Koerner’s Pub: hipster tavern at UBC
Koerner’s Pub is located inside the University of British Columbia’s campus. They serve cocktails and beers on tap with a standard pub grub food menu. I was given some gift cards so I decided to check them out with a couple of friends.
This review is based on an in-dining experience.
Interior
Koerner’s Pub was kind of hidden but it’s quite spacious with big open picnic tables inside and outside. They have a cute patio that’s undercover and also there’s a little wooden stage or area with string lights.
We came here during the heat wave so we actually sat inside, hoping it would be slightly cooler (they have no AC). Ventilation is not bad and since we came on a weekend during the summer, it was very empty.
Food & drinks
Drinks
We order a couple of cocktails, the prices hover around $10 + $2 for a double. I had a dark & stormy. It was quite refreshing!
Tacos ($13 for 3)
I order 3 tacos and I chose the Tai Tai, the Tinga and the Nuni’e. You can order 3 for $13 or $5 each.
The Tai Tai taco features grass fed BC ground chuck (Thai beef and basil), cabbage, onions, cilantro, fermented coconut nectar aioli, toasted rice and chillies.
The Tinga is a shredded chicken taco with chipotle adobo braise, cabbage, onions, cilantro, and the same fermented coconut nectar aioli.
The nuni’e taco has wild smoked Haidai Gwaii smoked salmon, rhubarb relish, chevre goat cheese, and the same toppings as the other 2 tacos.
The 3 tacos look small but they are quite filling! Out of the 3, I liked the smoked salmon taco the most as I found it to be the most unique.
Falafel wrap
I don’t remember how much this was (at least $10), but my vegetarian friend ordered the falafel wrap and it’s pretty big! I didn’t have a bite of it because I was busy with my tacos, but it looked like a decent sized lunch.
Eggplant sandwich
I apologize for the bad pic lol.
My other friend ordered the eggplant sandwich, which turned out to be more like a burger? I also don’t remember the price (at least $10) but they made it like a chicken parmesan except with eggplant. I had a bite of this and it was very crispy and super juicy. It really doesn’t feel like a vegetarian menu item since it’s quite savoury and full of flavour.
The only negative point is the bun was slightly burnt in one area.
Final thoughts
Loewe’s rating: ⭐⭐⭐
I had a nice time at Koerner’s Pub. The server was fantastic and the drinks were really good. I was also surprised at how tasty the food was given how small their menu is.
In total, we spent just over $60 (that’s how much my gift cards were worth lol). This includes our 3 cocktails + all our food and sides for 3 people.
If I were to compare food to drinks, I would say I would return for some drinks but there may be more competitors at UBC for food seeing that Koerner’s Pub location is far away from the rest of the food district on campus. In that sense, I wouldn’t go all the way there for food but it is closer to the beach.
Sincerely, Loewe