Tap and Barrel in Coal Harbour

Tap & Barrel is a chain of large pub-style restaurants with locations in Olympic Village, Coal Harbour, the Shipyards District and Granville Island.

To learn how this restaurant compares with other similar places, see our article about Vancouver Casual Chain Dining Venues. To learn more about this chain specifically, continue reading.

This article contains the following information about Tap and Barrel:

The Tap & Barrel

With four waterfront locations in Metro Vancouver, Tap & Barrel is a local success story. The chain’s most recent development is the rebranding of the old Bridges Restaurant on Granville Island to Tap & Barrel Bridges. The original location is the one in Olympic Village.

The Tap & Barrel chain is owned by local entrepreneur Daniel Frankel. He was inducted into the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame in 2014.

All four Tap & Barrel locations focus on local, sustainable food and drink. All four have excellent outdoor patios that are popular in the warmer months. The restaurants also have sports-bar-style TVs for people who want to watch whatever games are on.

Where are the Restaurants?

The Tap & Barrel group currently operates seven restaurants in Metro Vancouver. Information about the different locations is listed below. Most of the restaurants are on or near the waterfront.

Tap and Barrel at False Creek — Olympic Village at False Creek

Olympic Village Tap & Barrel

The original Tap & Barrel opened in Vancouver’s Olympic Village at 75 Athlete’s Way in 2012. It remains open today and offers views of False Creek. It’s at the far eastern end of False Creek, just around the corner from Science World.

The Olympic Village location is close to the waterfront. The False Creek Seawall is the only barrier between it and the water. The restaurant has two well-appointed outdoor patios with views of the City of Vancouver and BC Place Stadium on the other side of False Creek. One patio is just outside the main entrance on ground level. The second is upstairs on the second floor.

Nearby is the Craft Beer Market, a beer hall-style establishment at 85 West 1st Avenue. Another comparable place in the neighbourhood is the Brewhall at 97 East 2nd Avenue. Both are more similar to the Shipyards location of Tap & Barrel than the one at Olympic Village, but all are great places for beer and items such as nachos, burgers, and chicken wings. All of these locations also have TVs for watching sports.

If you walk a kilometre along the seawall heading west, you come to the Stamps Landing location of the Bae Side Summer 2025 pop-up. The venue was formerly Mahony & Sons, an Irish-themed pub-style restaurant right on the water. The venue is under renovation (as of early 2026) and is expected to open in spring 2026 as a new concept.

Special Coffee Time at the Tap & Barrel — Enjoying a Special Coffee in Coal Harbour

Coal Harbour Tap & Barrel

Tap & Barrel’s second restaurant is in the northwest corner of the Vancouver Convention Centre building at 76-1055 Canada Place. The Convention Centre location originally opened in the summer of 2013. Of the chain’s three venues, this one arguably has the best views (although the others aren’t too far behind).

This restaurant in particular occupies some of the most prime waterfront property in downtown Vancouver. It’s in Coal Harbour at one end of Jack Poole Plaza, where the Olympic Cauldron from the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games is located. On the other side of the plaza is the Cactus Club Cafe, another popular destination.

From its Coal Harbour location, customers at Tap & Barrel can enjoy the views of Burrard Inlet and the North Shore Mountains. The restaurant is just steps from the seawall, which connects nearby Canada Place with Stanley Park. Gastown is also just a short walk away, as is Granville Street and Waterfront Station. Other popular nearby tourist attractions include the Vancouver Lookout and FlyOver Canada.

For all the above reasons, the restaurant’s location couldn’t be much better! Because of the location, however, street parking in the immediate area has a two-hour maximum and costs about $8 for 60 minutes. The Vancouver Convention Centre also offers parking for about $8 to $10 an hour.

Tap and Barrel at Jack Poole Plaza — The Patio at Jack Poole Plaza

The Coal Harbour Restaurant’s Setup

There are three parts to the restaurant at Jack Poole Plaza. One is the outdoor patio, which is very popular in warmer months. It roughly doubles the restaurant’s capacity when it’s in use. Another is a small indoor area with windows overlooking Burrard Inlet and the North Shore Mountains. It’s not a large room. It’s often used for private events and isn’t usually open to the general public.

The third section is the main indoor part, which doesn’t face the water. Instead, the windows there look out onto Jack Poole Plaza (and the restaurant’s patio area). It’s a nice pub-style spot with hardwood floors, TV screens showing sports, music playing, and a bar area.

The restaurant at Coal Harbour isn’t that large when the patio isn’t in use. The larger indoor area that’s open year-round has about 24 tables, about half of which have barstools. There are also a few booths with leather seats.

