Bars and Lounges

Your Booze-Free Guide to Vancouver’s Best Sips in 2026

Dry January or not; these reccos are for everyone!

By Kurtis Kolt /

Whether you’re participating in Dry January, flirting with a sober lifestyle or simply looking for more options in the glass, there’s never been a better time for quality and selection of alcohol-free options in Vancouver. While Mocktails Alcohol-Free Liquor Store (1250 Commercial Dr.) is the city’s unofficial retail headquarters for the category, a myriad of options can be found at Welk’s General Store (3511 Main St.), Gourmet Warehouse (1340 East Hastings St.), BC Liquor stores, private wine shops and beyond. Heck, it’s not uncommon to wander your local winter farmers market and happen upon Strange Fellows Brewery’s tasty trio of ‘Nevertheless’ Pale Ale, I.P.A. and Pilsner, or sparkling organic apple sodas from Naramata’s Creek & Gully cidery.

Hey, I’m a card-carrying sommelier who produces wine tasting events like Top Drop Vancouver, but I’ve been so excited and encouraged by the new wave of alcohol-free options that I’ve recently launched various Free Spirit tastings to spread the gospel. The libations are legit.

The non-alc category doesn’t mean no fun, and it’s no longer an afterthought in local restaurants. Not imbibing is no excuse to stay home, friends!

Here are a few favourite spots with dynamic drink lists (branded products mentioned can also be found at many of the retail outlets noted above).

 

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The Acorn (3995 Main St.)

Shira Bluestein’s vegetarian, zero-waste ode to all things local has always felt more delicious than dogmatic. Since 2012, everyone from East Van artists to international Michelin inspectors have enjoyed the restaurant’s celebration of vegetables and seasons. A tidy card of non-alc wine, craft beer and more includes ‘Spritz Me Baby One More Thyme’, a cocktail combining the U.K.’s Everleaf ‘Marine’ aperitif with thyme-infused gin and sparkling wine (all alcohol-free, natch).

 

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The American (926 Main St.)

Gone are the days of hitting your local and having to settle for long-forgotten, expired cans of Molson Exel. The American always makes for a good time, whether cheering on your team, playing pinball, or hootin’ and hollerin’ on trivia, karaoke or DJ-led dance nights. Wash those good times down with booze-free versions of Guinness, Corona (both jaw-dropping doppelgängers of the real stuff), local craft brew and thirst-quenchers like a hibiscus lime spritz. DL Burgers is on hand for hunger pangs and highly recommended.

Delara (2272 West 4th Ave.)

Chef Bardia Ilbeiggi’s bright and airy Kitsilano room is home to richly flavoured, modern Persian cuisine, alongside a thoughtful array of alcohol-free (and halal-friendly) dinner pairings. Those looking to keep things on-brand can look to a trio of Sharbats, chilled Middle Eastern refreshers with combos like hibiscus, cinnamon, clove and lemon. Other charismatic drops available include Vancouver-made kombuchas from Hoochy ‘Booch to Domaine des Grottes l’Antidote from France: a natty, wine-esque blend of gamay grape juice and various botanicals.

 

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Elisa (1109 Hamilton St.)

Vanmag’s current Restaurant of the Year has a deep bar program and wine cellar, and you can bet the tip-top operation isn’t going to leave you thirsty. Start out with a glass of Glimmer sparkling blanc de blancs chardonnay, a dry-ish, high-quality, made-in-B.C. fizz worthy of its spot on many a lauded list around town. Then, to accompany your cured hamachi, let the savvy crew build you a Yuzu Collins (Sobrii distilled non-alcoholic spirit, yuzu, honey, Fever-Tree cucumber tonic). After that, have one of their sommeliers pour a glass of Thomson & Scott ‘Noughty’ syrah from South Africa while you’re tucking into your bougie cut of beef.

Fairmont Pacific Rim Lobby Lounge & RawBar (1038 Canada Place Way)

Nab a comfy seat by the fire for the best people-watching in the city. While live music fills the din of the buzzy room, pick up a menu and turn the page to what must be the best alcohol-free beverage program in Vancouver. A slew of cocktails includes a No-groni (NOA Spirit-Free Gin, vermouth and Italian amaro), local craft beer from Nonny, various zero-proof spirits and highballs, plus sparkling green teas from the likes of Saicho and Copenhagen Sparkling Tea, perfectly suited to your RawBar fare.

 

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Havana & The Flamingo Room (1212/1214 Commercial Dr.)

The colourful vibes of the Drive’s Latin-inspired eatery and Miami-kissed “watering hole meets live stage” will always brighten the darkest and rainiest of days. To go with your Nachos Cubanos and paella at the former, a salted cucumber “margarita” should do the trick. While catching a show at the latter, do hoist a couple Flightless Birds, composed of house rumless spiced “rum,” pineapple, lime, pineapple falernum and Giffard bitter concentrate.

 

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Meo (265 East Pender St.)

Get away from it all at this swinging but cozy cocktail room by the team behind a couple of other Chinatown hotspots: Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie and Kissa Tanto. Fun, inventive dishes include a scallop crudo with passionfruit and corn emulsion, spicy popcorn dust, pickled kohlrabi and watercress. Dovetail that with the Alex P Keaton cocktail: Free Spirits gin, white verjus and cucumber water. If a smidge of alcohol is cool with you, look for Ama Brewery’s 1.5 percent pét-nat lemongrass tea from Spain’s Basque Country.

 

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Pizza Coming Soon (179 East Pender St.)

Pender Street’s fun and frisky Japanese snack bar ticks so many tasty boxes, from fries with ramen powder, aonori and wasabi mayo to barbecue lamb sirloin with pickled savoy cabbage, hatcho miso glaze and scallions. Over a dozen equally tasty booze-free drinks include a lychee spritz, St. Agrestis’s Phony Negroni, Zamalek sparkling hibiscus juice and the non-alc edition of Asahi Super Dry lager.

Want to keep tabs on the sipping-sober scene? Follow along at @FreeSpiritProjects as I share my discoveries, events and more!

Kurtis Kolt

Kurtis Kolt