Our Take on The Blarney Stone
The Blarney Stone has anchored 216 Carrall Street since 1972, which makes it the longest running Irish pub in Vancouver by the pub's own count. Early evening it pours what Tripadvisor reviewers call the best pint of Guinness in the city; by 11pm on a weekend it is a dance floor.
You time your night here, you do not just show up. Come at 7pm for the pint and the shepherd's pie, or come at 10pm for the band and stay until 3am. The two visits are different bars wearing the same room.
Reading the Room
The room is a Gastown heritage hall a block from Maple Tree Square, built for volume: long bar, stage, and floor space that converts from dinner service to dancing as the night turns.
Gastown.org lists it as the district's standby for live music, and the conversion happens fast after 10pm. Pick your hour accordingly.
What to Order First
Who Shows Up, and When
Friday at 10pm The Sheets take the stage; Saturday it is The Shenanigans, the long standing house band, per the pub's own listings. Both sets run Celtic tunes into pop and rock, and the floor fills fast.
Earlier in the evening the crowd is pub normal: tourists off the Gastown steam clock route, regulars, and game day spillover. After midnight it is a young, loud, dancing room until 3am.
The Pattern in the Reviews
- OpenTable diners rate it 4.3 across 112 reviews and consistently praise the bands and the energy.
- The recurring complaint is the late night shift: cover charges and a nightclub feel after a certain hour. The reviewers who hate it came at the wrong time for what they wanted.
- St. Patrick's Day here is a city event. Reviewers advise arriving before noon if you are serious about it.
Go If, Skip If
- 01Band nights and birthdays that want a dance floor with a Guinness in hand.
- 02An early evening proper pint in a heritage room before Gastown gets loud.
- 03Skip it after 10pm if you wanted a quiet pub. It stops being one, on schedule, every weekend.
Inside the Room
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