Malone's Taphouse — Restaurant in Vancouver

TL;DR: Manager tried kicking us out by lying about having to wait another 45 minutes; managed to get seats right after she tried to kick us out.

My friend and I went to Malone's without a reservation on a Friday night (yeah, i know very hectic). Anyways, we wanted a table for 8 people. The hostess said "ok" and asked for our phone number so she can put us on the waitlist and to notify us via text when our table is ready. So my friend and I decided to walk around for approximately 40 mins and return. We waited outside for another 10 minutes and then decided to wait inside. We asked the hostess and the manager (who was standing next to the hostess) about our placement on the waitlist and the hostess said that we were next in line. And that it'd be another couple of minutes. After hearing that, we decided to keep waiting. We weren't in a rush at all! We're actually very patient and understanding people. We understand that getting a table for 8 is tricky so we were willing to wait. The manager, or someone who I believe is the manager as she was dressed in a different attire from the front of the house workers (hostess, servers, bartenders, etc.), approached us. Her demeanour was aggressive. And you can tell she was a bit agitated and overwhelmed with having to seat us. Keep in mind, you can tell someone is distressed because of their body language and verbal tone. And thats totally understandable given that it was a busy friday night... However, her way to cope with this overwhelming experience was to lie to us and tell us in an urgent manner while pointing towards the door "well its gonna be another 45 minutes so i suggest you guys find another place" with a harsh and judgemental tone. LOL! And we said we were down to wait... We never mentioned about being in a rush or anything. And like I said, we're very understanding people and have worked in restaurants as well. But I found it weird how she was trying to get us to leave... Anyways, a minute after that the hostess came back and tells us that she can seat us LOOOOL! So clearly the manager lied to try to get us to leave. Oh wells, in the end we managed to get a table and had a good time. Our server was amazing! I like malone's but it seems like the manager can get a bit overwhelmed and tries to solve tricky or difficult situations by kicking waiting customers out to lessen the distress she is feeling. This isn't the only time where I've seen her a bit agitated when bigger parties come in (I frequently come to malone's as its nearby from work). ANYWAYS...She may have been experiencing a tough day as well... so that might've added towards the stress. Or may have been...

Malone's was fantastic for lunch. They open the doors at 11:30 we got to pick our seats and there are many options from the bar to a booth and a few different tables. The decor is very pleasing and comfortable with a feeling like sitting in your own home. The menu was some what limited with i believe were only six main dishes but a good number of sides and appetisers. We both had the fish and chips and also both agreed it was the best battered fish we had ever eaten(were in our 50s so weve had alot of fish, this really was hands down the best ever) u will probably want to order the two piece meal cuz its so good o wont cut it. The chips were great and so was the homemade tarter sauce. When it came to the coleslaw, total disappointment was like eating a mouthful of sand. Who ever heard of bone dry sauceless coleslaw. Its like two completely different people made that meal, one on the slaw another everythi g else. No reason to not order the fish just tell em to give you a side of mayo, unless you luke your slaw really dry. The service was professional, pleasant and just the right amount of attention and privacy. Food was served fresh and within fifteen minutes of ordering. The crowd was diverse and polite. We gave Malone's a 4+ out of 5, and thats really what we think they deserved cuz nothins perfect but they are as close as you can get, bar the coleslaw heres our breakdown. Decor 5 Atmosphere 5 Service 5 Food!: speed 5 presentation 5 quality 5 Taste 5 coleslaw 0 Overall rating 4+ Cost 2mains 2 pop 35$+tip (money well spent) **+ We will definitely be back and we'll try a different main and keep you posted. You should come to Malone's u will be very happy...

I do like Malone's, it is right at the top of my choices for downtown bars. Now I've only visited there during the day (before dinner, at least), but my experiences have been good

My visits have been in somewhat quieter times. Not overly crowded or overly staffed. My recent visit during Covid times showed it nicely cleaned, not too loud, and well behaved staff and customers with masks and distancing.

The beer selection is great. A wide range of local craft beers and a good base of old favorite brands. Their menu is also nice and broad ranging. An interesting twist to help with Covid is that it's down as a QR code on your table, for you to easily read on your phone and minimizing physical contact. So their online menu is the most up to date reference you can get.

My only stumbling point involved happy hour food. The are a bunch of good items, but their portion sizes are smaller. That's great if you want a snack, I guess, but not really showing me that I'm getting a deal. Perhaps I'm not looking at happy hour correctly; I've seen different trends all around.

On the other hand, their happy hour drink sizes are great - the full 20 oz size and a nice savings. It's not the whole menu, but it is a fair amount and good selection.

For sports fans, there's usually a few different games on large screens. The times I've been there, volume has only been on for one at a time (the largest screen), and not so loud to drown out regular table conversations (sitting much less than half way across the room from it). They were showing at least 3 different games (football and hockey) that I noticed, so you can take your pick for your attention.

The times I've been there the staff has been friendly and helpful, present but not intrusive. They clean between customers and keep...