Dix BBQ & Brewery

I think Dix was exactly what we needed after literally walking around the perimeter of downtown Vancouver. Let’s face it, when you’re from Seattle — the land where even the crappiest dive bar has at least one microbrew on tap — Vancouver’s beer scene appears dismal and overpriced at best.
Dix was probably the only exception we encountered. The four of us shared a pitcher (excuse me, jug) of one of their amber ales, and it was delicious! It was actually worth the $ 18 or so that we paid for it.
As far as food goes, be advised: it’s filling. Really, really filling. I shared a plate of poutine with my boyfriend, a «snack», according to the menu. Although I don’t recall ever actually having had poutine before that, something tells me the Dix version is an unconventional take on the dish. It was a plate of fries (beer battered, big, crispy-​on-​the-​outside delicious ones), covered in gravy, melted cheese, beans, and some kind of barbecued meat. We never figured out what kind of meat it was, but it sure was tasty. And filling. Even after our lengthy trek, eating a half of this «snack» left us ambling out of Dix in a food coma daze.
The only off-​putting thing about this place was its appearance. It looks way too hip and dimly lit for a barbecue joint, so it might scare away budget-​minded American tourists such as ourselves. Which is a shame, because as the rest of this review demonstrates, you actually get more than you’d expect for the money.

i used to be so excited to go there, grab a bucket of peanuts and watch hockey but the more i go there the less i like it.
dix was one of the first pubs i went to when i moved to vancouver. my friends took me there for hockey. i loved it cos it seemed very unique. the floor covered in peanut shells, everyone wearing canucks shirts or jerseys incl the staff and a great atmosphere during the games.
100 pubs later all i can say is: meh, i’ve experienced better.
better food, better prices, better service, better tvs, better screens, better atmosphere
also: we once walked in to watch a canucks game at 4. everyone in the pub was wearing their orange bc lions jerseys and waiting for the game to start at 7. they could have played hockey AND football but didn’t
no canucks? no go dix. go canucks!
might come back for a bucket of peanuts

so I had high hopes for this place, but I’ve had a lot of good barbeque in my life and frankly I was disappointed.
I had the beef brisket and it was dry along with the coleslaw. high marks for the garlic mushrooms but otherwise nothing special here so far…
I’m not a beer drinker, so their wide selection here didn’t add any points, but if that’s your thing, then it’s probably worth a trip.
also — never heard of this before but they have a butt-​rub burger — apparently it was pretty decent according to my friend who probably ordered it due to the novelty of the name…
I’d consider going back to watch a game as they have many large tv’s and a decent setup. Dix BBQ is down in my eyes, but not out.

Why do I find myself here 3 or 4 nights a week?
Well, sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.
And if that place is a brewery, you also want them to care enough about their beer that a whole culture evolves around it. Do not go here and order a Canadian or Bud. You will be served one, but don’t underestimate the number of die-​hard regulars here who will pretend it’s your first beer.
Do yourself a favour. Try the fresh beer on tap. The quenching Lager, the refreshing Pilsner, the smooth Ale, and the biting IPA. Seasonal beers are also on the menu, as well as a feature or two, such as the 11% Barley Wine, which is as delicious as it is potent. The bartenders are as friendly and ‘real’ as you’ll find downtown.
No attitude, no frills, straight up beer and BBQ joint (with free peanuts). Cask nights on Thursdays. Try the side ribs, sandwiches or stacked nachos if you’re hungry, but definitely have a beer — and ask for a sample if you’re undecided.

I have had good times here and not so good times here… food-​wise it has been up and down. One night I will have an amazingly well made veggie burger and perfect salad and the next time it’s crap. Sometimes I get the best and most attentive service and then other times I feel invisible. I have gone to Dix for a pre-​game brew and I have gone even more just to watch the game. Same deal. Sometimes I get what I came for and other times I’m really disappointed.
It’s probably closer to a 2.5 than a 3, but what the hay.

