PressBox Pub

Sweet Lord. If you are in the hood and want a beer — perhaps a quick bite — get the hell in here. The beer is fine. The food us shite — but pub food and exactly what you might expect from a dead place. The service is well meant and friendly which gets the extra star. Just don’t come expecting a shit tonne — there will be no disappointments.

Good burger, good cheap beer $ 4 for a sleeve & service was acceptable. I’d come back.

There is no excuse for using an industrial pre-​made hamburger patty in a burger.
OK place to watch a game I suppose but the food has been better.

Why don’t more people go to the Press Box? The food is good with great specials & unbelievable value on regular-​priced drinks that are massively over-​priced everywhere else ($ 5.75 for a pint of Somersby and $ 4.25 for a bottle of Growers — yes, I have a weakness for sweet cider but they always have a few beers on special). The barman who’s usually there is always mellow, friendly and genuine and they always have a good ‘90s rock satellite radio station on (which is great if you like a little grunge-​nostalgia). It also has lots of comfy, black, leather armchairs and a big-​screen for sports and it’s located right next to the PNE. I don’t know why this place isn’t crowded every night but that’s okay with me as it means the service is prompt and less impersonal than bars where waiters/​waitresses are rushed off their feet and flashing McDonald’s smiles or lots of leg in a lame attempt to win bigger tips. And I quite like a bar where you can hear yourself speak without having to raise your voice while still being able to hear your favourite song by insert-name-of-‘90s-rock-band-here. A great place for a quick bite and a couple of drinks any night of the week.

Good for a couple pints they have the games on usually and have beer specials. Watched the hockey game there the other night and thought it was decent.

This place is half red neck half small-​town wedding half gay. I guess that’s three halfs so that’s good. Totally great times & crowdwatching. However… beware karaōke run by midget weight lifting ex rockers who only let their inner circle of pals sing. Seriously, you could sit there for 4 hours, your entire table submit song requests, and you will still never get to sing. Meanwhile the same posse of diminutive little bald muscle guys running the controls will sing over and over and over and over again. It is not karaōke for the public, there is no sense of fairness in the wait list, if there even is a list. If the cliquey karaōke team likes your song they might fit you in. But meanwhile the same half a dozen people sing 6 songs each, including the wait staff (nice version of Pat Benatar’s Heartbreaker BTW). That said, the hosts ARE good singers, just beware, it is about THEM, not letting non regulars sing. I enjoyed myself regardless, but the ladies at my table came here because they wanted to sing, dropped $ 150 on drinks, and hours later, no one got to sing. Might be a while before we’re back. All that said, good vibes from the owner, and you might make a trannie friend or two if you hang out in the washrooms.

I went to the Press Box for my second time a few weeks ago since moving back to BC nearly 2 years ago. Many years ago, The Press Box was pretty run down. However, after my recent visits, I am really uncertain why the rating for the Press Box is only a 3 stars. Yes, it’s in a Holiday Inn. Yes, it’s in a basement. Yes, it’s not in a trendy area like downtown; but it is decently priced, it does have good food, and it has great service, providing an overall really good value. The Press Box is easily a 4 to 4.5 star location if you take it for what it is (I have made my review a 5 star to help raise the overall score to a value it really deserves, at the time I write this review).
Years ago, The Press Box was less than optimal — a run down dive bar, where the drinks were cheap, the tables lopsided, and music coming from tin-​like speakers. However, in the last couple of years, The Press Box has undergone a major renovation. This has done absolutely wonders for the décor, taking from a location I would only go with my buddies to a place I would be willing to take my parents.
For the list of beers and drinks, The Press Box offers typically generic pub beer (i.e. Canadian, Kokanee, Heineken, Stella, etc.), but they also have a few pseudo-​micro brews (i.e. Granville Island, Stanley Park Brewing). For a beer aficionado, it’s nothing exciting or place to drive out of your way for to get a unique brew; however, you really can’t beat their prices. Every night they have a drink or two on special. On a Saturday night, I had an 18 ounce pint for Granville Island IPA for $ 3.75, which I think is a good price for a pint.
Impressively, and something that initially surprised me was their food is also pretty good. For both visits, the group of people I went with ordered a variety of different foods. In both cases (8 dishes in total), not one person was disappointed. In fact, most people were quite happy with their meals. Not only because all the dishes tasted good, but the price we paid was very decent (only $ 8 – 12 for an burger, sandwich or pasta). I personally really enjoyed their pulled pork sandwhich and wings. The food also came out really quickly, especially for a pretty full house on a Saturday night. If I was attending an event at the PNE grounds, I would certainly go to the Press Box again, since I am almost certain that their speed would ensure I would make my event on time.
Also adding to the experience was the service. There was only 3 or 4 servers for the entire pub on Saturday nights in a packed house. However, whenever our glasses were empty, we required more napkins, or we wanted something for some reason, the server was there almost instantly. Even with a line out the door, people cheering at the sports on tv or people stumbling about to see their friends at another table, our servers always had a smile and were polite. As the night wore on, seeing the servers keep such a positive attitude and be on top of things really impressed me.
The Press Box isn’t a high end pub, but a solid neighborhood location. With great value food and drink, and free live music a couple of nights a week to boot, it’s a place to certainly check out if you’re in the area.

