This is not to say the place doesn’t have its handicaps: There is a seemingly random picket fence that divides the “pub” part from the “restaurant” part - meaning you can’t walk from one to the other with a drink in hand - courtesy of ever-illogical local liquor laws. Sitting on the outdoor patio guarantees you’ll be hit up repeatedly for spare change and smokes by passing riffraff and the toilets often smell like they’ve been in constant use since the nineteenth century.

But for pub patrons who like their diamonds a little rough around the edges, the place can’t be beat. – A.F.

Patio Noise _________________________

The wrong-side-of-the-tracks vibe ends on The Cambie home-y patio, which serves up all the best in domestication – in the guise of cocktail, food and sweet warm vibes. The Cambie’s well-worn patio may be many worlds away from Starbucks territory, and - on the surface - it may not look like much. But this modest little Gastown retreat induces an on-the-spot ease, and the clientele spans the gamut of age, ethnic backgrounds, and partying proficiency. With a kind of DIY elegance, it manages to mix the parlor of the local hideout with the playfulness of Aunt Marge’s cottage. – S.W.