Vancouver’s most awarded cocktail bar — world-ranked, Michelin-recognised, botanical science in every glass

Botanist Bar at the Fairmont Pacific Rim is the most decorated cocktail bar in Vancouver history — ranked #26 on North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025, winner of the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award, and holder of the Michelin Exceptional Cocktails recognition. Under Creative Beverage Director Grant Sceney, the Cocktail Lab produces theatre-meets-science experiences where edible cherry-blossom clouds drift on cocktails, botanicals are suspended in glass spheres, and every drink tells a story about the Pacific Northwest. The menu changes seasonally, foraging local BC ingredients. Spirit-free cocktails are equally inventive. The botanical-garden interior is one of the most beautiful bar rooms in the city.

► Before cocktails, discover the best restaurants in Vancouver →

The Keefer Bar

Canada’s #2 bar three years running — apothecary-inspired cocktails, dim sum & the city’s best happy hour

The Keefer Bar is one of Vancouver’s most celebrated cocktail institutions — an apothecary-inspired bar in the heart of Chinatown ranked #25 on North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025 and voted Canada’s 2nd best bar for three consecutive years. The cocktail menu is modelled on traditional Chinese apothecary prescriptions, featuring housemade tinctures, exotic spices, and premium spirits in over 25 unique seasonal cocktails. The Blood Moon (Botanist gin, blood orange, Szechuan peppercorn syrup, egg white) is among the most discussed cocktails in the city. Happy hour daily 4–6PM with cocktails from $10–$14 and dim sum plates.

► Explore the best things to do in Vancouver →

 Laowai

Vancouver’s most extraordinary hidden bar — 1920s Shanghai speakeasy behind a freezer door

Laowai is one of the most thrilling bar experiences in Vancouver — a Prohibition-era 1920s Shanghai-inspired speakeasy hidden behind a faux freezer door inside the BLND TGER dumpling shop on East Georgia Street. To enter: walk into the dumpling shop and ask for “table 7” — the freezer door opens to emerald-green velvet walls, copper fixtures, leather banquettes, and malachite-topped surfaces transporting you to golden-era Shanghai. Every cocktail spans two illustrated pages with historical inspiration, featuring bamboo, ginseng, lychee, and Sichuan peppercorn. Canada’s most extensive baijiu selection. Named a 50 Best Discovery Bar.

Sister speakeasy to Laowai — Kipling-era India, 45ft jungle mural and a 42ft golden bar

Bagheera is the sister speakeasy to Laowai — named for the black panther in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, inspired by India at the turn of the 20th century. This hidden 60-seat cocktail lounge at 518 Main Street is accessed through the Happy Valley Turf Club betting shop: enter and place a wager on “King Louie” to gain entry. Inside: a 45-foot hand-painted jungle mural covers the ceiling, a 42-foot golden bar anchors the room, and a Drawing Room houses a Cabinet of Curiosities filled with rare whiskies. The cocktail menu features saffron gin, smoked paprika tinctures, and an exceptional Gin & Tonic section.

► Best sushi before your night out →

Gastown’s underground live music institution — jazz, soul, swing and world-class cocktails nightly

Guilt & Co. is Gastown’s most beloved underground bar and Vancouver’s premier live music venue — an atmospheric candlelit subterranean space in Maple Tree Square that has hosted nightly performances every single night since 2010. Live music seven nights a week spans jazz, swing, soul, cabaret, blues, and touring acts. Entry is pay-what-you-can for most shows. Rock legends including Imagine Dragons, the Pixies, and Dave Grohl have stopped in. The craft cocktails, artisan cheese plates, and real stemware in a brick underground setting create a genuinely romantic and irreplaceable atmosphere.

Vancouver’s legendary Polynesian tiki paradise — fire punch bowls, rum cocktails and live surf music

The Shameful Tiki Room on Main Street is one of the most joyful bar experiences in Vancouver — a lovingly crafted 1,200-square-foot, 50-seat tiki paradise reviving golden-age Polynesian lounge culture since 2013. Over 35 classic tiki cocktails including Navy Grogs, Painkillers, Zombies, and the house-special Day of the Dead are crafted with genuine expertise and served in ceramic vessels. The enormous shared fire punch bowls, lit ablaze tableside for groups of four or more, are a Vancouver bucket-list moment. Live surf and Hawaiian music plays on selected evenings. No phone line — book online. Reservations essential, especially weekends.