One of the few places along Beatty Street that hasn’t sold out to a corporate entity for the Olympics.
Excellent BBQ and brews at affordable prices — even during the Olympics! They have kept their prices the same for the duration of the Olympics, although they are applying a 17% gratuity to their bills for non-​locals.
We just live up the street and find it close and convenient and tasty! :)

I ate at Dix Barbecue & Brewery this week. Having dined here about once a year for the past five years, I have finally come to a conclusion about this popular downtown brewpub: this is a better place for a drink than for a meal.
Upon deciding to meet family friends at Dix to watch the Grey Cup, I broke one of the central rules to eating out: avoid establishments that are in business due to location and convenience. This may seem like a common sense observation, but some places are just… just…so darn convenient! Restaurants with amazing views, very little local competition, close proximity to venues/​stadiums, locations near transportation hubs or a setting within attractions/​landmarks (id est: hotels, observtion decks, museums, parks) often rest on their culinary laurels because they know the public will continue to come in and pay for subpar meals. There are obviously exceptions to this general truth, but I am always cautious of cafes (cough cough Starbucks cough… sniffle) and restaurants that prey on punters who have few options for attaining sustenance.
I really want to like Dix because I am passionate about microbreweries, I love watching sports on plasma screens at bars and casual restaurants, I have a lust for BBQ, and I feel like such a badass when I just throw those peanut shells on the ground. This should be a jewel in the blinged-​out crown of the Vancouver food scene, a destination for the manly staples of beer, brisket, baby back ribs and bourbon. While Chambar is an ideal spot for a romantic meal, Dix should be the ideal spot to develop a few bromances with the boys. But it’s not, because the roasted vegetables are undercooked, the rib sauce to too tomatoey and spicy, the brisket is on the dry side, the chicken is forgettable, and the sausage is dull and greasy. If you do decide to order food at Dix, you are pretty safe with the chicken pot pie and the pulled pork.
Having said this, I really do enjoy the beers that Dix brews. They always have four or five of their own beers on tap, and they have a seasonal beer every… well…season. Their seasonal this winter is a 10% Barleywine, a strong English ale that acts very well as a nightcap. Served in a snifter, with strong plum and coffee notes, this ale almost made me forgive the incredibly average meal I had consumed just minutes before. Almost.

I’m a big believer in finding the one really good thing that a restaurant does well. Here it’s the «smokehouse club». I’ve been eating club sandwiches all of my life. Usually there nothing special. Not here. Loads of smoked chicken. Add BBQ beef brisket, bacon, lots of lettuce, tomatoe, and pickle. A triple decker on good toasted bread. It’s huge, and fantastically delicious. How can it get any better. 2 ways: 1) for a measly buck you can sub a really good, spicy chicken gumbo instead of fries. Dang! And they brew a very crisp, refreshing pilsner. Double Dang!
There might be a better lunch in Vancouver, but I d**n sure couldn’t tell you what it is. They get my lunch business everytime I’m in town.

Dix is one of those places that I’ve been to go to, but never found the ‘right’ night to go. Famous for it’s selection of IPAs (my favourite beer) and also a BBQ house (been trying to find other good BBQ joints in Vancouver outside of Memphis Blues) — I finally pulled the trigger yesterday.
As a bar — the huge pints of local brew for cheap is definitely a winner. Stay away from the IPAs and dark beers if you’re not a hophead as this is some seriously strong, delicious bitter beer. I would caution any non-​Canucks fan to stay away on a game night unless you like being crowded with loud, boisterous Canucks fans on a short-​lived euphoria of a hometeam win (well, they won on the night I was there). As a sports bar, the TVs are small and few and far in-​between — definitely not the best choice on a fight night.
As for the BBQ — meh. For about the same price, Memphis Blues is clearly better. We had the Pig Out platter which offers a sampler of their BBQ for $ 37. However, the $ 40 Memphis feast offers more. However, Dix’s BBQ is better than your standard pub food — offering brisket, pulled pork, BBQ chicken and ribs.
I would have probably rated Dix much higher if I was just looking at their beer. However, it falls short as a ‘sports bar’ and a ‘BBQ house’ — probably just attempting to be too many things — but a solid bar nonetheless.

I have been known to walk miles, or offer to sell various parts of my anatomy for good beer. I was blessed to live in Northern Colorado which is a cloud in beer heaven. On a recommendation of a fellow hop head I checked out Dix BBQ & Brewery. Owned by the same forces behind Yaletown Brewery this place to me is a real brew bar. The house beers are good, very good and the seasonals and special brews are fantastic. Kudos to the brewmaster. The best nights in my opinion are Thursdays. Cask Nights, local brewers bring in a cask or two of small batch brews. They also food pair for these beers and are usually right on task. The prices are lower than yaletown, the crowd is more approachable with a mix of people that reflects the city and not just yaletown.
The food is well above what you would expect, being a BBQ fan I was plesently surprised at the quality and portions. Try the pulled pig! As I am a addict to anything porcine I recommend this highly.
If there was one low, and it is a beer trend here in BC is Hoppie beers. I love a nice hoppy IPA but i also like other varietals as well.
Want a fun unpretentious evening of pig, beer and friendly approachable people, give Dix a try. I will see you on Thursday night

Wooohooo! I got hammered at Dix. Maybe that’s why i liked it so much. I got a REAl pint for 4.30 $ and had to drink it in less than 10 minutes because I was on a bar hopping expedition that covered a total of 15 bars in one night. (I know. my liver!).
So I think DIX’s is a cool place to try out all the different beers because. they make them there! I wouldn’t eat there though.