Tap and Barrel Restaurants — The Shipyards in North Vancouver

Tap & Barrel at the Shipyards

The restaurant’s North Vancouver location is steps from the SeaBus and Lonsdale Quay, at #8 Lonsdale Avenue. It’s next to the Pinnacle Hotel and Shipbuilders’ Square and across a small plaza from the Polygon Gallery.

The restaurant is located in a large historic building overlooking Vancouver Harbour. It opened in the summer of 2015 and has since become a key part of the vibrant Shipyards District. The restaurant isn’t right on the water, but it’s very close. Unlike the other locations, this one has really high ceilings.

On the east side of the restaurant’s building is Shipbuilders’ Square, where the Shipyards Night Market and weekly outdoor concerts take place in the summer. On the other side of the square is Shipyard Commons (which is a giant covered outdoor plaza), and nearby is Shipbuilders’ Pier. It’s an interesting area, especially in the summer.

Other popular restaurants nearby include Pier 7 (right on the water), The Lobby (at the Pinnacle Pier Hotel), and JOEY (by the entrance to Shipbuilders’ Pier). Both of these other places also have exceptional outdoor patios.

TIP: Did you know that in Shipbuilders’ Square, right outside North Vancouver’s Tap & Barrel, you’re allowed to drink alcohol in public (assuming you’re age 19+ and in the designated area)? You may bring your own refreshments from home or purchase them from a nearby liquor store. You can also do it at Cates Deck and Waterfront Park, both of which are just a short walk away!

To learn more about these alcohol-friendly public spaces, see our article about North Vancouver Parks Where You Can Drink Alcohol.

Inside the Shipyards Restaurant — Inside the Shipyards Location in North Vancouver

Tap & Barrel Bridges

Tap & Barrel Bridges is the chain’s Granville Island location, located at 1696 Duranleau Street. This restaurant opened in May 2022 and is located in the building that formerly housed Bridges Restaurant. Bridges operated on Granville Island for around 40 years, with the yellow waterfront building becoming one of the most recognized sites on the island.

Bridges was co-founded by David Frankel’s uncle, the owner of Tap & Barrel. That is one of the reasons he purchased the restaurant in 2018. In 2021, it temporarily closed to complete a full rebrand as a new Tap & Barrel location. The exterior of the building remains the same (with the addition of Tap & Barrel signage), but the interior has been completely redesigned to reflect its new name.

Tap & Barrel Bridges has a good patio right on the waterfront. This location is also set to become the primary one for the chain’s culinary development program.

More Tap & Barrel Locations

The Tap & Barrel chain is rapidly expanding across Metro Vancouver, with three additional locations opening in the last few years. All of them are outside Vancouver and the North Shore, where the first four locations are located.

Opened in 2022, Tap & Barrel South Surrey is located at 207-3211 152nd Street in Surrey. This restaurant isn’t next to the water, it’s next to Highway 99, which makes it convenient to drive to from Vancouver (or a great spot to stop for a meal on the way to or from the Canada-US border).

Two new locations opened their doors in 2024. The first is in the Amazing Brentwood Mall in Burnaby, at 4567 Lougheed Highway. This Tap & Barrel covers three storeys! The first level is more of a sports bar, with many TVs and a large central bar. Above it is the second level, which is slightly quieter and features booth seating. The top floor is a heated rooftop patio with a retractable roof, so it’s usable year-round. This location has over 17,000 square feet of dining space!

Finally, there’s Tap & Barrel Willowbrook, located in Willowbrook Shopping Centre at 19705 Fraser Highway in Langley. This Tap & Barrel is built similarly to the Brentwood location, with a heated rooftop patio but just two floors instead of three. There’s also an outdoor bar and mountain views.

What’s on the Menu?

Tap & Barrel’s menu is an interesting combination of traditional pub fare and unique dishes. Typical food options include burgers, steak and fries, pasta, and pizza. However, the place also offers additional options, including gyoza, poke bowls, hummus, and flatbread.

Similar to other Casual Chain Dining Venues, Tap & Barrel offers a daily Happy Hour menu. The restaurant offers daily deals on appetizers, alcohol, and select entrees from 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm and again from 9:00 pm to closing. As of our last check, they also had Happy Hour all day on Mondays.

In addition to good pub-style food, the restaurants also offer a wide range of beers, ciders, and wines on tap. If you want to try some of the Lower Mainland’s many local craft beers, this is a great place to find them.

BC on Tap Program

In line with its focus on local and sustainable offerings, Tap & Barrel also offers its “BC on Tap” program. The beverage program includes 36 local BC craft beers on tap and 16 local BC wines. Guests can also choose a BC beer flight with five beer tasters.

Local craft beers on tap include ones from Red Truck Brewery, Strange Fellows, Four Winds, Yellow Dog, Driftwood, and others. Tap & Barrel doesn’t serve all of the Lower Mainland’s many brands of locally-crafted beers, but it does offer a lot of them.