The Keefer Bar — Restaurant in Vancouver

Full disclosure: I spent 20 years in the industry as a ServerBartenderBar ManagerDining Room Manager, so my experience may vary from the typical guest.

I make it a point to start out with the positives, so here we go. First, the security at the front door - a truly welcoming, decent gentleman who went out of his way to assist (more on that later). Second, the Front Desk attendant was very nice, as well. Since I was traveling solo after the Peter Gabriel concert at the nearby Rogers Arena, my friends said I should give this a try. The atmosphere is intriguing, and I really dig the art they have all around the front bar and the back bar.

And now, the concerns. If you are over a certain age bracket, let's say 40+, then know that a vast majority of the weekend clientele is under that threshold. This is a young, hip place, so just be aware so you can keep expectations reasonable. Also, there are little 'wall tables' that line the incredibly narrow walk-though from the front bar to the back bar and restroom. These are not ideal for the taller, larger set. Having been in the business for as long as I was, I picked up on many things while waiting for a seat that never materialized. Without getting into specifics I'll just say that I really didn't feel welcomed at all, excepting the employees I previously mentioned.

I wound up leaving disappointed, and here's where the security guy helped me out once again. He was able to source a taxi, and was genuinely apologetic about the whole experience. I thanked him and went on my merry way to...

Came here again recently with a friend to catch up for drinks and some food, and OMG my expectations were surpassed~! I am so happy about how this palce has gotten better and on top of that, they offer such a FANTASTIC food menu too now!!

It has been a LONG while since I was at Keefer Bar and hearing about it recently pop up on my radar again for it being the underrated bar in Vancouver. I had to check it out with my friend.

When me and my friend arrived, we were greeted by such a fantastic smile and host who seated us at the bar, and then we were greeted by an even bigger smile, Amber the bar tender. She look fabulous behind that bar, and she was keeping the place clean. When I was here, they had the "Chinese Inspired" drinks on their menu. Each cocktail was inpired by a specfic Chinese flavour and omg, each of them look and sounded so much fun. On top of that, their menu options for food were literally dim sum food at a bar~!!

Granted I had too much fun at this bar, and the bartender, Riley was also there as well giving us his special drink recommendations and his personal drink mix of the night. Wow. On top of that, there was a live music performance of Phil Bo playing that night. He was amazing~!! He was just spinning music all by himself, playing around 8-9 instruments at the same time, and on top of that, just singing and making the bar a fantastic vibe.

I wasn't expecting Keefer Bar to step up THIS hard, and tbh this place has gotten better over the time. For sure be coming back again for more drinks and more fun...

Love this place! Some people say it's a hidden gem in Chinatown and rightfully so. There is no signage so if you've never been here, you might pass it but once you're there, you'll see why this place gets a 5 star in my books.

Let's start with the ambiance and vibe. Being an asian fusion lounge with medical devices and neon lights everywhere, when you walk in it's loud, dark and narrow but I think that's what makes this place unique and swanky. As I typically come for drinks, I haven't tried their food so it's hard for me to give you any tips on that but if you want to try new cocktails that'll keep you coming back for more, look no further.

I've recently learned that my new favorite drink here is the rosemary gimlet and the best part of it all is that it's only $5 on Wednesdays! Safe to say, I'll be taxing here moving forward :) I've tried many of their drinks and they are all good, especially their version of my favorite old fashion, the bold fashion. If you want to change it up as you've come here so many times and drank almost everything on their menu like myself, you can ask their mixologist to concoct you something based on your mood at the time.

This is a fantastic place to bring a date, catch up with a couple of friends or bring guests from out of town. Right now this is one of my go to places for cocktails. I highly...