Nightlife in Nanaimo

Rendezvous Club may not have a hidden stock of cupid’s arrows, but it does have its fair share of date cards. While they may not be as whimsical as love-yielding weaponry, club founders Hillary and Chris have found they tend to be just as effective. At some chapters, Rendezvous Club's hosts hand the cards out during speed-dating parties and dinner-dating events that serve three-course meals. Using them, singles can jot down the names, characteristics, and preferred Monopoly game pieces of people they’re interested in meeting again. For those who prefer more organic dating atmospheres, Select locations feature less-structured singles parties and mix-and-mingle events that round up singles and let them converse on their own, aided by complimentary appetizers.

The barkeeps at Forum Public House provision guests with a tantalizing spread of upscale pub fare, frosty beers, and delicious cocktails. Mojitos and margaritas pair their salty spirits with shareable plates of spring rolls, poutine, and sliders, and satisfying draft or bottled brews add a refreshing counterpoint to juicy burgers’ brawn. Guests feast in a roomy brick-lined cavern equipped with 15 60-inch HD screens and four 120-inch projectors for watching hockey games and a wide-open dance floor for reenacting hockey games. Though Forum Public House serves succulent steaks, burgers, and breakfasts throughout the day, guests arriving after 10 p.m. must pay a $10 cover (not included in this Groupon) for the restaurant's moonlight transformation into an energetic nightclub.

Since its Toronto location opened in 1976, Yuk Yuk's has been a collective launching pad for such comedy heavyweights as Jim Carrey, Rick Moranis, and Russell Peters. All of Yuk Yuk's laugh-establishments invite seasoned jokesters and up-and-coming comedians to their stages every weekend for up to three days of high hilarity and three nights of cozy lodging atop their cocktail tables. Many Yuk Yuk's locations offer drinks, dinner, or bar fare during the show, but those interested in dining should contact their club of choice to find out about reservations.

At Manchester Public Eatery, more than 15 draft brews glide into sleeves, pints, and pitchers. Polished wood tables strain beneath Angus burgers, wings in eight flavours, and the unendurable weight of being a table. Traditional dishes, such as bangers and mash or fish 'n' chips, pair with a wide variety of wines. Several HD flat-screen televisions display sporting events from the NHL, NBA, and UFC.

Reliably friendly servers weave throughout Bird of Paradise Pub's airy lodge, whose large windows offer panoramic views of surrounding greenery while welcoming in sunlight to warm diners' shoulders. The pub inhabits the renovated 1914 Royal Oak farmhouse, and its rustic charm multiplies when staffers light up the wood-burning fireplace each night or pour fresh oatmeal into the tropical marine-reef aquarium each morning.

Sandy earth tones, noble cacti, and terracotta accents allude to the restaurant's menu—a collection of dishes inspired by the American Southwest. Pub favourites include nachos, burgers, chili, and pizzas, plus thick-cut french toast and chilaquiles rancheros during Sunday brunch. On Saturday nights, live music encourages patrons to dance off bubbles that have accumulated on their tongues after fresh brews from the bar.