The Rio Theatre, located on Broadway at Commercial Drive (which is extremely transit convenient),…read moreis a fixture of the Commercial Drive neighbourhood. I don't know the entire history of the theatre, but apparently it was built in 1938. The Rio is known for screening cult classic movies and live shows, and in 2012, it fought the outdated BC Liquor board so that movie theatres could serve alcohol -- a big win! In the past, I have gone to a handful of shows (mostly movies showing at the Vancouver International Film Festival), but I didn't go often for two reasons: many of the movies I was interested in started way too late for me (such as at 9:30pm or 11pm), and years ago, I had a really negative experience. I don't recall when the incident happened -- perhaps it was after they had acquired a liquor licence -- but you had to be 19+ to go (that's the legal drinking age here), and while I was much older than 19, apparently I looked young, so I used to get so much shit for my appearance. Shortly before the event, my ID had expired and I was waiting for a new one to come in the mail. In the meantime, I was using my passport as ID. The person at the door was extremely rude and aggressive and made a big deal of specifically asking ME for ID -- from his tone, I think he didn't expect me to be of age. I pulled out my wallet from my purse to grab my ID, then remembered that I didn't have it as it was being renewed, so put it back into my purse and reached for my passport. As I was reaching for my passport, the rude and aggressive employee sneered, "Oh, you forgot your ID, I see, huh?" Yes, even thought this was nearly 15 years ago, I still remember this incident, and it always upset me. The guy was so fucking rude. Also, they used to insist on stamping your hand, and I hate having the inside of my wrist stamped because the ink rubs off on the side of my shirt, so prefer to have the top of my hand stamped. This guy was also rude about this. Anyway, due to events not working with my schedule and my encounter with the rude employee, I had little interest in going to the Rio unless it was for the film festival. However, recently, there have been several events I have been interested in: a screening of The Shawshank Redemption with a Q&A with Gil Bellows in July; a screening of The Room presented by Greg Sestero in August; a screening of Clue in October; a screening of the original Carrie presented by Mike Flanagan in October; and a film festival movie in October. And each time I had a great experience -- no more rude and aggressive employees! The most recent event I went to was John Waters live on December 3. My husband is a huge John Waters fan, so I bought tickets for his show. However, I had only bought the regular tickets, and my husband then told me he would have liked the VIP tickets (better seats, a signed poster, a post-show Q&A). On the Rio website, they clearly state that all sales are final and that tickets cannot be returned or exchanged. So what did I do? Emailed them asking if I could exchange the regular tickets for the more expensive VIP tickets, despite their policy. Their answer was an enthusiastic "absolutely!" and it was easy to exchange the tickets. Amazing customer service! I am a fan of the Rio and I look forward to seeing more shows and events! [Yelp collections: Theaters]

One of my favourite classic theatres for classics and oddball films! They do shows too but I mostly…read morehere for the movies! Theatre is old but very maintained. Definitely a visit if you are looking for a good classic movie to watch!

Ok the food was basically fast food…read more The games were mostly for kids and or young adults. And I mean like if you're under 25. There is a bar area and two pool tables but this is mostly for kids. There is archery but it's very digital and lame. Also $$$ The games they have basically setting kids up to go to the casino when they get older. Big lights and noises. Absolutely lame. Very expensive save your money. This could be good for kids between 8-12 ideally for birthday party or teenagers one. Date

We went for the All-you-can-eat Wings at the Rec Room on a Monday night and we were pleasantly…read moresurprised! We got to choose from breaded or non-breaded and a few different flavours of wings like Salt & Pepper, Smokey BBQ, Sweet Heat, and Spicy Buffalo. It was about a 20-30 minute wait for the wings so we did find it a bit long. The service was average and nothing notable. But when the wings did arrive, they were served with a ranch dipping sauce and it was hot & fresh! We got a few more rounds afterwards (that didn't look or weren't plated as nicely but still tasted good) and enjoyed it a lot. It was $25 for AYCE wings but it also included a $10 credit to play any of their arcade games. That's a pretty good deal in our opinions! We'd likely return for more wings if we feel like eating abnormal amounts again!

I love this place!! It is such a fun activity for a rainy day in Vancouver and you can go with a…read morebig group. This was my second time going here :) The staff are always so fun and friendly, they really add to the experience. They also make sure to make you feel comfortable before starting and are more than happy to guide you through everything no matter how many questions you have. They have VR escape rooms as well as VR games, both are super fun but I'm personally a fan on their escape rooms because it is so different that your usual escape rooms that you see. The first time I went there we tried their Chernobyl escape room, it was a 3/5 star difficulty but we managed to escape 2mins before the hour!! It was so much fun, their VR technology is very impressive. When I went this time, I tried their Sanctum escape room which was very eery for me (I'm also easily scared so this might not be the experience for everyone). There were no jump scares in this one but it was based on a cult so it gave me the heebie jeebies! This was also a 3 star difficulty level but this time we managed to escape 15mins before :) since we had 15mins remaining, the staff let us play VR dodge ball to kill some time which I truly appreciated!! They are honestly soo nice! Their waiting room also has some arcade games that you can play to pass time. I can't wait to back a third time and try some of their other escape rooms!

Attended Evolve VR for a Yelp Elite Event a few weeks back and returned to sample their other VR…read moregames. They have lots of VR gaming options and as just my son and I, we narrowed it down to Arizona Sunshine and Propagation, both zombie apocalypse games. We opted for Arizona Sunshine. A little bit of a learning curve on the reloading but we both sorted it out. Checking vehicles for extra ammo is a must to be successful to get to the next level. And love that they can track your game progress so when you return, you can start off where you ended the last session. It was so much fun and the staff were so helpful. It was a positive VR gaming experience and happy to recommend Evolve VR.