Loved loved loved this place!
We decided to give it a try since it is so close to my new apartment and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. We had peaked in the windows a couple weeks prior and thought it looked pretty slick.
Once inside it was definitely a neat set up, comfy chairs, big screen tv, live music going on, just a nice feel. It wasn’t to busy, okay practically dead but I don’t like over crowded places anyway. Our bartender, Kevin was super friendly and it didn’t take long before we had made friends with him and another guy sitting at the bar and eventually the musician who had been playing. Lots of laughs all around.
For food we ordered their special and it was awesome. Half rack of ribs for $ 9.00 and so good. I read a bunch of reviews about terrible food here but it was better than typical bar food maybe because I had a couple drinks in me? Who knows either way I didn’t come up for air and mowed so fast (generally I’m the worst slowest eater). Our server possibly wasn’t the most friendly, but we really didn’t mind going up to the bar and getting our drinks.
They also have those trivia things which made the experience more of a laugh. Kevin was super accommodating, changing channels, letting me pick music. I would definitely come back here and become a regular.

Great value!
I have to admit, this isn’t in the most happening area in town but the (FREE) live bands and great service make up for it. I came here on a Friday and found free parking quite easily. The staff are friendly and the drinks/​food are solid.
The highlight was a live, 3-​man cover band that played pop and rock hits. Are you brave enough to be the first ones on the dance floor? ;)
Don’t expect a Downtown/​Yaletown atmosphere but be prepared for great value and service. Fun times!

Oct.4.Nothing really jumps out at you on the menu. And it looked like they were about to repaint when I went in today which is a good thing. It just need an overhaul to bring it into this decade. My cajun chicken burger was enjoyable. The have buffets when there are Giants games on so this is a good pre-​game destination. The staff are very friendly and down to earth, I drop in once a week for a drink.

Not really my thing. A sports bar, meant to watch sport. Food is therefore, to my opinion, not the thing to focus on.
There was no big sportevent going on, so not many people around. The atmosphere of a loners café/​restaurant. Just a few customers of the Holiday Inn hotel, which is situated in the same building and adds a coupon for 15 percent discount on arrival.
I ate a hamburger. No idea what quality, because it was camouflaged by a sauce that dominated everything. Afterwards I did not feel well What to say more. I will nobody advise to have dinner here; especially because there are plenty of really good restaurant on walking distance of the hotel with a good Unilocal reputation.

Awesome. Great food and good beer selection. Emily is the best!!!

Good spot to stop in a take a load off.
Friendly staff decent prices. Bar tender was good but a bit slow for my liking;)

Got a discount from staying at the hotel next door. The food was actually excellent — a surprise given the hockey pub interior. The service was lacking, however, as they were understaffed and the waitress never refilled our drinks. Thursday nights had a $ 10 shrimp pasta special that was yummy. Good cider selection.

I’m probably the kind of person who shouldn’t ever come here, but because of it’s proximity to the PNE for concerts I have found myself begrudgingly visiting a few times with friends for predrinks.
From the very few visits I’ve made, it has been obvious that The Press Box is a Sports Bar/​Pub with very few vegetarian options on the menu (wowee, a veggie burger!). I expect this from most places that boast chicken wing specials though. I get it, you want yer grease and sporty things. I can dig it.
This is probably fine if you are really into sports and meat, which I am not. I get that it fits the location because the PNE venues are often used for sporting events, and there is some kind of canucks store on the corner. Makes sense.
Some positive things: This is a really handsome looking pub. Everything is new. I love the brick walls and dark wood. The leather seats are a perfect addition. It all flows together nicely.
Anyways, my last visit was not one to impress. We started ordering drinks halfway through finishing the ones we were working on because we had no idea how long it would be until we saw alcohol or our server again. The place was packed (not overly crowded, but very busy). Everyone at the table I was with who ordered food seemed unimpressed with their meals and were even cracking jokes about it by the end. And these were meat eaters.
They have a decent cocktail list, but the beer selection is laughable at best. Don’t expect to try anything you haven’t tried a million times before.
So, yeah. Decide for yourself. I’m being fair and giving The Press Box 2 stars instead of 1 because I’m not their typical clientele and I realize I’m being kind of an asshole about it.

