The Keefer Bar

Had high expectations for this place but was disappointed… The bar itself has a great ambiance and likeable unpretentious staff — but I can’t say the same for the crowd. Place was filled with snooty unfriendly types. Soon as I step inside, some non Asian guy at the bar throws a comment in Chinese at me (I’m not Chinese). I ignore him but he continues to leer from across the room and we ended up in a verbal altercation that ruined my night. The staff handled it ok but there’s not enough positives to make me come back :(
The three drinks I tried were also let downs — not particularly strong nor balanced in the flavours. not sure if it was just that night? The Dragonfly is supposed to be amazing but to me and my two buddies it just felt like we were eating an entire piece of raw ginger.

This place has unique cocktail concoctions. Cool vibe too. Also had real xrays in the restrooms. Ordered the unpredicted season and zen and love, which are both good. Place does get super loud as the night goes on. My friend had a bloody ming, which is a twist on bloody mary with guava juice replacing the tomato juice, which was really good as well. Overall, cool vibe and decent service. Our waitress also gave out great recommendations to other cocktail bars in the area.

Not sure what the fuss is about? I’ve tried drinks here on five different occasions with different groups of people and I have always had the same experience:
1) The cocktails are barely drinkable, everyone I have come with said the same. Not tasty at all, and we love our booze. But try it for yourself!
2) The service is nonexistent on the weekends. Expect to wait 25min+ for drinks.
3) The drinks are crazy expensive, or seemed to be once we got our bill.

Poor service, waitresses were not attentive. Everytime I come here there is something the service gets wrong. Won’t come back.

Place to be for a date kinda place. Nice, dark interior, deco and vibes. Solid food and drink but the stools at the table are super uncomfortable for dining but make it great for mingling.
the X Ray deco in the washrooms were unique and I had a satisfying leak before I left

Love coming here on Wednesday nights for their $ 5 Rosemary gimlet specials. 2 oz for only $ 5– what a steal! And it tastes amazing too.
Food here is also quite good and flavours are on point for a fusion restaurant. Been here quite a few times for their happy hour which is 2 for 1 appetizers. I even brought my dad here last year for dinner and he thought the Asian flavours were pretty good for a fusion place. Cocktails are awesome and they are quite well known for it.
They have a great little patio outside, albeit really small. On sunny days make sure you come early to snag a seat. I always enjoyed those cooler days sitting outside by the outdoor fireplace.
You really can’t go wrong here. Fantastic for years.

When people think Chinese cuisine, they usually think of a not-​too-​fancy restaurant with family-​style stir fries, noodles etc. They don’t think cocktail bar and that’s what I like about this place!
Keefer Bar is serving up unique Chinese-​inspired craft cocktails with cute details such as fortune cookie crusted cocktail glasses and ingredients like red ginseng tincture, immunity tincture and black tea syrup! Everything here is very unique and I like that they have tasting notes next to them.
It’s a narrow bar but I like it because you can see all the action at the bar and there’s a big back room for groups too.
This is the perfect spot for a date or quick drinks before or after dinner! I’ll be back!

The Keefer has been a favorite of mine for years… but tonight I was sorely disappointed on several levels. The service was slow and nonchalant, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they were short staffed.
However, they cocktails were VERY WATERED DOWN. I don’t mean «the ice melted a bit while they were waiting at the bar». I mean «there is no way 2 oz of liquor (let alone the 3 oz as advertised for some of their drinks) made it into either of our glasses». We had a new cocktail from the current Winter Seasonal menu (the Canadian… something) and one from the Alumni menu. Both were described as ‘Strong’. Both were as weak as a cheap night-​club drink.
At $ 13 and $ 14 each I expect a decent cocktail, especially at a place that prides itself (or at least used to) on making great drinks.
Just two days ago I recommended the Keefer to a bunch of colleagues visiting from out of town. Now I feel like a tool for suggesting a place that will likely fall well short of their expectations (especially after I described my many past wonderful experiences there).
I’m holding out hope that the bartender was new (or having an off night), but fear one of my most beloved joints is now just cutting corners. I’ve always stayed for several rounds of fantastic, unique cocktails. Tonight, though, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough to go home an make a ‘real’ cocktail.

Great place to get some delicious cocktails and finger food. My personal favorite cocktails are the Keefer 75 and Zen & Love. I really like the ambient and is perfect for going with friends for some drinks. If you are hungry and want some food I like ordering the pork steam buns.

FIVE STARS for their cocktails. Boozy to the max. Yum.
I don’t think I’ve ever had their food before (but it seems like over-​priced Asian-​fusion anyway…)

Always a good time. Always a cool crowd. Always top notch bartenders. If there’s one bar in town I’d go for my last drink, it’s this one.
Some might think its narrow hallway design is too small. I say good. Stay away. The close quarters to your neighbours is what makes this place.
Usually I sit at the bar to watch the magic happen. It’s like watching a chef or a pharmacist actually make the medicine back in the old days.
Although sometimes reserved for groups, the back room is a good time too. Mingling just happens. One of the few places in Vancouver where people are friendly, not just nice.
The mirrors on the way to the washrooms are a built in sobriety test. I failed. I thought I ran into someone else. It was myself. Mirrors 1. Me 0.

