Did you know that Greta is the official-unofficial venue to catch the Canucks game at. And now that our home team has made it to the second round and today is the first game of that round, fans and bandwagon jumpers alike are looking to catch the game. The long lived rivalry between Edmonton’s Oilers and our Vancouver Canucks.
So if you don’t have Rogers Arena tickets, but want to watch the match up surrounded by a similar exuberant energy, I suggest Greta. Consider coming down to this arcade/bar for the game, and then some.
We actually watched game 4 in the first round against Nashville here. Sadly the match ended in a loss, but at least we had a good time at the venue.
I have visited Greta handful of times before, and at most only grabbed a drink or two as I spent an hour or two behind paddles, steering wheels, joysticks, and plastic semi automatics. In fact, in between period we even shot some free throws at my favourite arcade game.
They have the largest variety of old school retro arcade games, modern multiplayer titles, and classic carnival games. A great selection with plenty I took interest in.
For those not familiar, you don’t pay per individual play, but have a card loaded that grants you a whole hour of free for all gaming, so long as the machine is free. This is ideal as you can play to your heart’s content without worrying about funds. And you find yourself buzzing around, trying to keep busy, maximizing your full hour.
But I digress, back to game night. When we walked in we were surprised that there were no lines to get in, and that the tables were empty. Held as such with reserved signs that were never utilized.
Our group of 4 ended up grabbing one right by their projector screen. With heads tilted, the experience reminded me of watching a movie right at the front row of the theatre. Tolerable for the right scene on the screen.
Greta is an ideal sports venue given their dedicated island bar offering plenty of drink options including speciality cocktails, wine, and beer. They just don’t have the latter by the pitcher, which is really the best way to do it when watching a game with friends.
We each ordered a pint and got another when that was done by the third period. Lagers and red ales from Vancouver’s local breweries.
But what really struck a cord with me was their food menu. Prepared out of a kitchen with the facade of a food truck, right within the arcade.
We shared a few plates, of which the Big Mac fries was the most memorable. Literally as it sounds. A heaping pile of ordinary fries dressed in condiments and ingredients that you would find in a McDonald’s Big Mac. Ground beef, chopped onion, pickled relish, and a cheesy version of the Mac sauce. I would order this again the next time I am here.
For something meatier we had the Street nuggets with our choice of dip between a dill pickle ranch, Greta chilli crisp, or spicy honey mustard. We went with the former most, as per the clerk’s suggestion. No regrets on the sauce, but yes on the nuggets themselves. They felt very measly, like from the bottom of the frozen bag. The pickle slices that topped them were larger. Not meaty as we had imagined, these were disappointing.
And our next order would be dessert with Fresh churros, which did redeem the kitchen. Well crisped up bites of cinnamon and sugar dusted fried breading, that you dipped into their milky-caramel Dulce de Leche. No complaints, it had me licking my finger tips clean.
In short, when looking for a solid destination to watch the next round of games at, you can and should consider Greta for drinks, food, fun, and the playoffs!
GRETA Bar YVR
50 W Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1C8
gretabar.com
