At VanCity Drinks, we’re always looking for better ways to serve your affordable drinking needs around Vancouver. That’s why we’re excited to bring you the first in a series of neighbourhood features designed to help you find the best happy hour specials across town. For our first instalment, we’re focusing on where the city itself began – Gastown. It’s been 150 years since Gassy Jack opened up the first saloon in what would become Vancouver, and we think he’d be proud of how the tradition has been maintained by the pubs and restaurants there today. We’ve chosen five of our favourite spots for you to explore and enjoy this part of town without hurting your wallet. We hope you enjoy – cheers!

Clough Club

212 Abbott Street

Happy hour Monday – Friday 5 PM – 7 PM with $7 classic cocktails, $4 highballs, and $5 gourmet hot dogs.

Located just around the corner from Vancouver’s storied Blood Alley and named after Gastown’s one-armed Lamplighter, John Clough, the bar is appropriately connected to Vancouver’s busiest & oldest pub with the building dating back over 115 years. The well-appointed back bar fills every need and the educated bar team offer cheeky house originals and are well educated in classic cocktails and spirits. 12 taps of heavily rotating Pacific North West beer and a 100% VQA wine list round out the drink menu. The kitchen offers an elevated take on traditional street food serving everything from foot-long dogs to french fry nachos. For music lovers, they host local acts of live music four nights a week Thursday through Sunday.

The Portside Pub

7 Alexander Street

Happy hour Monday – Saturday 5 PM – 7 PM with local draft beers for $5.75

Designed to cater to sailors, fishermen and the families who made their living off of the sea, maritime pubs are decidedly friendly. Portside’s management is proud of where they came from – the East Coast of Canada. There they grew up surrounded by establishments laden with wood, rope and more wood. As such, the goal with the Portside Pub is to be the friendliest bar in Vancouver. Great beer, friendly staff, comforting food, good music, fine people.

Rogue Kitchen & Wet Bar

601 West Cordova Street

Happy hour food and drinks 3 PM – 6 PM every day with $4 highballs and $3.70 BC session ale.

Rogue’s menu is fun, fresh and bold; it is creative yet conventional and fills you up without being full of itself. From your childhood favourites and rainy day comfort to Asian flare and deep fried goodness, you will find something to satisfy all of your cravings.

The bar menu gets the job done when you need it and lets you be adventurous when you want it. With 30 taps you can stay within the every day with a frosty pint of domestic lager, or venture out and try a pint of one of BC’s award-winning micros. Whatever you’re in the mood for, the wetbar has a drink for you.

The Charles Bar

136 West Cordova Street

Happy hour food and drinks Monday – Friday 3 PM – 6 PM with $4 domestic draft, house wine, and highballs.

The Charles Bar supports the ground floor of the famous Woodward’s building. The room’s airy, modern design and unique V-shape allow for various pursuits. Guests can crowd the bar watching an NBA or NFL game on the 9′ HD screen while around the corner others can quietly enjoy well-crafted food, craft beer or cocktails. The Charles Bar has a lively and friendly reputation with both locals and tourists. Local Vancouver DJs round out the venue on weekend nights – dropping everything from classic hip-hop and R&B to your favourite Top 40 songs. Whatever you’re looking for in a night, they’ve got it.

Six Acres Pub & Restaurant

203 Carrall Street

Happy hour food and drinks 11:30 AM – 6 PM every day

Six Acres is proud to continue the Gastown tradition of talking, swigging and tucking into good food in a friendly spot. They’re housed in the Alhambra building, the oldest brick building in Vancouver, which stands on the site of Gassy Jack’s Deighton Hotel. Jack built a shack of a saloon in the middle of the wilderness in front of where Six Acres now stands. This little whiskey-fueled saloon spawned a settlement which grew to a six-acre plot of land now known as Gastown. Eventually, this humble township grew up to be Vancouver. They are inspired by folks coming into Six Acres to get together over food and drink as they’ve done in Gastown since Jack built his little shack.