Pubs, like flash mobs and doubles Twister tournaments, are celebrated for their potential to bring groups of people together. Socialize at close range with today's Groupon: for $10, you get $20 worth of pub fare and drinks at Pemberton Station Pub in North Vancouver.
Pemberton Station Pub pairs an eclectic menu of comfort pub fare with televised high-definition sports. The Pemby penne regales mouths with an aria-inducing ensemble of chicken breast, chorizo, and mushrooms ($12), and the doughy base of Gary's Sheppard pie hoists lean ground beef, carrots, onions, corn, garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, and cheese ($14). Chefs certify crab-and-cheese-stuffed jalapenos for scuba dives in sweet chili sauce ($9), and patrons browse a library of 6-ounce Pemberton Station burgers ($11) ranging from a classic bacon cheeseburger to a flash-fried halibut burger. Diners climb the Lincolnshire-sausage peaks of bangers and mash ($12), heedless of sautéed onion-slides and avalanches of sage gravy.
Guests sip from 15 draft brews such as Granville Island and Guinness or incite envy from thirsty snowmen with a pour from the Sub Zero Tower, which spouts forth Molson and Coors chilled to -2 degrees Celsius. The pub's walls sport 32 HDTVs—6 of which are larger than 50 inches—that bathe patrons in the light of major sports networks. Watch up to 10 NFL games and 8 NHL matches simultaneously on game days, or impress friends with extensive knowledge of Bryan Adams's pets at Tuesday Music Bingo nights. Patrons can check online in advance for game broadcasts and scheduled upcoming events.
Though Pemberton Station Pub offers its own discounts, this Groupon is the best value.