What Uva Wine and Cocktail Bar Is
Uva has held the corner of Seymour and Smithe since around 2008, a small candle lit room attached to the Moda Hotel lobby. Viaggio Hospitality runs it as an Italian caffe by day and a wine and cocktail bar by night.
The bar pedigree is the story. Lauren Mote ran this program before winning Diageo World Class Canada; Sabrine Dhaliwal ran it when Vancouver Magazine named her Bartender of the Year in 2017.
The Georgia Straight handed Uva its Golden Plates gold for best wine bar year after year through the 2010s. Small room, long shadow.
Reading the Room
One compact room of marble, mirrors, and candlelight, with the Orpheum two blocks away.
No reservations; seats turn over with the theater schedule. Couples fit. Groups of six do not.
The Menu, Edited
Nothing on the list needs avoiding. Budget $20 to $30 a person before food, per Restaurant Guru.
Who Shows Up, and When
Pre theater pours dominate from 6pm on Orpheum show nights.
The room settles after 8pm into hotel guests and downtown regulars.
Walk in, take the marble bar over the window seats, and let the bartender steer.
What Regulars Say
- Georgia Straight Golden Plates voters named it Vancouver's best wine bar across multiple consecutive years.
- Tripadvisor reviewers single out the staff for steering well; the eggplant parmigiana and scallop linguine recur in the food praise.
- Google reviews sit near 4.2 across a couple hundred ratings. The complaint pattern is size, not quality.
- Vancouver Magazine's 2017 Bartender of the Year award went to then bar manager Sabrine Dhaliwal, per My VanCity.
Who It Is For
- A date before an Orpheum show.
- BC wine curious drinkers who want a guide.
- Avoid with a group; the room seats conversation, not parties.
Before You Go
No reservations at any size. Cards accepted; the caffe side opens earlier than bar service, so confirm timing at 604 632 9560 before a special trip.
Vancouver City Centre station sits three minutes away. The Wednesday and Thursday half price bottle list is the best wine value downtown.
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