Popular jazz venue O’Doul's Restaurant & Bar closing after 40 years

by Michelle da Silva on Apr 30, 2012 at 11:12 am
During the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, O'Doul's was a popular location for late-night jam sessions.

After more than 40 years on Robson Street, O’Doul’s Restaurant & Bar (1300 Robson Street), located at the Listel Hotel, is closing its doors after dinner service on June 2.

The long-standing restaurant known for its West Coast cuisine and live jazz music was opened in the 1970s by Tommy O’Bryan, who named the restaurant after baseball player and Vancouver Mounties coach “Lefty” O’Doul. The restaurant was renovated into the 130-seat space it is today right before Expo 86, and began featuring live jazz in 1996.

Over the past few years, O’Doul’s has become a popular spot for weekend brunch and an official venue for late-night jam sessions during the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.

The Mike Allen Quartet will be the final musical act at O’Doul’s, performing May 31 to June 2 from 8 to 11 p.m. each night. After O’Doul’s closes, executive chef Chris Whittaker plans on opening a new restaurant in its place.

You can follow Michelle da Silva on Twitter at twitter.com/michdas.

Comments (8) Add New Comment
DavidH
Apr 30, 2012 at 12:31 pm
RIP, O'Doul's. It was the best "real" bar in town in the late 1970s ... and only people my age know what I mean by "real" bar.

Does anybody else remember the stained glass "wheel" attached to the ceiling? The one with a hole in it? I was there the night that the unfortunate hole was created ... a long, long time ago.

I was sad to see it follow the trend during the "jazz bar" boom. Trends come and go. By the way, whatever happened to discos and Japanese steak houses?? :)
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Ian G62
Apr 30, 2012 at 4:17 pm
yet another live venue bites the dust - aah well the Donnelly bars will have to do...
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Mike2817283719237
Apr 30, 2012 at 6:33 pm
I could care less about O'douls, though I suppose all the blue hairs and duped tourists will have to go elsewhere.
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I say this
Apr 30, 2012 at 10:20 pm
GUTTED! :-(
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RF
Apr 30, 2012 at 11:48 pm
@mike - Good call. Every place needs to be hip and cutting edge and aimed at the twenty-something youth demo. Maybe an awesome Cactus Club or Moxie's should take the spot. Yeah, let's rock to "Moves Like Jagger."
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Mike OSullivan
May 1, 2012 at 1:10 am
Ham-fisted move to close just a few weeks before the 2012 jazzfest.
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Mike305
May 1, 2012 at 9:32 am
If only Wynton would play a set there every night. Of course the staff really had no skills to deal with the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd last time I was in there!
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miguel roberts
May 27, 2012 at 9:29 pm
so sad, another jazz room closes, this town really lacks class and sophistication and the morons that decided to close odoul's after sustained success, well stick with your dj/ ipod music? or whatever you are into
hopefully vancouverites will grow up and discover the vast universe of jazz and where it can take us all and patronize live jazz venues more and more
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