here are beer bars, there are cute, themed cocktail spots, and then there are the resto-bars for the people who understand the differing design signifiers of the two. If you understood that sentence and seek the Gastown vibe, Six Acres is likely your style.

The first thing you’ll notice about the space is that it’s unabashedly stylish - hardly a given in the chin-stroking world of Gastown cafés, where pandering to the norm is often seen as a cop-out. Pulsing with its own sweet energies, the gorgeously designed brick-walled space elevates Six Acres into its own right. Heavy wood tables and front bay windows – which peer out on the Gassy Jack statue and Gastown parade - animate the loft-like room to much delight.

Six Acres serves up fresh cocktails, whiskeys, wines and spirits, but really specializes in a healthy selection of import and micro-brew beers. There are 34 bottled beers alone. And don't so many people deserve a rare beer? Discuss this point with friends over a Hobgoblin dark ale. If you're not part of the cult of micro-brew beers, don't even bother trying to understand what a really hugely big deal having the best beer selection means in Vancouver.

Owners - Claire Hutchings, Tyler Quantz, Silas Straathof and Corben Winsield - have worked mightily on Six Acres’ tapas-based menu lineup. First up on the card are the signature Miyagi “tacos” - plates of little leaves of nori with rice and various toppings. Sounds weird, but the “Wax On” ($6.75) is a top-shelf tuna punched up with sweet spring onion and much-too-hot wasabi mayo. A maple-smoked wild salmon variety ($6.75) is a good great choice, helped along with seasoned mushrooms. The “Jackie Okonomiyaki” ($6.75) is a Japanese-style pancake with toppings.

Six Acres devotes part of its menu to quesadillas ($5.75), light flour tortillas layered with mozzarella and cheddar cheese and other fillings. In size, they are like small mains; in spirit, they win us over because they somehow retain their Mexican identity even with their new hipster enhancements. The Pollo’s Demise, for example, is a quesadilla stuffed with smoked turkey, roasted red peppers and sharp cheddar; Mr. Bean’s Suitcase comes with a mess of refried black beans, spring onions, mozza & aged Gouda. And the ongoing fave seems to be the “Smokey the Mexican Bear,” a simple filling made savoury with seasoned mushrooms, spring onion, mozzarella and cheddar cheese.