Nightlife in Maple Ridge

In the dining room, the rhythmic pounding of a bodhrán hand drum mingles with the joyful melodies of a tin flute, flooding every inch of the space with an ebullience punctuated by onlookers’ clapping hands and tapping feet. The diners have left the feasts spread across their tables mostly untouched, their attention glued to the band in the midst of their lively song. Such moments aren't a rarity at Donegal's Irish House, but are an almost nightly occurrence at the jovial eatery that brings locals together to make new friends and share in internationally inspired meals.

Champions of fostering an atmosphere of community and friendship, the affable staff goes out of its way to make guests feel welcome, thanks to attentive service and an ever-changing calendar of events that keep inviting guests back. On select evenings, patrons can convene at Donegal's to watch a Canucks game or to see local bands. As guests chat and mingle in the dining room, the kitchen buzzes with chefs concocting Irish standards such as shepherd's pie and international cuisine that includes perogies and sausage, jambalaya, and butter chicken. Donegal's signature dish remains the whopping blarney stone burger, a 7.5-pound charbroiled Canadian beef patty that gets its eater a commemorative T-shirt and a place on the wall of fame if it's eaten within two hours with no help. Unsuccessful competitors, meanwhile, find their snapshot displayed on the wall of shame, under the most personal entry from their dream journals.

If you stretched a hand to the exposed wood beams that support Narrows Pub’s sloped ceiling, you’d probably feel them vibrate. That’s thanks to the live DJs that spin pulsing beats while strobe lights illuminate leather chairs and patrons’ dance-step diagrams. Other nights, 12 high-definition flat-screen TVs and two projection screens broadcast big games. The pub doesn’t allow the flashy, frenetic atmosphere to eclipse the cuisine, though; chefs hand-shape beef patties and load pizzas with upscale flourishes such as goat cheese and chorizo. During weekend brunch, diners savour omelettes as well as the sunlight that streams through Narrows Pub’s walls of windows.