Wedgewood Hotel & Spa

Verdict: A Hotel Bar Worth Taking Seriously

The Wedgewood Hotel & Spa at 845 Hornby St occupies a position that most hotel bars in Vancouver cannot claim: it draws locals who are not staying there. That is the clearest signal that what is happening inside is worth your time. If you are already a guest, this is an easy yes. If you are deciding between hotel-bar options for a drinks-and-food evening in downtown Vancouver, the Wedgewood belongs in the conversation alongside Botanist Bar; though the two serve meaningfully different purposes.

The Space

The Wedgewood's bar and lounge area operates at a scale that favours conversation. This is not a sprawling lobby bar with noise bouncing off marble floors. The room is intimate enough that seating feels considered rather than incidental; a distinction that matters if you are meeting someone for a working drink or a quieter dinner. For groups of more than four, that intimacy starts to work against you; the space suits pairs and trios better. If you need a larger footprint, Prophecy or Botanist Bar offer more room to spread out.

Is the Food Worth Ordering?

This is the question that separates the Wedgewood from a standard hotel bar. Hotel bar food in Vancouver tends to fall into two camps: overpriced and uninspired, or competent but forgettable. The Wedgewood has a reputation for treating its kitchen output with more seriousness than the category average, which means the bar menu is something you should actually look at rather than ignore in favour of drinks only. Specific dishes are not confirmed in our current data, so we will not invent them, but the general positioning of this property as a well-regarded independent hotel suggests the kitchen clears the bar that most hotel bars do not. If bar food quality is your primary filter, cross-reference with Meo and Laowai, both of which have stronger food credentials in the broader Vancouver bar scene.

Who This Works For

The Wedgewood is a reliable call for business dinners that do not need a formal restaurant setting, for hotel guests who want a drink before heading out, for anyone who finds the louder end of the Vancouver bar circuit exhausting. It is less suited to groups looking for an energetic night or anyone chasing a serious cocktail program, for that, The Keefer Bar is a better match. If you are comparing across Canadian cities, the closest analogue in terms of hotel-bar positioning might be Bar Mordecai in Toronto or Atwater Cocktail Club in Montreal, both prioritise the experience of the drink in a considered room over volume and spectacle.

Booking and Logistics

Booking difficulty here is low. Walk-ins are generally workable, particularly earlier in the evening. If you are coming specifically for dinner at the bar or lounge rather than just drinks, a reservation call ahead is sensible for weekend evenings. There are no known allocation constraints or seasonal menus that create urgency, the draw is the consistent quality of the room and the kitchen, not a limited-run event.

Quick Practical Comparison

Further Reading

For more Vancouver recommendations: Our full Vancouver restaurants guide, Our full Vancouver hotels guide, Our full Vancouver bars guide, Our full Vancouver wineries guide, and Our full Vancouver experiences guide. For comparable hotel-bar experiences internationally, see Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu.