355 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Welcome, HB.

I don't think many here work in the places that are reviewed but some may have worked in the industry and throw their experiences into the mix

As for the demographics, the age span is fairly large. There are teenagers registered here as are retirees. The topics covered on this forum interest a large variety of individuals from all walks of life, age groups and political backgrounds.

[G-Man]

Hi Homebrewer,

I would say that we have a pretty good age range. As young as 16, I think and well all the way up from there.

I think there are actual networking groups for newbies but I don't know their names. Anyways we are a pretty friendly bunch on here so hopefully we will at least give you an opening to people in your new home.

[VicHockeyFan]

Irish Times had a lineup prior to 9am this morning. They'll open at 9 today. They have wisely covered their patio with tents.

Happy St. Paddys Day everyone!

[amor de cosmos]

Having an Irish wife, I have spent countless nights in Irish pubs.. in Ireland. Victoria's Irish Times I'm afraid is a bit of Disneyland, although they do pour a good pint. What I dislike most about the Irish Times is how every square inch of wall space is covered in bright and shiny images of Ireland, from pictures of the Old Country to Guiness adverts, etc. It's as if they bought out an Irish tourist shop and plastered it's contents throughout the building. In a typical pub in Ireland you won't find that!!

i think that's exactly right. i doubt that an actual pub in ireland would have so much "irish" stuff all over the walls. i can easily picture a "canadian pub" in ireland with hockey gear all over the walls! :-D they just try too hard to make it "irish" there & the food sucks too (imho). (what kind of "irish" pub serves... jerk chicken... pizza...?) however they do have a good selection of beers there which can't be found everywhere though.

my favourite pubs are d'arcy's & the monkey tree. d'arcy's for wings (esp sweet chili), monkey tree for burgers. :tup: other good ones are the beagle, maude hunter's, christie's carriage house, gorge point...

[Holden West]

i can easily picture a "canadian pub" in ireland with hockey gear all over the walls!

There are bars exactly like that in [url=http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=140&article=38190&archive=true:6be81]Tokyo[/url:6be81] and in [url=http://www.tgcparis.com/en/index.html:6be81]Paris[/url:6be81] and [url=http://www.timeout.com/london/bars/reviews/6051.html:6be81]London[/url:6be81]! :-D

[VicHockeyFan]

^ Darned, right away before I even clicked the link I knew it was the Maple Leaf in London.

[Rorschach]

You know I was in Irish Times for lunch the other day and had the delicious pizza and a pint special and I noticed that the walls were not plastered with Irish stuff on every open space as zoomer claimed. There were a few things, but having recently visited the Six Mile Pub, a real Canadian pub if there ever was one, the walls WERE plastered with stuff everywhere.

You'll have to go there before deciding what's a proper Irish Pub or what's a proper Canadian Pub. There are indeed a lot of pubs in Ireland and most are dumps. Some are pretty good, but far more expensive than we have here if that's possible and the Irish pubs have all sorts of food items you'd never think of eating in a pub.

It's not the decorations or the food that make a pub a pub. It's the neighborhood of friends and the general positive atmosphere that will make or break a pub. If it's a place you want to go and gather to eat and drink with others regularly, it's a good pub.

The Irish Times does their beer and their food quite well and they have great service performed by attractive people. I really like it. I like the Six Mile's food, but the atmosphere is a bit darker and older (it's the oldest pub in B.C.). And since the Irish Times is walking distance for me and I have to drive to View Royal to go to the Six Mile, I prefer the Irish Times. I'm obviously not alone in this.

I meet different people there all the time, often tourists, and strike up friendly conversations. It's a very nice place to go in Victoria. The vast selection of beer (all poured in the proper way in the proper glass) and food is an extra and it's very tasty. Try that pizza and try the jerk chicken -- it's great. Sure, someone doesn't like it, but that's not the end of the story.

[amor de cosmos]

bah, i still dont like irish times very much, except their beer selection. it just feels too much like it's been set up.

[Rorschach]

If it not to your taste, I can't respond. However, it does not have every wall covered with Irish stuff. As far as the set up, they disassembled an actual Irish pub in Ireland and re-assembled it in Victoria. The food items you said didn't belong in a pub are delicious. The service is great and the servers attractive. There is a nice crowd of nice people there every day. But, there is no accounting for taste. Not every pub is for everyone. Perhaps you can let us know about your favorite pub and why you like it. Start a new topic with the name of your favorite pub and have at it. I'll probably give it a try.

