By Allie Davison

s some of you may have noticed,

57 Below (the New Westminster

SkyTrain station-adjacent bar)
has closed and is — according to their
banner — undergoing “TOP SECRET

RENOVATIONS.” Although the New West
campus’s closest drinking establishment
may be temporarily out of service, have no
fear: other bars are near!

I stopped by four different bars, all of
which were within about a five-minute walk
from the school. I was, for the most part,

 

pleasantly surprised, as they were not as
seedy as one might think.

Brooklyn’s Pub and Grill
250 Columbia Street

Kkkx

$

What I liked:

Firstly, the inside of the pub was nicely
decorated; it looked like renovations had
recently taken place. Also, the food was so
tasty. Amongst our group we had burgers
($7.95 - $9.49), calamari ($6.95), a chicken
souvlaki wrap ($8.95), and a dinner special.
Because the pub shares a kitchen with the
Greek restaurant next door, many of the
menu items had a delicious Greek twist.

At around nine or ten in the evening, DJ
Tommy started up and the small dance floor
was soon filled with intoxicated dancers.
Good times had by all!

What I didn’t like:

There wasn’t a lot that I didn’t like
about this place. The music was pretty lame
when we first arrived, and the DJ did take a
while to get going, but overall the experience
was great and we had no real complaints.

 

The Friday night specials at this bar
were spectacular. Everyone at our table had
the drink special: a double long island iced
tea ($5.50). Two of our members had the
dinner special as well, which was steak and
prawns with salad and garlic bread ($9.99).

The Met Bar and Grill
411 Columbia Street

$$

What I liked:

The food was alright, slightly
overpriced, but at least you got a lot of it.
My eating assistants both had burgers — the
murder burger ($11.50) and the Met burger
($10.00) — while I had the appy special
and chicken tenders ($8.50). Sitting on
the patio was probably the highlight of
the experience. It was quiet and relaxing,
perfect for a late lunch and a quick drink
after classes. Also, the convenience factor

was high for me. Definitely the closest to
campus.