The festive season is all about getting together and showing appreciation to your loved ones, and one of the best ways to connect is over good drink.
So, here are four of the available holiday themed pop-up bars in Vancouver. I have visited each to a report on the good, the bad, and the ugly, so you can pick the one that suits your needs.
Kringle’s is located in the basement of Hotel Vancouver. The poshest of the options given its affiliation with the luxury hotel brand.
The room is robust with red and green velvet furnishings. Green pinery interwoven between lavish chandeliers. Warmth fuelled by a crackling fireplace and the flickering of tapered candles. The highlight is definitely the “ball room” with metal ornaments hung on ribbon over head.
There are 12 different festive cocktails to choose from, each mixed with premium ingredients with prices to reflect that. They range from $19-24, which is on par with downtown pricing.
There are also small bites and shared plates available for purchase, my only wish would be that they better paired with the cocktails or the theme. The offering felt generic and not overtly cozy for winter.
This is a great space to take your time and linger within, and for keepsake photo taking.
Kringle’s at the Castle
900 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6C 2W6
(604) 662-1900
The Freehouse Group’s Ballyhoo is hosting the cleverly named “Bar Humbug”. The corner bar is decorated with strung up metallic balls, have their walls wrapped like presents, and are showcasing trees of tinsel.
Their concise menu has 8 cocktail options and 4 festive shots. Having tried them all, I was impressed by the entirety of their cocktails program. Well crafted and tasty cocktails, each with its own personality, and the only one with holiday themed shots.
They also have a limited food menu to pair with your drinks, simple and small bites that aren’t enough to replace a meal, but feel homey like what you would find from a Christmas potluck.
If looking for solid drinks and a more rowdy setting this is the bar I would recommend.
The Ballyhoo Public House
#103 – 888 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1X9
(604) 423-2771
freehouse.co
Zawa on Commercial Drive is already known for hosting a slew of different pop-ups and this Christmas they have transformed their space into the Elf Bar. A bar that is not only decorated with elves, but have elf-ish actors hosting the experience.
Pre-purchased tickets are required with set seating times in 90 minute intervals. $14.50 grants you access to the space, a welcome mulled cider with sugarcoated rim, and the ability to participate in trivia for surprises.
The decor is really what sets them apart with over 50 elves not only on shelves, but hanging from the ceiling, traversing the walls, hiding within the Christmas trees, and even trying to sneak into your next photo, on the backdrop wall.
They have cardboard cutout props you can use take a photo: Santa’s beard, pointy elf hats, and even giant elf faces to have over your own.
Seating is first come, first serve, and I recommend parking by the stage. This is where the elf hosts will be reading out the trivia questions. It is three rounds based on your knowledge of classical Christmas movies, music, and pop culture. Those who answer all the questions correctly per round are given a candy cane. The individual or group that collects the most candy canes wins a prize. The show runners mentioned that this can vary from a giftcards to the restaurant to an elf on the shelf book and Kit. Admittedly, the questions were not easy to answer, and only hard-core Christmas enthusiast need apply.
In between rounds, the elf actors read out would-be humourous notes to Santa, and engaged in scripted conversations with one another, both of which are meant to entertain the crowd.
There is a special menu to order off, it includes 6 seasonally themed drinks at an affordable $12.99, but are your standard and simple margarita, egg nog, and coffee cocktail mixes.
There are also food items that you can purchase, but these did not fall within the theme and are merely the common bar offerings of hamburgers, chicken wings, and fries. I felt this a missed opportunity for a Will Ferrell’s Elf breakfast of spaghetti and candy. As well as the greater emphasis on elves within the cocktail selection.
Zawa Restaurant
920 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 3W7
(604) 255-0470
zawarestaurant.com
Jingle Bar located on the second floor of the Executive Hotel Le Soleil. This is a Conference space decorated with wrapping paper and string up with tinsel. We walked to the threshold of the hotel expecting it to be a part of Alouette, so were disappointed by the cramped space that it is actually held in. There is a patio here, and it is also decorated, however, they were not using the space.
With low ceilings and dim lights, it felt like you were inside of a wrapped present. Tables were set close to another, and there is hardly any intimacy let alone walking room. Each table was set with a mini snow globe or a nut cracker for decoration, but overall it didn’t feel like much effort was made, and it all reminded me of stuffy office decor.
Like the bar before there is an admission fee of $14.50 to enter, but it does not grant you a complementary drink. Cocktails and wine are available for purchase from their makeshift bar, at downtown Vancouver pricing of $21-24. No immediate standouts with the likes of a spiced old fashioned, a sangria, and a mimosa.
We grabbed a couple glasses of Mrs. clause’s Mimosa, which is basically orange juice and sparkling wine, flavoured with a splash of cranberry juice, and with actual cranberry bobbing on top as garnish. It was a decent sized serving in the coop that made for a better presentation. However, in this setting, you did not feel like you were getting your moneys worth.
The food options did feel seasonally driven with dinner party appetizers like shrimp cocktail, baked Brie, beef tartare, and olives; but at Aloutte prices. And once again the setting did not measure up.
There was an attempt at a photo wall with cotton for snow and a ball of mistletoe, but it wasn’t enough for you to want to take a photo of.
Staff were dressed up and ready to engage, one gentleman in particular, who went by the name of “Jingles”, gave the necessary energy to rally the crowd. The other two lethargic women parallelled the lacklustre room.
As a group they offered mini candy canes, and the ability to play antler ring toss with inflatable props. And they encouraged guests to fill out index cards with their confessions to Santa. For the latter, those with the most entertaining story would be awarded the prize of chocolates. However, reading the room, the crowd was not enthused by this. In truth, they were a handful of people that sat down, looked at the menu, then walked out. This was not as expected, for myself included.
Jingle Bar
Executive Hotel Le Soleil 567 Hornby St, Vancouver BC V6C 2E8, Canada
In summary, head to Kringle for the vibes, visit Bar Humbug for the cheaper drinks and shots, and pass on the last two.
