Oliver EvansBesides getting off work, there’s nothing more exciting than heading to a restaurant for happy hour. Delicious food and the most incredible cocktails at cheaper prices? Take that, inflation!
There’s just something special about an afternoon with friends while sipping a pint that takes all the worries away. And in today’s economy, who can say no to happy hour? Definitely not me and you shouldn’t either!
If you’re all about good vibes and fun times that won’t break the bank, here’s our list of the must-visit happy hour spots in Vancouver! Time for regular prices to take a step back for a couple of hours!
How We Chose
1. Hook Restaurant
Menu: Fresh shucked oysters, fries, prawn cocktail, seafood bucket, beer, wine, soda, etc.
Location: 1210 Denman St
Contact: (604) 620-4668, [email protected]
Happy Hour:
- Monday – Friday: 2 pm – 5 pm
- Friday – Sunday: 10 pm – closing
Consumer Rating: B
| Google reviews score | 4.2/5 |
| Open Table reviews score | 4.4/5 |
| Total reviews | 4/5 |
| Score consistency | 4/5 |
Our Rating: B+
| Service | 5/5 |
| Menu | 4.5/5 |
| Drinks | 5/5 |
| Food | 4/5 |
| Location | 5/5 |
| Availability | 5/5 |
| Prices(A higher score means better value) | 5/5 |
If you’re into feasting on seafood during happy hour, you’ll love Hook Restaurant. This Vancouver hotspot has become a favourite of ours because of their seafood variety!
Basically, you can get pretty much any kind of seafood that goes well with beer, including oysters, prawns, and fried squid (calamari). You get fresh oysters here, as well as a seafood bucket that’s ideal for groups.
On top of that, we love the nice selection of alcoholic beer. There’s something to choose from for lightweights and hard drinkers, from pale ales to unique cocktails.
They’re also a solid choice, budget-wise. Fresh-shucked oysters are priced at $2.50 to $3.50.
As for the ambience, it’s lively and fun without being too noisy. The views of the ocean are a bonus because it makes happy hour in Vancouver relaxing.
The downside is that their oysters are only available on weekday happy hour. On a good note, they have late-night happy hour on weekends for night owls.
Top-notch seafood quality
“This place I stumbled across accidentally during happy hour and it was the best experience I’ve had. I don’t usually review places but this was outstanding. As an Australian, seafood is quality and this restaurant was absolutely top notch if not even a little better. The oysters and mussels I could have sat and eaten for days. And do yourself a favour and try the focaccia, because this mouthwatering bread was the best I’ve tasted. Everything was so fresh and I highly recommend dropping in here to try it for yourself. Thanks for making my last lunch in Vancouver so great, I will be telling everyone who’ll listen”
-Gemma Rice, Google Review
Consistently delicious
“We continue to come here each time we are in town. It’s consistently delicious and reasonably priced. The seafood is always to perfection.”
— Sherry Liley
2. Riley’s Fish & Steak
Menu: Raw bar, steamers, appetizers, cocktails, etc.
Location: 200 Burrard St
Contact: (604) 629-8800
Happy Hour: Monday – Sunday: 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Consumer Rating: B+
| Google reviews score | 4.5/5 |
| Trip Advisor reviews score | 4.5/5 |
| Total reviews | 4/5 |
| Score consistency | 4/5 |
Our Rating: B+
| Service | 4/5 |
| Menu | 5/5 |
| Drinks | 5/5 |
| Food | 5/5 |
| Location | 5/5 |
| Availability | 5/5 |
| Prices(A higher score means better value) | 5/5 |
For people who want to enjoy high-quality food in Vancouver, we think you’ll love Riley’s Fish & Steak. It’s a Michelin Guide Recommended Restaurant in 2024 that offers daily happy hour!
We were impressed by their happy hour menu, which includes fresh oysters and tiger prawn cocktails at the raw bar. We also found their cocktails delightful because they’re fun and carefully crafted, like the refreshing elderflower citrus spritzer.
To top it off, we were pleasantly surprised by their oyster prices, especially for a Michelin Recommended spot. A fresh one is only $1.75!
Another reason? The vibe! This restaurant is the perfect and slightly bougie for happy hour because the place is trendy and luxurious, with an added touch of live music!
Unfortunately, we received a few complaints regarding slow customer service. But it was incredible to hear that they responded to their customers to rectify these situations, which says a lot about their accountability.
Delicious food
“Excellent food during their dine out for two promo. Service was good. We enjoyed the appetizers and all the flavors of each dish. Every dish tasted great especially the lobster and steak. Loved the salmon spread on sourdough! Highly recommend and would return. Come try them during happy hour!”
-Mr Brandon Ho, Google Review
Unbeatable oyster price and quality
“The food here was incredible! I love every single dish and happy hour oyster price and quality are unbeatable. We really had excellent time and would highly highly recommend this place.”
-Mink T., Google Review
3. Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House
Menu: Seafood, short ribs, wine, cocktails, etc.
Location: 777 Thurlow St
Contact: (604) 669-1940, [email protected]
Business Hours: Monday – Sunday: 3 pm – 5 pm
Consumer Rating: B+
| Google reviews score | 4.5/5 |
| Trip Advisor reviews score | 4.5/5 |
| Total reviews | 5/5 |
| Score consistency | 4/5 |
Our Rating: B+
| Service | 5/5 |
| Menu | 5/5 |
| Drinks | 5/5 |
| Food | 5/5 |
| Location | 5/5 |
| Availability | 3/5 |
| Prices(A higher score means better value) | 5/5 |
One of the reasons we like the iconic Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House is the powerful vibe of the place. The stylish design, mahogany walls, and live music made our overall experience a positive one!
