The Old Ivy Brewery & Taproom

Great beers in a casual atmosphere. Went with my wife for a taster tray and some cribbage. I’ll definitely be going back.

Updating my review. Since the original review in 2012, the ownership of this venue has changed hands. I cautiously tried it again once I learned that. To my amazement, the place was well run, delicious and had many beers and ciders to choose from.
I’ve been back 3 time since, highly recommended for DT Vancouver.

The beer was good, the service was friendly if slow. The one server seemed to be on her own so no fault of hers. The food was really pretty awful. We had the spinach artichoke dip which was totally bland, the soup which was described as a baked bean soup tasted and looked like vegan chili with no seasoning at all. The burgers were mediocre at best for $ 11. We are not fussy eaters and were very hungry at the time. We were really surprised and disappointed by how lame the food was.

Nice little space. Some outdoor seating though not covered or heated. Not sure if dogs are welcome.
Next door is a bottle shop. A block or so away from Little Italy’s. Not too far from Esther Short Park.
Been in a few times now. Bar seating is our choice. Nice beer selection. Nice staff; friendly, suggestive.
Definitely going back!
Pretty sure they fill growlers also…

Been here a few times now. Very friendly service and great beer selection. Good, unique, in-​house brews. I really like the look of the place and the relaxed atmosphere. Decent prices too!

A tad bit less than a laid back vibe. Love the patio though.

I’ll leave this short and bittersweet. Your bartender greeted us and was professional throughout our too short of a visit. We are both Washingtonians and have been making our rounds to the Vancouver breweries. We walked in at exactly 9:25 on a Thursday night, hungry and thirsty. We studied the fairly awesome drink menu. Bartender gave us the right amount of time and then asked if we were hungry… very hungry actually. He said give me one moment I have to check in with my kitchen. He came back and made us aware that the kitchen was closed. I said, it’s only 9:30, you’re open until 11pm right? He apologized twice. No problem we said, he offered suggestions towards other open establishments. We said thanks and left… Dear manager, owner or whoever, your bartender was professional and courteous. Your kitchen was closed over an hour and a half from your advertised hours. It’s Thursday night… There are people walking around in the streets, it’s warm out, you’re missing the opportunity to capture true drinkers out and about. You owe your bartender an apology, not only are you complicating his job, he has now missed out on good tips and easy to please customers whom also are members of this community and industry. I really dislike giving out reviews like this but I feel it’s the only way to reach through to the owners who are ultimately responsible. Best of luck to you guys, I guess we will come back if we ever feel like having a beer and grub in the middle of the afternoon, which is never…

This place has so much potential, the beer is great, food is good and the service is adequate. but when he comes to the ambience the cheap furniture and the lack of decore on the walls cheapens the whole experience. With that being said the Cortez burger is one of the best burgers in town.

We were in a few weeks ago again. and I had the roast beef dip sandwich which was excellent! The roast beef was slow cooked and on a toasted baquette with horseradish sauce — YUM. Dipped in their flavorful, warm au jus… mmm my mouth is watering again just writing about it. The only thing that they could’ve improved on is maybe add some raw or grilled onions to it, but I’d bet they’d throw some in next time if I’d ask.

Holy hidden gems, Batman! They brew their own beer! 8 of their own stuff! Which was really good. I recon the house IPA and NUTORIOUS F.I.G. AND they have a crazy addition of 17 more taps of other high end brews and ciders??? Rad! Food is pub grub done right! This place is an unsung hero of bounty.

Really nice beers. The Big Newton Imperial Brown has a great balance for a beer of this style. I’m a fan of all the beers they make using figs.
The food we had was seriously good and we are likely to return just for that. Looking forward to trying the pulled pork and the burgers!
Cheers

My hubby and I enjoyed a good cider and a spinach artichoke dip as an appetizer. We love this location and the outside patio is a perfect summertime hangout to enjoy a cold beer. My husband swears that their burgers are the best he has ever tasted. I like the digital display of what is on tap and how much of it is remaining. Kid friendly!

I like this place. I appreciate what Arlene and her husband have done for the beer scene in Vancouver. The bottle shop next door is awesome.
As far as the taproom goes, it’s good but it’s not great. The décor is kind of boring. The service is good. The food is good. The beer is okay.
I’m not a fan of the place as a brewery honestly. The guest taps are usually pretty varied and good but nothing over the top special.
It’s a cool spot but I feel like there is a lot of wasted potential. I honestly prefer the old By the Bottle next door when they had the bar in the back and Angelo of Brewpublic was helping select the kegs. That’s just more of what I’m looking for in a beer place.
With Portland so close, it really takes a special place to keep me in Vancouver for craft brews. I love to support our local city economy but I also want a quality product so I’m often at odds with this place. I still support it from time to time.

