Mahoney & Sons | Vancouver
This past week was whirl-wind of an adventure. Spending 5 days in Vancouver is simply not enough time, but oh boy did we make the most of it! Each night was spent pub hoping and stumbling across new new music. From the lively streets of Gastown’s Make Music Vancouver festival to the Vancouver International Jazz Fest, I was in heaven!
Aside from these street parties though, were some fabulous pubs with all sorts of live music. Following the Seawall back to the hotel, we came across Mahoney & Sons. This bar had one of the best views in the city, overlooking the harbor, and yet everyone was inside. For a music lover, this is a good sign!
The pub is an authentic Irish setting with an indoor capacity of 250 and is managed by 5 Mahoney boys. In fact, Mahoney’s have had pub owners in their family since the late 1800’s. The bar has a fun atmosphere with patrons dancing and singing (loudly) to every song. Their beautiful patio also holds a whopping 300 people, so finding a spot shouldn’t be hard! It’s the perfect stop for a few pints.
Speaking of pints, they have a great selection on tap and each will run you about $6-$8, or you can try a sampler of 4 6oz beers for under $9. They also have a great selection of traditional Irish grub, ranging from $10-$30 a meal.
The staff were super friendly and were great entertainment too, with a couple of the gals joining in the dancing and singing as well. This may also explain why service was a little slower, but on a night as relaxed as this one, we barely noticed. Until I needed more beer. I always notice an empty pint glass.
As for the music, Mahoney & Sons has live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Being there on a Friday night, we enjoyed a fantastic acoustic artist with a huge repertoire. His binder of music was like 5 inches thick and he was happy to share the mic with bar patrons and even handed off his guitar. All night he focused on sound levels and adjusting mics for those who joined him. He really was fantastic. It was essentially a night of live karaoke, but a million times better. I never thought I would spend a night in a fucking karaoke bar, but this was amazing. There was even space for everyone to get up and dance and with little coaxing from nearby tables, we did. Vancouver is full of fun, talented people.
Mahoney & Sons is located at Downtown Burrard Landing, 1055 Canada Place, Unit #36 Vancouver, with a second location at UBC. Thursday through Saturday, they are open until 1am. If travelling by car, there’s parking available in the Vancouver Convention Centre or street side on Canada Place Road. By transit, Vancouver’s incredible Sky Train will take you right down to the pub, stopping at the Burrard Station.
Overall, this is a great location, an awesome pub, with the best people and you couldn’t ask for a cooler view! If you’re in for a night of recognizable tunes or if you wanna show off your own chops, this is the place to be. I’ll definitely be going back the next time I hit up Van City.
Find Mahoney & Sons online at their website, on Facebook or on Twitter for info on their specials and upcoming events.
Share Tags
