Happy Hour at ARC Dining

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a good Happy Hour.

Believe it or not, we didn’t always have Happy Hour in Vancouver, it’s a relatively new thing that only happened about 10 years ago. So maybe it still feels a bit exotic to me? And that’s part of the appeal? I also do love a good deal, though, and let’s be super for real, as I get older, I just want to be home in my jammies on the couch at 9 pm and Happy Hour does all those things.

In Downtown Vancouver, we have some great Happy Hours. I am a huge fan of the one at Chop and I’m pretty regularly at Lift. The Mushroom Toast at Tableau is legendary.

But I recently got to the Happy Hour at ARC Dining in the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel and was very pleasantly surprised.

First off, the room is really, really big, but it still somehow manages to feel super cozy. There are massive floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over Canada Place and the cruise ship terminal, which, at this time of the year, is all twinkling lights and north shore mountains.

The service is way, way out of the park. Here’s the thing: it’s a hotel bar. Not just any hotel, but a Fairmont. Service is their thing, and here, they have it in spades.

Okay, let’s talk food and drinks. Happy Hour is so named because it usually comes with a glass of wine, and the offerings here are all local, sourced from the Okanagan. We’re here for it! If you’d rather a cocktail, they are also heavily Canadian in their influence, sourcing Canadian ryes and whiskeys. The gin used is hyper local; it’s a collab with Wayward, and it includes honey sourced from the apiaries on the hotel’s roof.

If you’re driving or not imbibing, they also have some thoughtful mocktails that will make you feel like you’re celebrating, but without the booze.

The food menu is extensive and has lots of vegetarian and even vegan options. It ranges from small bites to full meals, like the “Adult Happy Meal” which consists of a Grey Goose Martini and Truffle Fries. There are also burgers; an omni one, a vegetarian one, and also everyone’s favourite rainy day food, grilled cheese and tomato soup.

We tried a bunch of share plates/appies, which included the Mezze Spread, which consisted of various dips (hummus, tzatziki), olives and breads, the Cauliflower, and the Crispy Oyster Mushrooms.

These were all so good! I love the mix of flavours and textures on the Mezze Plate, and I simply can’t stop thinking about the Crispy Oyster Mushrooms. They were basically a vegan calamari and they were so crispy and good all the way through, I couldn’t stop eating them. the cauliflower is a bit spicy, kind of a Korean Fried Cauliflower vibe.

The menu changes often, and seasonally. I remember being here for Happy Hour in the summer and having a pretty great guacamole.

All around, I was super impressed by the Happy Hour at ARC Dining, so if you’re looking to get off your couch and get out into the world this dark rainy February, I highly recommend it.