Vancouver: The Indie Nightlife

The Alibi Room is a hipster’s dream. As much as I would like to think that I have outgrown that stage in my life, I found myself returning to The Alibi Room every other weekend. The beaten, hard wood floors are reminiscent of the old taverns found in England. The wood tables are long and often you end up sitting beside someone you don’t know. This, mixed with the light music and dim lights, makes it an ideal spot for meeting new people.

The food offering touches each corner of the world and is surprisingly unique for a pub. Guaranteed that the bison cheese steak or the lamb kifta will not disappoint an empty stomach. The same thing goes for the drinks. They’re pouring beer that has something special to offer the pallet. Some of their non-traditional beers include the pumpkin ale, peach cream ale and chocolate porter. Despite my desire to exude a cultured personality by drinking Heffeweizen Limited Release by Tree Brewing, I often resort to the more traditional drinks. Both the Naramata nut brown and Texan brown ale are my kinds of beer. At the end of the day, each person has their own taste in beer and nothing I say can sway your decision.

2. Hoko

Hoko Sushi Karaoke Bar is a venue you will not find in any other city. Anytime you mix live music, sushi, alcohol and a basement, you are guaranteed to have a good time. Their style is that they do not have one. They have televisions hanging from ceilings for karaoke purposes and use cable television as a hook to get people in. Christmas lights are hanging from the walls and their menu is written on a white board nailed to the wall. They don’t even have a website, just a MySpace page, but all this just adds to the mystery.

I can’t say that I tried their sushi but from what I hear from friends, it’s just as good as any other place you’ll find. My main reason for going to Hoko was to belt out some tunes and make a fool of myself. This is a perfect place for a Thursday night or easy-going Friday night with a large group of close friends. If you aren’t close before the night, you surely will be afterwards.

3. The Biltmore Cabaret

The Biltmore Cabaret is described perfectly in its name. The walls are covered in red padding and are nicely complimented by the wood floors. They have a fair sized dance floor for when they are hosting a live music night. This venue is great for catching up and coming bands that are on the cusp of making it big. However, I hear that The Ataris will be performing there this year, which is great news for both the Biltmore and Atari fans alike.

The last time I was there I had the opportunity to catch Shad. I knew little of him before his performance but once I did a little search afterwards, I found that he had a pretty large following. Shad performed at this year’s Montreal Jazz Festival and is slowly making a name for himself across Canada. Every Sunday night, to change the pace, The Biltmore hosts a New York style burlesque. These shows are a great to cap off a weekend and are sure to make you laugh. For those of you who do not know what a burlesque show is, it’s striptease that mixes comedy and glamour into one. The women wear outrageous costumes and show off their talents and style. Beware, a lot of taboos with be brought out into the open!

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on the nightlife scene in Vancouver. Let me know what you guys think.