Glowbal: Fancy happy hour in Vancouver

Glowbal Restaurant is one of the restaurants part of the Glowbal Restaurant Group, which includes other restaurant brands like Coast, Black + Blue, Italian Kitchen, Trattoria and more. It is located in the TELUS gardens in downtown Vancouver. My girl friends and I decided to come here for their happy hour specials so this review is based on an in-dining experience.

Exterior/Interior

Originally, our table was seated in the outdoor heated patio because the seating is really pretty there. They didn’t give us one of the ideal booth seats (decorated like a flower cage) but we were ok with it.

However, there was a rain issue with the canopy/tent roofing. Basically, a giant puddle of water had collected and they had to figure out a way to release this water safely. While doing so, some water splashed onto our table. The biggest issue I had with this situation was that there was a heat lamp right next to our table, so when the water splashed onto us, it also splashed onto the heater, which then cause REALLY HOT water to splash onto me based on where I was sitting. I didn’t get really wet or anything, but the small splatter of hot water did hurt my bare skin and I was not happy when we moved to a different table.

Watching the staff continue to figure out this impending waterfall, the staff asked us to change tables again to indoors and offered free bubbly to make up for it. I thought it was a nice gesture but they moved every table inside and offered everyone bubbly, but I was the only who got splashed with hot water. It was also never acknowledged that I this water was extremely dangerous except for our nice server, who also got some hot water splashed onto her. I would dare say it could have been quite dangerous to all the guests on the patio but since it was all an accident, I just shrugged it off, but it didn’t really give me a good experience in that service aspect.

Cocktails

We ordered 3 fun cocktails, all with 2 shots each:

Empress gin martini ($20)

I thought this cocktail was the prettiest and most fun! They add an edible bubble on top so it’s really fun to watch it pop. The cocktail is a very pretty purple shade and tastes quite good.

Melon ball ($20)

I ordered this drink because it was described to be more fruity and sweet. It has a giant wad of cotton candy on it, which is not really my jam in terms of taste but I love how it looks. It is quite a sweet cocktail, especially when you mix the cotton candy in. It kind of tastes like melted melon candy. Quite strong too!

Some sort of coffee cocktail? ($20)

Sadly I forgot the name of this 3rd cocktail, but it is coffee based and this is what it looks like lol. Thought I should include it anyways since I have the pic! My body doesn’t react to caffeine well so I didn’t try this at all.

Food

We order several different appetizers to share between 3 adults.

Humboldt calamari ($13)

This is deep fried squid with black pepper jam and scallions. I thought the sauce was quite interesting because it had a sort of Asian flair to it – slightly spicy due to the black pepper. The calamari was fried well and was nice and soft/chewy on the inside.

Lacinato kale salad ($12)

Yeah I’m really not a salad person but my friend recommended this salad so we ordered it and I actually really liked it so I was surprised lol. The salad uses “ajo blanco” vinaigrette, almonds, grapes and rye croutons. I thought it was a tasty salad and I really liked the vinaigrette dressing.

Crispy brussels sprouts ($10)

I am a sucker for brussel sprouts. These ones add on grana padano cheese and a lemon sherry vinaigrette. The brussel sprouts are cooked really well and not bitter or soggy at all. I did find certain parts more bold/strong than other parts, maybe because some of the dressing was clumped onto certain parts and not all so those parts were a bit too much, but generally it was a good appie.

Beef meatballs ($10)

These meatballs are paired with san marzano tomato sauce and house bread. Pretty big meatballs so can be shared with more than 2 people if you want!

Truffle parmesan fries ($10)

I love my french fries! Truffle fries always end up enticing me. These are twice fried kennebec fries with a truffle aioli. Simple and yummy.

Final thoughts

Loewe’s rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I had a good time at Glowbal’s happy hour. The biggest highlight was definitely the food because everything we ordered tasted great and the prices are also very reasonable for the quality of food. Cocktails and drink specials were also really fun – I highly recommend trying the empress gin martini!

Atmosphere was good and seating both indoor and outdoor were very comfortable and luxurious. Again, just the water mishap dampened my mood. Our server was awesome.

In terms of happy hour, I would say Glowbal has one of the best happy hour menus and patios. It’s super fun and girly, great for a bridesmaid gathering or celebration with your girl friends.

Sincerely, Loewe