Nestled in between the Lions @ Lair arcade and Hostelling International Vancouver, Johnnie Fox’s Irish Snug welcomes you with a bright red door and merry tunes. The bartender yells hello as you walk in the door and patrons raise a glass to newcomers.

Located in the middle of the Granville Strip, the Irish Snug is one of those places that can lure someone in dire need of a pint and some grub. Always busy with servers becoming marathon walkers whisking food up, down, left, right and centre, somehow they still make time to make you feel alright.

You think by having such a small amount of space, customers-alike would get turned off, however, there’s a different tale here with customers actually encouraged to join each other and make new friends for the night. What can start out as two buddies hanging out can easily turned into a party of eight.

The menu is full of the regular pub fare on offer. Things like pizza, burgers, pasta and appies round out the choices quite nicely. I tried the Salmon Burger ($10.50) - high performance at a modest price - available with half fries and half a salad (I have come to judge restaurants by their willingness to offer this little substitute). This burger is not something you can eat delicately, but pushes every taste button and is transformed by the act of being eaten, so by the time you reach the end, your taste buds feel exhausted.

My date had the Baked Mac and Cheese ($7.50), which he also got with half fries and half a salad. Typical comfort food, so no surprises here, if not a bit heavy, but still cheesy good. Oddly, neither of the salads came with dressing, nor was any offered at any point throughout the meal, which left them as the least appetizing part.