It’s a decently updated bar with a nice interior. Open brick walls and comfy leather chairs, plenty of smaller flat screens and not a bad menu. I actually think it’s the nicest bar on our side of town where most bars are dives.
But unfortunately the food is just ‘meh’ and I wasn’t impressed with the service. I had to ask no less than three times for something while we were there watching the game, and only after 2 hours did our server suddenly remember. By that time I was already thinking she has a flock of birds in her head. So it was no thanks, too late, I’ll stick with my drink.
I’m pretty sure they get to know the regulars, and seemed to be quite friendly with them. A couple of which I have to say looked as though they may (or may not be) ‘working’ there if you know what I mean?
Out of the four of us, I doubt any would return. Sad really, because it has a lot of potential, and a good location.

So I was only here once yesterday to watch ze ‘ockee game but it was pretty awesome. Game deal: $ 9.99 for a pound of wings and a beer.
I was sitting in front of the big screen and had great service. She even gave me a piping hot bowl of water with lemons in it to clean my hands after the wings were done.
The only downside is what everyone else echoes. this place is really really quiet. Even the people that solicit this place are quiet. But even though the atmosphere wasn’t buzzing (it’s on a weird strip of Hastings) the place was clean and comfy.

I love this place. It’s kind of the only bar in the area and as a result gets a strange cross section of the drinkers from east van as well as hotel guests. Throw in a Giants game, the PNE, or concert and you have yourself a party! The wait staff are AWESOME! They have an uncanny knack of remembering you the 2^nd or 3^rd time you walk in the door! Lots of TVs so it’s a great place to watch sports. And for all you UFC watchers — they don’t charge cover and you don’t have to get there at the crack of opening to secure a decent spot.
I’m guessing people are knocking stars off for their food. They’ve recently changed their menu (Jan 2010-​ish), and it’s good food. If you are looking for some kind of fancy BS kind of food — it’s a hotel pub in East Van — so… I’m not sure what you are expecting. But it’s good comfort food. Great appies. The chowder is good. the burgers are good.

First thing, I’m not sure why this is classified as a dive bar (unless my taste is that skewed). Perhaps it was classified before it’s renovations — but the place is decently slick.
However, it does feel like a dive bar or one ‘in the making’ — show up on karaōke night and you’ll know what I mean. Something about the slick design with the posh chairs seems to highlight the lonely misery of the regulars and the obnoxious, drunk out-​of-​towners staying upstairs. Unless there’s PPV event on (no cover!) or something going on at PNE — this place is DEAD.
I wanted desperately to like this place — as I live within stumbling distance (no cab!) and wanted to make this my own personal watering hole. But with the prices on-​par or more (no daily specials that I’m aware of) than better, more happening places on Commercial, I only stop by for the occasional pit-​stop before heading west. Surprised that don’t offer regular cheap drink specials/​pitchers as the place is dead most of the time — then again, they might get enough business from those going to Giants games and the hotel upstairs — those looking for convenience.
However, this is a good place to watch PPV boxing/​UFC as there are massive TVs everywhere. However, with no cover the places gets packed (standing room only) and uncomfortably warm. If you’re not a local, the rough-​and-​tumble crowd standing around holding their beer (singular) on a fight night may be unnerving as you push your way to the (clean!) washrooms.
For what it’s worth, the staff is warm and friendly but I wish the prices reflected the crowd rather than the mismatched décor. I wished it was a cheap, busy dive bar that I can call my own — instead of a run-​of-​the-​mill dead tavern that seems to gunning after PNE patrons and exploiting PPV events.

At the bottom of the Holiday Inn on Hastings and Renfrew, there is a typical hotel bar that is mostly undisturbed and quite relaxed. With the dimmed lighting and neon lit menu boards that change color, the ambiance is campy and yet mysterious. Ideal for discreet lovers cheating on their partners.
They offer dinner specials for about $ 12, and you get to eat while sitting in those large leather recliners so you can lean back and sip your beer in between bites. The service is good, but they’re especially good to their regulars, and anyone who works at PNE or the Hastings Racetrack.
Monday night they host amateur comedy, and some of the comedians are so bad that they’re funny.