BEST COMEDY EXPERIENCE
CHUCKLE. ATMOSPHERE. TICKLISHNESS.
Laughing is the greatest cure and Vancouverites need their cures whether they’re complaining about summer being too hot, the Canucks always rebuilding, or too much rain in the fall. These comedy spots and troupes know exactly what spot to tickle and make us smile.
BEST COCKTAIL EXPERIENCE
KNOWLEDGE. ATMOSPHERE. GREAT COCKTAIL.
Whether out for a simple tipple or a well-crafted cocktail, that is so much more than the sum of its parts, what is your first choice for a cocktail that makes you swoon.
Lounges, bars, hotels are all welcome.
BEST FOOD EXPERIENCE
DELICIOUSNESS. CLEANLINESS. ATMOSPHERE.
We’re looking for your best food EXPERIENCE. Price doesn’t matter, food cart to white tablecloth, but the passion most certainly does.
BEST BRUNCH EXPERIENCE
DELICIOUSNESS. CLEANLINESS. HANGOVER APPROVED.
After breakfast, before lunch or perhaps there’s a more technical explanation for it, but we’re wanting that spot where the lineup isn’t too long, the service is swift, and the selection isn’t too overwhelming. Are we dreaming or…
BEST BREWERY EXPERIENCE
KNOWLEDGE. ATMOSPHERE. GREAT BEER.
It was a craze, but now it’s a full blown obsession and every beer nerd and their friends is looking for the latest, barrel aged, hybrid IPA with sour notes… along with some salty beer snacks and some crisp craft beer gossip. What brewery ticks all the hops.
BEST SERVICE EXPERIENCE
CLEANLINESS. PROFESSIONALISM. GOOD TIMES.
Whether it’s a single operator stand or a team that looks left and delivers the pass with service that makes you feel like Norm from Cheers, “Where everyone is your friend”.
Serves food and or Beer and Liquor.
BEST DISTILLERY EXPERIENCE*
KNOWLEDGE. ATMOSPHERE. GREAT SPIRITS.
The origins of a great cocktail, start with a great spirit. A great spirit takes perseverance to nurture that great taste. A smart, well designed, distillery and friendly staff with a knowledge befitting their product does wonders as well. Vodka to Gin to Whisky, who’s serving the stiff drink you deserve.
BEST PATIO EXPERIENCE*
AL FRESCO. ATMOSPHERE. GOOD TIMES.
Open to the elements, but mostly to the sun, and whether the views are of the great outdoors, or a perfectly manicured plastic boxwood, what Vancouver patio provides a bucket of good times alongside a vital dose of vitamin D.
DJ EVENT OF THE YEAR
PERFORMED IN VANCOUVER. DJ. MIND-BLOWN.
That DJ that you’ve wanted to see for the past year, finally saw (and not on Youtube), and they delivered way beyond what you thought they would.
MANAGER OF THE YEAR
CURRENTLY EMPLOYED. PROFESSIONALISM. FRIENDLY FACE.
Those who bring a little extra magic into your life every time you see them and encourage you to part with a few more extra dollars then you intended.
Managers can be from restaurants, lounges, tasting lounges, pubs and nightclubs.
NIGHTCLUB OF THE YEAR
LOCATED IN VANCOUVER. QUALITY. OPEN FOR MORE THAN A YEAR.
The nightclub that never lets you down and consistently brings in the greatest acts from around the world, or simply the GVRD.
RESTAURANT GROUP OF THE YEAR*
SERVICE. PROFESSIONALISM. SURPRISE.
What Restaurant group delivered surprises that kept you wondering what was next, consistency that kept you coming back, and delivered it all without the overbearing of a giant corporate entity.
SOCIAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
FUN. SOCIAL. CULTURAL.
A great gathering of people that isn’t based around an entertainer, but around the straightforward assembly of a great group of people that laugh, cry and enjoy the company of others, more than their phone…
BEST ATMOSPHERE
DESIGN. CROWD. DETAILS.
Well designed venues are cropping up everywhere, but we’re looking for something a bit more… Atmosphere… When everything, and we mean everything, from the design, to the crowd, to the little details that make you simply go “Ahhhhhhhhh”.
BEST BARTENDING PERSONALITY
CURRENTLY EMPLOYED IN VANCOUVER. PROFESSIONALISM. FUN.
That smile on their face and your drink magically appearing before you’ve uttered a word, we’re looking for THAT person who is always on and isn’t overt to being a little fussy once in awhile.
BEST LATE NIGHT LOUNGE
OPEN LATE (MIDNIGHT AT LEAST). COMFORT. ATMOSPHERE. GOOD TIMES.
Clubs aren’t the only late night hangout anymore, what’s your spot that keeps you out, popping a bottle if you’re over 19, or enjoying a negroni instead of succumbing to the always infamous “Netflix and chill”.
BEST HOTEL LOUNGE
ATTACHED TO A HOTEL. QUALITY. PROFESSIONALISM.
Hotels always bring a crowd, from the suave international set, to the hipster local. What hotel lounge brings together the world and provides cocktails, nibbles and entertainment that can’t be found on the street corner.
BEST NEW DESTINATION
OPENED IN THE PAST YEAR. STILL OPEN. CROWD.
Dozens of restaurants, breweries, clubs and hotel or two open up every year, but few have what it takes to truly make a mark on their respective industry. What do you consider the best new destination that has opened in the past year?
BEST SUBCULTURE VENUE
INDEPENDENT. CULTURE. TALENT.
Fiercely independent and always pushing the edge of what might be popular in Berlin, but hasn’t crossed the shores yet and sometimes feels like they’ve just stepped over the boundary, until you realize the following year that they actually knew what they were doing.
BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE
FOCUS ON LIVE MUSIC. GOOD TIMES. ATMOSPHERE.
It may be a legendary spot, or it may be located down an alleyway. What was your favourite live music venue this past year, that made that live performance just that much better…
BEST PUB
SOLID BREWS. GOOD TIMES. ATMOSPHERE.
The hangouts be changing and pubs received a new lease on life when craft beer became a thang, and adults wanted to be out late, like after 10pm, yet didn’t want to hear chainsaws, lasers, and one continuous song for two hours… Which pub keeps you coming back, trying a new beer, hitting the top score on an arcade, and hanging with friends, like real friends, not Ross, Monica and Chandler.
BREAKOUT ARTIST OF THE YEAR
PERFORMING ARTIST. LIVES IN VANCOUVER. ENROUTE TO STARDOM.
He/She is having their “moment” as an Artist and rising to the new elite ranks of Vancouver’s DJs, Singers or Rappers. Be it fan support on a local or global level, record sales or youtube downloads, nothing will hold them back now.
*Updated for 2019