We had a great experience having dinner at the Rec Room just before watching the Switzerland vs…read more Algeria game at BC Place Stadium. It was a packed room because of the FIFA 2026 World Cup match between Portugal and Croatia. We enjoyed watching the thrilling game and eating our meal. The food was good, the place was vibrant, and the service was exceptional!

If you need an escape from your ordinary mundane life and want a place where dopamine and…read moreadrenaline drive your day, look no further than The Rec Room Granville! They open as early as 9:30 a.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and 11:30 a.m. the rest of the week, so you can kickstart the fun right away. The layout here is brilliant: you can enjoy the mini-golf in the basement, catch your favorite sports games on a massive screen at the first-floor sports bar, or head up to the second floor for an absolute playground of pool tables, arcades, VR games, and QBIX. Personally, my absolute favorites are Super Mario Car Racing, Motorbike Racing, and VR Godzilla. The setup is highly rewarding, though it totally tempts you to buy more credits than you actually need- especially since the more you buy, the more bonus credits you rack up. Plus, you can trade your game points for merchandise, ranging from cute mini keychains all the way up to a Nintendo Switch. ​If you get hungry from all the gaming, they've got you covered. Enjoy 'Appy Hour daily from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., or hit up a Late Night Menu from 11p.m. to close, Thursday through Saturday, for good discounts on appetizers and drinks.

First time coming to check this place out. Free parking. Air condition. Clean washroom. Lots of…read morespace. I see 2 party rooms near the entrance. And seems like have a kitchen onsite. I'm very impressed with this arcade. Will be retuning during hot summer days.

Super fun, lots to do. Roller skating, lazer tag, go carts, bowling, video games and mini golf!!!…read moreIt's expensive. We didn't try the pizza but it looked good. They have a section just for doing selfies which is fun! Worth checking out.

Hmm I think this might be overrated. The long line up is misleading, think that this place is…read morebetter than it actually is. My boyfriend and I waited for exactly 2h before our turn to enter the devil's descent haunted house. I liked that there was music but very limited option of hard rock or edm. The characters walk around to help keep up the haunted/scary mood but it didn't work for me. What I liked best was that they space out each group so that you get a more authentic experience of walking through a haunted house with just you and your buddies. For the extremely long wait time, I would not go again.

I was told I screamed the loudest…read more Turns out, when terrified I use my friends as human shields, cling to their jackets with my sharp grip while demanding "DON'T LEAVE ME!" but when they lose their purse I do stay with them to get it back from the creepy hooded figure so we can hold hands together and run past. So I'm not the worst friend ever. This is the ONLY thing to do in Surrey on a Sunday night apparently. We originally rented a car an ventured from Vancouver (with Dave S, Nicole F, and our buddy) and were out to find a corn maze, but when both corn mazes AND a haunted barn were closed (what the hell) we decided to have some drinks at Chuck E Cheese where this lovely redhead girl told us about another haunted house. And her advice was sound. I knew we could trust her after she gave us a blow-up crown and a Spiderman Balloon. We were already pretty stoked when a giant pumpkin head anamatronic popped up and sang us a Halloween song to the tune of Eminem's "Lose Yourself (yes, it is as awesome as it sounds) and it just gets better from there. Completely terrifying. Loved it. Note that this is only open Oct. 12th - 31st, 6pm - 10pm (but 6pm-7pm is "family hour" which probably means less scary and useless.)

We visited FIFA fan festival to watch World cup game. We purchased reserved seat, so,it was very…read moreeasy to enter the venue and also easy for us to enter amphitheatre stage area. There were so many activities happening in the festival, such as concert, game, vineyard, beer garden, shops, food trucks, fan activities, and watch party. They were very organized and easy to move from area to another area.. Amphitheatre watch party was the highlight and was the best ever. I love the vibe, fans were so energetic, and really enjoyed watching game. Food truck and vendor area were very busy, however, I don't feel the line up was too long, it was ok. Overall, we really enjoyed the experience at fan festival. Only suggestion is about reserved seat section. I noticed that several people attempted to sit reserved seat area even though they haven't purchased, or Others with upper area and tried to sit lower area. I wish the organizer improve this point.

The new Amphitheatre is absolutely stunning. The design will leave you awestruck…read more The architecture & framework of the roof is supreme. Built at a cost of $183 million aka $100 million US, LOL, it can handle 10,000 people. Having recently opened just this month, the Amphitheatre is currently hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026 watch party & fan zone. Near the front of the stage is a concrete 'mosh pit' style area for standing or dancing. Seating is directly behind this & there's plenty of it. To the sides are beer garden style sitting areas as well. Get excited if you're heading down here for a show in the future - you're in for a real treat. This iconic hot spot will be one artists seek to perform at.

Vogue is an older theatre with some renovations. It seems the seats were most recently updated and…read morefor the worst. They reduced the size of the seats and the space between the rows of seating. I'm 5'6" and it is uncomfortable to sit through a 1 hour 30 min standup. If you're not sitting at the end you are likely going to bruise your shins walking through. Good luck trying to let someone pass without leaving the row. People have fallen flat on their faces trying to get out. It seems like a safety issue. As it's an older theatre, the floor is pretty flat. Not tiered like newer movie theatres. Recently went to a show where they posted no photos of the show were allowed. The security guards paced through the middle aisle throughout the show. It was pretty distracting. During concerts they remove about half the rows for standing room. Oftentimes though the balcony is closed off. Washrooms are on the second floor. Only 3 stalls in the women's washroom as one is forever out of order.

We had a wonderful time at the Vogue Theatre watching Maoli in concert. We stood in line for…read moregeneral admission, we got thru the metal detectors wands and got front row! Bathrooms were good, and always lines at concerts. We had drinks there and enjoyed ourselves.