Gastown’s beautiful heritage bar — pre-Prohibition cocktails, live music and original 1910 tin ceilings

Pourhouse is one of Gastown’s most beautiful and enduring bars — housed in a magnificent heritage building dating to 1910, with original pressed tin ceilings, antique wood panelling, and vintage fixtures that create authentic historical character no modern fit-out can replicate. The cocktail programme is rooted in pre-Prohibition classics: a textbook Sidecar, a smoky Old Fashioned, and a Daiquiri made with fresh lime. Dave Grohl, the Pixies, and Imagine Dragons have all stopped in for after-show drinks. Live music on Fridays and Saturdays, full kitchen until late.

Vancouver’s most dramatic cocktail destination — Michelin bartenders, live music and Prohibition-era design

Prophecy Cocktail Bar at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia is one of Vancouver’s most exciting premium cocktail destinations — a subterranean bar featuring Michelin Guide-awarded bartenders Jeff Savage and Nicole Cote, and a seasonal cocktail programme that pushes the boundaries of flavour and presentation. The Prohibition-inspired design includes original sliding wooden door panels on the entrance. Happy hour runs daily 4–6PM. A curated live music programme adds electric energy to evenings. The most sophisticated and dramatically designed bar experience in downtown Vancouver. Enter via Howe Street.

Vancouver’s original cocktail lounge since 1954 — English Bay patio sunsets and 70 years of history

The Sylvia Hotel Cocktail Lounge holds a distinction no other bar in Vancouver can claim: it is the city’s very first cocktail lounge, having opened in 1954 inside the historic ivy-covered English Bay Sylvia Hotel — a heritage landmark since 1912. Sitting on the ground floor with a patio that looks directly over English Bay, the Sylvia Lounge is the quintessential Vancouver romantic bar: deeply cozy furnishings, warm lighting, historic photographs, and 70 years of history creating an atmosphere no modern bar can manufacture. The patio sunsets over English Bay are among the most beautiful views from any bar in the city. Dog-friendly. Open daily.

► Best brunch before a big night →

Yaletown’s most inventive cocktail bar — North America’s 50 Best Discovery Bar 2025

Bartholomew Bar on Mainland Street in Yaletown was named a North America’s 50 Best Discovery Bar in 2025 — confirming what locals already knew about this sleek modern cocktail bar building one of the most inventive programmes in the city. The bar team’s commitment to seasonal BC ingredients, fermentation techniques, and creative spirit pairings produces drinks of genuine complexity and surprise. Elevated bar snacks including oysters, charcuterie, and carefully sourced cheese are among the finest bar food in Yaletown. An intimate design-forward space with an air of discovery about it every evening.

► After your night out, plan the next morning →

What are the best bars in Vancouver in 2026?

Vancouver’s top bars include Botanist Bar (#26 North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025) at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, The Keefer Bar (Canada’s #2 bar), the Shanghai speakeasy Laowai and India-inspired Bagheera, underground live music venue Guilt & Co., tiki paradise The Shameful Tiki Room, heritage institution Pourhouse in Gastown, Prophecy at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia, the romantic Sylvia Hotel Lounge with English Bay views, and Bartholomew Bar in Yaletown — named a 50 Best Discovery Bar 2025.

How do you get into the Vancouver speakeasies?

Laowai (251 E Georgia St): Enter the BLND TGER dumpling shop and ask for “table 7” — the freezer door opens. Bagheera (518 Main St): Enter the Happy Valley Turf Club betting shop and place a wager on “King Louie.” Both are walk-in only — arrive early on weekends as capacity is limited to around 60 seats each.

Which Vancouver bars have the best happy hour?

The Keefer Bar runs the finest happy hour in Vancouver daily 4–6PM: cocktails from $10–$14 and discounted dim sum plates. Prophecy Cocktail Bar at the Rosewood also runs daily 4–6PM happy hour with premium cocktails in a stunning setting. Botanist Bar’s bar seating is available without a dinner reservation for walk-ins throughout the evening.

Which Vancouver bar is best for live music?

Guilt & Co. at 1 Alexander Street in Gastown is the undisputed best bar for live music in Vancouver, hosting performances seven nights a week since 2010 across jazz, swing, soul, and touring acts. Entry is pay-what-you-can for most shows. Pourhouse on Water Street offers live music on Fridays and Saturdays. Prophecy has a curated live music programme on select evenings.