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If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled "cheap" and the other labeled "awesome", the middle point where they cross over could be labeled "Vancouver on the Cheap". In other words, this is a weekly series on things to do and places to go in Vancouver that fall into that magical category of being both cheap and awesome. |
Alright folks, I honestly never thought I'd be writing a Vancouver on the Cheap post about a Donnelly pub, but all my preconceived notions were smacked aside the other day when I was walking down Broadway and saw this sign in front of The Academic:
There are two things to notice here: $7 weekend brunch AND $8 daily lunch special. I snapped a photo of the sign so I wouldn't forget this deal, and then quickly made plan for an afternoon meetup on the patio to investigate further.
I went on a Thursday afternoon, so the weekend brunch was out, and I was too late for lunch, so that deal was out too. It was a sunny afternoon and I was sitting on a patio, so I wanted a beer. I asked about specials and lo and behold, $2 "sliders" were available. What's a slider, you ask? It's an itty-bitty 10-oz. beer. Normally I would scoff at the 10 oz. beer, but do a little math: two sliders and you've got a proper pint, and you've only paid $4! Deal.
Who can resist a sunny day beer on a patio?
I went back on a Monday night to enjoy yet another special: the $8 burger and beer with a friend who is not a beer drinker, and she couldn't get over the cheap wine prices. Most glasses were $4 - and that's the regular price! So wine drinkers, take heart, you haven't been left behind by the cheap beer wagon.
Turns out this is not all they offer for specials - almost every night of the week there is not only a great deal, but an awesome event happening at The Academic.
Here's the rundown of what I could dig up (caveat: the marketing materials around the bar were a little dated - some referred to $3 drinks all February - so I've cross-referenced their website to try to get the most accurate information for you):
Mondays: No specials except the daily burger & beer combo.
Tuesdays: Beer Tuesdays ($2 sliders, $3 shots) & Trivia Night!
Wednesdays: Wing Wednesdays ($4 wings)
Thursdays: Bourbon and Bingo ($4 bourbon specials with bingo!), also half-price food from 3-6pm. (Note: I was there on a Thursday afternoon and there was no mention of this, but we also didn't order food, so I may have missed the boat.)
Fridays: DJ Brook spins "old school" (fingers crossed they mean 90's) music while you sip $3.57 drinks - no specification of what those drinks are
Weekends: It's the $7 brunch, baby! And it's a good brunch - you get a breakfast wrap or a cheddar scramble and beer (or add $1 for a caesar).
Here's your proof of the brunch special - it's the real deal, folks.
1619 West Broadway
