases the hybrid aesthetic. Perfectly described, The Ballyhoo definitely lives up to the over-the-top decor from their food offerings and styling. I managed to find myself arriving within happy hour and was super please I was able to bring my laptop out and get some work done without it causing anyone a fuss. The server I had was super friendly and she had all the tables she was handling in good spirit. After opting for a local draft beer and some bites, I kept over hearing how delicious the mozz sticks were. Now IDK how one levels up mozzarella sticks, but these truly were some of the best I've ever had. The dipping sauce was super spicy but bearable for anyone's heat preference and the breading and cheese inside had such a burst of flavor you wanted to simply inhale them. What had me in awe though was the cheese pull game. No need to fear about them being overdone not cooked enough, these babies were cooked to perfection with the cheese literally oozing out of each bite. I saw a few plates being served around and think this spot is definitely worth exploring.

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The Black Frog benefits from a fantastic location, just down a side street from the Gastown Steam…read moreClock, thus with each toot of its steamy, sweaty horn (i.e. every 15 minutes), you'll find yourself acutely aware of such temporal truths as: your wait time until being greeted and seated; the time it takes before someone comes to take your order, how long it takes to manifest tableside, the duration of your meal, and the interval until your check arrives. Great for customers; not so much for the servers! At times, I'm sure they feel the pressure as acutely as the water heating up in the pipes underground! Fortunately, the staff here at the Black Frog hop to it in an efficient, even if our particular server seemed a little green around the gills. A tadpole, if you will. Sadly, they were also out of some component required to make their signature cocktail, the Black Frog Raki, so I'm unable to croak about that specific beverage. They were similarly unable to concoct an Old Fashioned due to a shortage of another spirit, so I ended up with a Kentucky Mule, my wife with a Gin Martini, and an order of calamari split between us. Tragically, no frog's legs on the menu. Maybe that would have been a bit too on-the-nose (on-the-nares)? Alright, I'm sure you're all sick of the puns by now. Even though it's been a ribbeting review....dammit, I did it again. I'm sorry, I keep frogetting to be serious when writing these things. I'm no lily-pad-livered liar; you can de-pond on me! I promise, I'm kermitted to telling the truth, so no matter wart-ever else you take away from this review, remember this: the Black Frog serves nice croak-tails at reasonable prices...as long as all of their lick-er is in stock!

While our server was polite, Coke and Pepsi are not the same thing…read more Also, asked for buffalo on side of my wrap - it's on it. And it had tomatoes - not listed on the menu and I asked to add cheese - found one sliver. Mom got the Yorkies and was not impressed. The horseradish sauce covered the whole thing and didn't have much flavor. Fries were over done. Not even ketchup could help them! Cute place, water view. Server was very nice. And you can see and hear the gas clock.

Ivanhoe Pub - pubs - Updated May 2026

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