So, my cocktail drinking friend dragged me back to Gastown/​Chinatown.
I’m a beer drinker, but they had a good selection of bottled beer. for example Singha.Tiger.
They also had a decent whiskey selection, so I tried the Jameson Reserve. very tasty
Is this place any different from the numerous cocktail bars? To be honest, not really. but they do have a really cool medical theme

Cocktails!!! The Keefer has been my go-​to for a few years now, ever since I stumbled on it on my way to Bao Bei. The exterior is pretty low-​key and it can be easy to walk right by it (I did!).
I love the quirky interior and the staff are so knowledgeable and friendly. It’s got such a great vibe any night of the week — mellow and relaxed on weeknights and poppin off on weekends!
The cocktails are all delicious and really well priced compared to a lot of the newer cocktail bars in town. I LOVE the Dragon Fly, it’s got the perfect amount of sweet and tart. It was actually a long time before I actually tried the food but it’s super yummy! Try the duck sliders!
Careful, their drinks are strong!

Enjoy a unique cocktail the Keefer’s odd, dark atmosphere. Prices are high, but it’s worth a visit for the experience. Beware: the drinks are STRONG. Most are doubles or triples.

A message buried deep in the voluminous cocktail menu says everything some people will need to know about The Keefer Bar:
«CAUTION… Almost all Keefer Bar Cocktails are doubles… some are triples… Ask your Bartenders».
I was already well into my second Wenxu ($ 12 Canadian; Finlandia Vodka, Grapefruit, Lemon, Ginger, Red Ginseng Tincture, Soda), seeing double while trying to read the cocktail menu, before spying this cautionary note. I had not asked my bartender.
The Chinatown-​based, dimly lit Keefer Bar will reel you in and entice you with tinctures, spirits, Chinese apothecary ingredients, and things that might’ve been present in a seedy, back-​alley medical office in days of yore. A sign above the bar reads «Medical Center» and opening the cocktail menu brings you to a page labelled «list of Remedies and Cures». Heal me Dr. Keefer.
From a glass of water flavored with a cinnamon tincture to an Ireland inspired «Taste the Rainbow» whiskey flight ($ 25 Canadian; Jameson Reserve, Greenspot, Bushmill 16) to the eyedroppers employed by the pharmacist/​bartenders, the Keefer Bar is a find. Not a hidden find, but the «I’m so glad I found this place» type of find.
With dinner reservations elsewhere I had no opportunity to sample their inspired small plates menu nor was I able to partake in their Sunday thru Friday 5 — 7 p.m. Happy Hour (2 for 1 food, cocktail specials, and $ 5 beer and whiskey specials). If you’re coming early, any day but Saturday will expose you to those deals and they’re good ones.
In the early evening, Keefer Bar was sparsely inhabited and I observed from my stool at the bar as the bartenders went about their business, juicing, slicing, shaking and boiling. I engaged one long enough to learn the most popular Keefer Bar Cocktail, the Rosemary Gimlet, but failed to inquire of its strength. I’ll leave that up to you.
For perfectly executed, inventive cocktails which taste fabulous get thyself to a specialist: The doctors at Keefer Bar will heal what ails you.

I expected this place to be super snobby but was pleasantly surprised by the casual, comfortable atmosphere. Of course we didn’t go during a busy hour so that may make the difference.
It was a bit pricey but I would say it was worth it.

Great ambience, great food, great drinks and great promos during the happy hour.
I tried couple drinks and they are all well made. The food is not so different. The pork bun was good and the duck sliders were amazing! As dessert, the Chinese churros with dulce de leche is a great choice. I prefer the dough from the Mexican churros, but I can’t complain about the Chinese one.
I went during the happy hour (until 7pm) And I could have 2 food orders for the price of 1 and drinks with half of the regular price. So good!
Cool décor, cozy restaurant. Great place for those who love drinks.

Cool place
When I was looking at this place from the outside, I couldn’t tell if I’m at the right place. I had to ask the hostess if I’m at the right place, pretty embarrassing. It’s a skinny and long place, so it’s actually pretty roomy. The washroom is interesting, gotta check that out! This is a really cool place

Such great cocktails!
A group of us went and sat out on the patio on a sunny late Saturday afternoon. We had a few drinks and everything was really tasty, interesting and unique. They really care about the craft in cocktail making there.
Pro tip: The patio is nice, but the neighborhood isn’t and there are a lot of randoms and scaries that walk by sometimes harassing you. We saw two (and one in particular was very aggressive and scary) in the span of an hour. Might not be the wisest choice for some people. Inside seemed very nice though!

What a cool joint! Getting there was a bit of an adventure as my cabbie didn’t know the difference between Keefer Pl, Keefer St and Keefer the bar… we got it sorted out though.
There’s a great patio area out front but the tables are bolted down so for a large group it’s a little awkward making sure everyone is seated comfortably with easy reach of a table. One note though that the patio closes at 11:40 pm because of waking up the neighbours… wherever they are.
The drinks are great and creative. They have a chinatown theme to it at least in garnishing each drink with some herb acquired around the corner. The Dragonfly is just the bomb, featuring a very fresh ginger flavour. My first drink contained Nigori sake and simple syrup but didn’t taste too special. Still, I’d love to be back to try many other offerings.