Treasures that are off the beaten path have always appealed to me.
That amazing vantage point that few others know about, the little secondhand bookstore in the hidden alleyway with the learned owner who intimately knows every volume in her shop, or the unlikely café on the side of some secondary route between cities that makes the single best cappuccino this side of Milan; these types of discoveries are exhilarating to me. But when it comes to pubs, I have long thought of the ideal venue as somewhere centrally located, the quintessential “local,” a watering hole with a loyal, regular patronage situated within stumbling distance of its doors.
The better part of two decades ago, when I was considerably less familiar with the North Shore, someone brought me and my then girlfriend (now wife) DJ to an out of the way place called The Maplewood Pub.
To my snobbishly urban perspective, the place seemed woefully remote, at the end of civilization in the depths of a cold, industrial neighbourhood flanked by train tracks and highway. We had a great time that night; the place was hopping, the tunes loud and infectious and the pints seemingly bottomless.
Despite this positive experience, I never returned to the pub, finding closer haunts to frequent. Years later, whilst browsing Facebook one evening, a misguided marketing algorithm served me a digital ad boasting the best ladies nights on the North Shore, featuring drink specials and male exotic entertainment at a place called Narrows Public House. It didn’t feel like an instant priority for my column, to be honest, but I did file the pub in a dusty corner of my memory banks for later consideration.
A few weeks back, I dropped off an old dehumidifier at a recycling facility off Riverside Drive and soon found myself turned around on a strip of road that was vaguely familiar. There, on the north side of the street was Narrows, a contemporary looking, two-story edifice with a busy parking lot.
I added the pub to my column lineup and did a little online research before my visit, learning that the place is actually host to all manner of different promotional evenings, from MMA events to karaoke, with regular fundraising events, which seem to be a frequent specialty of the business.
I descended on Narrows Public House one recent evening with the family in tow (minors are welcome until about 8 p.m., after which time I notice the crowd does a shift change, the after-work patrons shoving off and making way for what appears to be a younger, night owl set) and had a thoroughly enjoyable, textbook pub experience, featuring nachos, chicken wings, burgers, and even a couple of games of pool upstairs with my nine-year-old son, The Boy, whose experience with the game had consisted, up to that point, of trouncing anonymous online gamers on a billiards app on his tablet.
Narrows has an extensive menu, including the pub classics I named above, but also some more progressive gastro pub fare like Cobb Salad, Beef Short Rib Dip, housemade pizza, and Ginger Beef Rice Bowl. I was excited to see an all-day breakfast offering (The Ironworkers Breakfast) and opted to try that, adding an optional English banger (pork sausage) to my meal of two eggs, hashbrown potatoes, grilled tomato, toast and bacon.
Breakfast for dinner is still exciting to me as an adult and I enjoyed the meal, well priced for the size at $10.95, and ideally paired with a pint of Guinness.
Wings and nachos were as you’d expect: straightforward and proficiently prepared, not seeking to redefine the pub grub experience, while an entrée of Mac & Cheese, which was split between DJ and our youngest, Baby N, was rich and creamy, generous in the cheese department and substantially portioned.
The two older kids split a Mountain Burger, arguably the best meal of the night, with its ample six-ounce, AAA Alberta beef patty, toasty pretzel bun, house sauce, and bacon and cheese, these latter two ingredients coming standard on the burger. Once again, this was a classic pub dish, tasty and well realized, and in no way esoteric or boundary-pushing.
The upstairs of the pub is home to a pool table, dartboards, a foosball table, and a pinball machine, for those inclined to while the hours away with games. I will include myself in these ranks, as I am sure to return to Narrows for a pint or two (and a cab, a small expense relative to the good overall value of the meal) and a few games of pool, perhaps with an opponent less likely to tear into the felt with overzealous backstrokes. (The Boy’s billiard skills were better than expected and he left the table in perfect shape, but the thought of this possibility was decidedly distracting.)
Our meal of two appetizers, three mains, and a round of drinks (adult and kid-friendly), was $100 before gratuity. Narrows Public House is located at 1970 Spicer Rd. in North Vancouver. jenningsculture.com 604-988-6655
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. He can be reached via email at [email protected]. North Shore News dining reviews are conducted anonymously and all meals are paid for by the newspaper.