Every time we come in the food and service is top notch. If you are in downtown Vancouver you need to stop by and check this establishment out.

Didn’t even know this place existed until we stumbled upon it after going into By the Bottle, and the woman running the store said we should try it since it’s just next door.
We had eaten a light lunch up the street, so we just ordered two 12 oz. beers and a pretzel with beer cheese and stone ground mustard. I had the El Gourdo (pumpkin spice) and my hubby had the red ale. The beer is worth 4-​stars for sure, but the pretzel was very dry and the beer cheese it was served with was lukewarm.
The overall vibe in the place was a bit sterile… needed some music to combat the hushed tones at the bar. The woman behind the bar was charming and was the overall star of Old Ivy. She was happy to offer samples and was proud of their food offerings so walked us through how everything was scratch-​made.
One major drawback that I think the owner needs to correct, they have six beers that they brew on-​site, but they don’t have a taster/​flight offering. Yes, you can get a small sample tasting of anything you’d like, but in a brewery, it’s nice to sit down with a sampler and just enjoy the nuances of each beer at your leisure.

I was skeptical. I came to this location several years ago and remember food/​beer was ok at best. Today we shared a burger. My parents had the French dip. Plus they had the chili. Everything was delicious. There is a nice rounded part of the bar that we bellied up to and we were sti able to easily converse. Even better… They had the Seahawks game on.
I love (non sweet) pumpkin beer. This hit the spot!

It’s off the beaten path in Vancouver, but is still very walkable in downtown. They have a cute beer garden and lots of options on tap. The bartender was very fun and our group had a nice time.
We came on a Saturday evening and stayed for a few hours. Their interactive taproom is a fun addition to the bar. The place is cute and is a nice, local bar.
Attire– it’s Vancouver. You can come in yoga pants or dressed up for a date and feel comfortable. You can come on a bike, Harley, car, truck, scooter, or horse and fit in.
Prices– very fair!

If you are the type of person…
That REALLY loves burgers, and you swear you are the best burger judge! Come try there moo-​oink burger it is spectacular!
Wonderful beer good service and nice clean ambiance.

This place could be so much better. Seriously — it could be killing it. But it’s not and I’ll tell you why.
The Good:
* Great beer selection. If you’re looking for something different from the other taps in town, and is properly poured by knowledgeable staff, this is the place.
* Great location and a nice little courtyard between the restaurant and kitchen.
* Right next door to a great little bottle shop.
Needs work:
* First, they need to pay attention to their online presence. They are now called the Old Ivy Tap Room… right? Well, they haven’t gotten around to changing anything on Foursquare, Unilocal or anywhere else online… so it’s not ever going to get folks in the door if they can’t find them on their smartphones!
* Sometimes some of the staff can be rude. I had 3 women I was meeting for a work meeting and they were turned right away by the guy’s attitude… you NEED women in your establishment in this industry. Especially at a nerdy beer bar.
* Do they serve food? I don’t know, I’ve never been offered a menu. Never. In about a half dozen visits.
They have a nitro tap, but don’t hook it up. What a travesty for a specialized beer place. I know there are space considerations, but you could pull one of the 10 million IPA’s offline instead, you know?
All of these things lead to confusion about whether patronizing the place is a good idea because of questions like «are they open?» «are they closing?» «can I eat there?» «is it female friendly?» «I was looking for Salmon Creek!» «is there happy hour?» «can I grab lunch on lunch break?»
Like I said, if you want a good beer, try it. Just call ahead and see if they are open and if you’re hungry, make sure to ask them first if they have a kitchen running.

A perfect place for a local pint and great conversation! We stopped in with a local beer expert who we met earlier in he evening at the Loowit brewery. He recommended this place as a great place to sample a variety of local breweries, and it did not disappoint! We also heard that they might be pouring one of their own beers, bit unfortunately the IPA’s tap had blown bu the time we got there (rumor has it they have a delicious res in the pipeline). I had a dry hopped pale ale from double mountain and I sampled Heathen brewery’s Megadonk.
We also had some delicious dinner… I had the B.L.T.A (bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado). They offered a side salad as a substitute for the chips for no charge. My friend had a burger with spinach artichoke dip on it and it was a great combo (although it does sound strange). They had some other great sounding stuff on then menu; especially the MooOink burger which is a 50% beef and 50% bacon patty!
I can’t wait to go back and try more beers from breweries in the Portland area!