COMEDY NIGHT: Mavericks fills a void in East Van with its incomparable beer prices and free laughs

HOLLYWOOD HARV
VANCOUVER DESI

A bit of a maverick himself, Hollywood Harv hosts a free weekly comedy show at Mavericks Sports Lounge in Vancouver. Submitted photo

With more and more bars and pubs becoming “craft houses” with genetically modified barleys and extra hops, it makes you wonder where you can just get a well-priced “regular” beer and watch a game.   Let me tell you, Mavericks Sports Lounge is the place.  The owners proudly claim the best beer prices in Canada!  Now that’s a statement.  If you are a Canucks fan, you will find an HDTV screen in every corner and plenty of Canucks memorabilia on the walls provided by The Fan Zoo.

But it’s not just the prices and extremely friendly staff that make this a great hidden gem.  Add in the daily specials, ample free parking, central location, affordable pub grub, and free shows to make Mavericks the place if you just want a frosty beverage without having your ears and wallet violated.  Manager Matthew Kittle calls it “East Van’s only true sports bar that feels like your best friend’s living room.” (If your best friend had a hot mom who makes great chicken wings.)

Tuesday night is 25 cent wing night.  Wednesday is karaoke night.  And Thursday is comedy night.  And that right there is why I know so much about this place.  Every Thursday night I put on a comedy show from 9-11 p.m.  We feature some of the best comics in Vancouver changing every week and all for FREE.  Why would a bar with the cheapest beer in Canada also put on a weekly comedy show for absolutely free?  Manager Matt says “we are a true neighbourhood sports bar and we love supporting local talent.  We have the only free comedy night in Vancouver and we are proud of that.”

Now you can continue reading about me shamelessly plugging my own show, or you can come out and see it for yourselves.  The location is very easy to remember because it’s in the lobby of the Howard Johnson, which used to be the Biltmore.  It’s a Vancouver landmark!  There is always plenty of street parking at the corner of Kingsway and East 12^th or you can park for free upstairs.  Come say hello and I will make sure you leave with a smile on your face.  (Did that sound weird?)

And if you’d like to see my entire one-hour comedy DVD also for free, I have uploaded it to YouTube for your viewing pleasure.  I do have to warn you to put the kids to bed and hide from your boss.  I tend to use some colourful language in my stage show.  But here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H96rHwrLglw

Hollywood Harv Puni is a comedian from Richmond.  You can follow him on Twitter at @hollywood_harv or he can be reached at hollywoodharvcomedy@gmail.com

Tags: comedy, entertainment, Hollywood Harv, India, Vancouver