I just went here for their Cask Thursday’s, and I must admit I had a great time. This no-​frills, peanut shells on the floor bar has a welcoming vibe and a friendly staff as well.
Different local breweries come here once a week and show off their special small blends. The beers are big and they have a special for the night as well. I hate the beer battered catfish with fries and coleslaw, a great meal and quite big too.
I haven’t been here for sports games but the cask night is a great way to meet local brewers and drink great beer as well.

For those of you (not me) who are clean-​freaks at home, Dix is your chance to let loose and let your inner-​slob free. Here’s how you slob-​it-​up: you get peanuts. You eat peanuts. Chuck the shells on the floor. It’s utter madness I tell you!
Yeah.
Other than the novelty of the peanut-​thing, Dix is kind of a run-​of-​the-​mill bar and micro-​brew. Pretty sure their house lager is Red Truck which is pretty good beer that has an aftertaste with a very unique personality. The food: nothing spectacular, albeit not bad. The menu is pretty thin. Now I’m pretty sure Dix advertises itself as a sports bar and the TV situation is pretty lackluster; watched a couple Canucks game here and I struggled to see a screen. So there ya go.

They may have a lot of TVs, but they are crap. There are better TVs at the Whitehorse Airport arrivals area. This is not good when the Canucks are in the playoffs. Can’t they buy some Costco TVs and return them in June? Dix lost a star before I even sat down.
As far as the BBQ goes. Memphis Blues puts Dix to shame. The wings were pretty good and the fries were a step above yummy. But this is a BBQ joint, and the side ribs were so smokey they tasted like they came from a burning house.
I was tempted to give Dix a two star rating as they pulled the «Oh, we don’t accept Debit, but you can use our handy ATM machine over there», but the staff were friendly and fairly on the ball for a game night.
The next time I crave BBQ, I will probably just go out on my deck!

This is a standard Friday lunch place for us. The BBQ is good, not as good as Memphis Blues, but for the location it is nice to have some perfectly fine BBQ once in a while since you won’t find anything else like it close by.
The real reason to come here is for the beer though. They have some of the freshest and most adventurous beers of any brewpub in the city. There is both a seasonal beer and a rotating dark beer to compliment their regular menu. This variety means there is pretty much always a new type of beer to try and you will never be disappointed. The IPA is intense. I like it even though it lacks subtlety, but only order it if you know beforehand that you like IPAs. It’s really bitter ;)
Overall, good food and great beer make this a winner for me. Oh, and throwing peanut shells on the floor is always fun.

Dix serves one gigantic pint of beer. I could have used some warning when I ordered it, but I had to make a note in case I forgot later: that thing was huuuuggge.
Dix prides itself on its barbecue menu. That’s its twist on standard pub food: briskets, pulled pork, slow-​smoked chicken wings, and really big burgers. The food is also big. They served me my brisket burger with a stack of napkins, a towellette, and no knife and fork. Self-​consciously at first, I just sat there trying to gingerly nibble ’round the edges. I flashed back to those Sunday dinners my parents used to have in order to instill table manners in me and my sisters: sitting quietly, not talking with your mouth full, using a knife and fork properly. All of this needs to go out the window to get through a meal at Dix. Abandon is key. Stuff those enormous bites into your mouth. Bite, chew, wipe mouth if necessary, repeat.
I was farging full after that thing. The barbecue flavour wasn’t all that memorable. It doesn’t have anything on Memphis Blues for taste. But Dix is a nice enough restaurant/​bar with that obligatory industrial décor of many Yaletown establishments — exposed vents, big beams, garage doors, etc. Service was a curious mixture of efficiency and indifference. And that ginormous beer? It was under $ 5.

This is a really cool sports bar/​BBQ/​Brewpub setup from the Yaletown folks. Lots of TV’s showing all the hockey games and what not. BBQ is OK, but not the best you’ll ever have. Then again, Vancouver and BBQ just don’t mix. The real reason to go is for the beers and they’re all great but if you have to pick one night to go, pick Thursday. Each Thursday they have various microbrewers and homebrewers come in with exclusive casks of strong ale to sample for that night and that night only. Place become a big hangout for beer snobs and you can learn a lot about the industry just hanging out at the bar each and every Thursday. That alone makes Dix a great destination.