[amor de cosmos]

d'arcy's for (sweet chili) wings, monkey tree for burgers & chocolate suicide cake. i've had the kalamari, fish & chips & a couple of the desserts at irish times before; the kalamari sucked, the fish & chips & desserts were average if you ask me. i went one sunday night & the 'irish jam' (i think that's what they called it) was really good with lots of fast fiddling; other times i haven't liked the music so much. so the beers are good & the music can be good. the irish stuff all over the walls is too much for me though.

[G-Man]

Halibut Burger at the Beagle. That is my only pub addiction that I can think of...

[m0nkyman]

In twenty years, The Irish Times will be well enough lived in that the snobs will like it.

[Holden West]

CHANGES AT UVIC'S FELICITA'S PUB

C-FAX News
Aug 19, 2007

STUDENTS RETURNING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH FELICITA'S PUB WILL NOTICE SOME CHANGES THIS FALL.

THE PUB'S LIQUOR LICENCE WAS SUSPENDED TWICE IN MAY AND NOW CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO ENSURE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN.

STUDENT SOCIETY CHAIRPERSON TRACY HO SAYS THE HOUSE POLICIES HAVE BEEN POSTED ON THE PUB'S DOORS, MENUES AND TENT CARDS AND ARE MUCH MORE 'BLACK AND WHITE'. "NO INTOXICATED PATRONS ALLOWED ON THE PREMISES, NO MINORS, NO I-D NO ENTRY, NO DRINKING OUT OF PITCHERS, NO OUTSIDE DRINKS ALLOWED AND NO SMOKING ON THE OUTSIDE PATIO AS PER THE NEW BYLAW."

HO SAYS SOME BEER PRICES HAVE GONE UP TO DISCOURAGE A CULTURE OF 'BINGE DRINKING'.

SHE ALSO SAYS PUB STAFF HAVE RECEIVED UP TO DATE TRAINING THROUGH THE PROVINCE'S 'SERVING IT RIGHT' PROGRAM.

- NIKKI EWANYSHYN

In other words, they'll now be conforming to the rules other local pubs have been obeying for the last 20 years? WTF?!

[G-Man]

Article in today's TC sayd that Matt McNeill (Irish Times) has bought the old CIBC building at Fort and Government and plans to turn it into another pub called Banker's Hall Pub. Should it get passed by council it would open in the Spring.

Sounds like a better use of space than a Christmas Store, I just hope that it will have the customer base that must have been a pretty penny to buy that building.

[VicHockeyFan]

Article in today's TC sayd that Matt McNeill (Irish Times) has bought the old CIBC building at Fort and Government and plans to turn it into another pub called Banker's Hall Pub. Should it get passed by council it would open in the Spring.

Sounds like a better use of space than a Christmas Store, I just hope that it will have the customer base that must have been a pretty penny to buy that building.

I thought the cops said no more liquor licenses downtown.

[Holden West]

^Which is about as successful as the "no more highrises" campaign. [url=http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=a42bcbc2-6365-42c6-baaf-bd3583667eab&k=31349:a3741]Click the link[/url:a3741] for the story and a good slideshow.

[G-Man]

They meant no more seats for locals. These would be for tourists. Geez you guys don't pay attention at all.

[Galvanized]

Is he able to move the license from the bar below Wharfside?

[amor de cosmos]

here's the article about that Matt MacNeil guy:
http://www.canada.co... ... 0c&k=49233

If these new pubs are going to be anything like Irish Times I'm not looking forward to them. Real pubs don't have staff in uniforms. & why do they have to have a theme? Isn't "Canadian pub" good enough? I've never been to the Penny Farthing. Is it snobby olde-british-style because it's in Oak Bay?

[VicHockeyFan]

Is he able to move the license from the bar below Wharfside?

He has his hands on the license for an old cabaret near StreetLink. That's the "undisclosed" one that he (doesn't) talk about in the article. It was going to be moved to JellyFish Lounge, but when police were gonna put the kibosh on that, JellyFish went food-primary with an audience participation allowance (karaoke, dancing, trivia, fashion shows etc.). Food-primary is easy to get, just open a restaurant and you get one. Having said that, Earl's recently got busted for serving way too many drinks for their food-primary license and is getting a big fine if they lose at the hearing. One of the deals on food-primary is that you only lewt in 10% more people than you have seats for. If your place starts to look like a nightclub with folks milling all over the place (see: Sauce on a Friday night), you might be in trouble.