This has become a staple for Vancouver happy hour because it was established 35 years ago. During our surveys, we learned that they’ve managed to provide a consistently excellent service—no wonder they’re reputable!
Every day is happy hour day for this restaurant, which we love! For two hours, you can dine on the famous Joe’s Chilled Seafood Platter, which consists of oysters, mussels and clams, prawns, and scallop ceviche.
Unfortunately, this Vancouver spot gets really busy. It’s highly recommended that you book a reservation for happy hour and it’s only for indoor dining, which is a bummer if you want to enjoy the roof garden.
Still, our experience dining here has been positive because of the attentive servers and yummy food and drinks!
Great vibe and delicious food
“Superb Happy Hour. This place is such a vibe, reminiscent of tapas restaurants in Spain. It’s the best crispy calamari and chutney combo I’ve ever had. The crab & corn fritters, mini lobster & shrimp rolls, and crème brûlée were also delicious. It was so good that we ordered another round. Brett, our server, was excellent. He was friendly, attentive, welcoming, and fun. He gets a 11/10. He’s definitely going places. All staff we encountered were all so friendly and seemed genuinely happy to be there.”
-Fancy Travel, Google Review
Great happy hour choice downtown
“By far the best Happy Hour Menu in Downtown! I would recommend going here if you are in the area. The seafood tower for the price is enough for 2 people. The beef carpaccio was so good! Service was quick, and our server was nice. I highly suggest you book ahead if you want to try their Happy Hour without waiting in line.”
-Kath Lee, Google Review
4. Score on Davie
Menu: Cauliflower wings, mini chicken sandwich, poutine, satay, truffle fries, beer, shots etc.
Location: 1262 Davie St
Contact: (604) 632-1646, [email protected]
Happy Hour:
- Monday – Friday: 2 pm – 6 pm
- $3 Happy Hour, Monday – Friday: 5 pm – 6 pm & 9 pm – 10 pm
Consumer Rating: C+
| Google reviews score | 4.6/5 |
| Yelp reviews score | 4.1/5 |
| Total reviews | 2/5 |
| Score consistency | 4/5 |
Our Rating: B+
| Service | 5/5 |
| Menu | 5/5 |
| Drinks | 5/5 |
| Food | 5/5 |
| Location | 5/5 |
| Availability | 4/5 |
| Prices(A higher score means better value) | 5/5 |
Score On Davie is a sports bar on the west end, which makes it a perfect spot for happy hour in Vancouver! It’s all about good food, great beer, and fun times, which is the perfect formula for good vibes!
What we love the most is the variety of their happy hour food that goes well with beer. The menu is simple and unpretentious, which has mini sandwiches, chicken bites, cauliflower wings, poutine, and crispy fries!
And the happy hour drinks are super affordable. Would you believe you only have to pay $3 for drinks? Because it’s true!
Since this is a sports bar, the vibe is very casual. You can come here on a weekday with your friends and enjoy happy hour while watching sports—it’s like the perfect afternoon, no?
Our only gripe is that their happy hour doesn’t include weekdays. On the plus side, they extend the $3 drinks from 9 pm to 10 pm!
Chill atmosphere
“Great chilled atmosphere. Perfect for just a drink or if you want food it’s all so tasty. Happy hour on food Mon to Fri as well as daily drink deals.”
-Amber Trotman, Google Review
Good vibes and good food
“This place was busy on a Friday night but I didn’t wait long to get in. The people here were so friendly and our server was nice. The place has some good vibes. They got some board games here and a couple of TVs to watch some sports. The drinks were good. I ordered a Caesar with burger and onions on it. The nachos were very good and the portion was big considered this is a small size. This is a gay-friendly bar and so expect the washroom to be communal. I would definitely recommend this place.”
-Nisa Viola, Google Review
5. Johnnie Fox’s Irish Pub
Menu: Parmesan fries, tater tots, popcorn chicken, pretzel bites, onion rings, crispy cauliflower, beer, highball, etc.
Location: 1601 Main St
Contact: (236) 520-0933
Happy Hour:
- Monday – Friday: 3 pm – 6 pm
- Thursday: all day
Consumer Rating: B
| Google reviews score | 4.3/5 |
| Trip Advisor reviews score | 4/5 |
| Total reviews | 4/5 |
| Score consistency | 4/5 |
Our Rating: B+
| Service | 5/5 |
| Menu | 5/5 |
| Drinks | 5/5 |
| Food | 5/5 |
| Location | 5/5 |
| Availability | 4/5 |
| Prices(A higher score means better value) | 5/5 |
Johnnie Fox’s Irish Pub is the kind of place you immediately think of when you hear happy hour (for us, at least). This Vancouver spot is the ideal place for good times because of the casual and lively atmosphere.
This trendy pub is a perfect hangout spot with friends because there’s always something going on. It’s never boring any day of the week, and we particularly enjoyed live music on Thursdays!
In addition to the vibes, this place is all about premium drinks, including incredible pints of Guinness and refreshing highballs. And let’s not forget the delicious fried food that goes so well with a cold glass of beer!
It’s a bummer that happy hour is only on weekdays. But then again, happy hour happens all day on Thursdays (and this is live music night!), so it’s not a big problem.
Service-wise, we were impressed with how the servers and bartenders handled busy nights! We had a positive experience overall.
Best Guinness in Vancouver
“Best Pint of Guinness in Vancouver, anytime their open, every day of the week. So consistent.”
-Nicholas, Google Review
Super nice service and superb food
“The bartender was super nice, and I absolutely loved the atmosphere. It felt like a home away from home. I tried their beef dip sandwich, which was superb and their sticky toffee pudding, and that was divine. Whenever I’m in the area again, I’m definitely going back.”
-Hailey M, Google Review
