Pop Opera

Went here for New Year’s Party– VIP… they tried to sit us in a duct taped booth in the dark, the food sucked, the service sucked, the people sucked, the booze sucked… I would never return. People who attend seemed to be low class, and the staff seemed to give preferential treatment to friends. Someone was in a fight I got splashed with a drink, and yeah it was not the upscale place it portrays, and the sound system sucks, bathrooms were horrendously dirty too.

I’ve been here twice.
The first time was great!!! Good music, great DJ, nice company…
I was able to dance and enjoy some of free drinks provided by the club to girls.
The second time wasn’t that great… some random indian and arab guys kept trying to hook up with me but that was nasty.
So I recommend going there with a big group of friends…
About the drinks… they are expensive which is sad and also they never seem to have tequila for some reason which I wasn’t very impressed with.

Much better than when I went a few years ago but still overpriced. Good thing we got a deal and a table through a promoter. I think it’s usually $ 16 to get in.
The DJ that night was really good, until he played 1 song for these 2 girls and the dance floor cleared. He waited till the song was completely over before changing it. Way to ruin the mood.
Classier than some of the other clubs, and its close to the sky train :)

Pop Opera was the chosen venue for my birthday, and luckily we all got in for free as I knew one of the promoters. If not, it could’ve been a hefty $ 20 – 25 cover for each one of us.
The music felt as if the DJ was picking random songs by spinning a bottle. The transitions to each song was not well carried out that it almost gave me a headache. They play the typical top40’s but mostly current hiphop. Drink prices are high so definitely pre-​game before you go. Location is convenient because it’s only minutes away from waterfront station.
Overall, better than most clubs on the Granville strip, friendlier definitely.

We were all on the guestlist (thank god from what I’m hearing about the prices), but they took their sweet time getting us in, we stood there shivering in the cold as the bouncer checked us off and then just stood there waited for some girl to come out, attend to some folks who came after us and then slooooowly check us off HER list. Okay, so then we walk into this cramped little club, with crappy music and girls that reminded me in looks and attitude of the girls I hated in high school. Now, a small club can be charming, but the whole layout here was ridiculous and I can’t imagine anyone wanting to sit in the lounge area. We didn’t order anything from the bar, the service seemed slow and it was impossible to get in around there. We left pretty quickly.

I came here for the Halloween festivities and I was not as impressed as I thought I would be. I have heard from some of my friends who love this place say that it’s so fun, but it’s seriously not that great. Our birthday girl had planned and made a guest list well in advanced and when we got there, we STILL had to line up. It was apparently because the line up was for the people who were in the guest list. Tell me what the point is of a guest list if we still have to line up? And for $ 20? Never again.
I was told that if you weren’t actually in the guest list you’d have to pay $ 25. Come on!
When we got inside, it wasn’t even that huge. I was told it was going to be an R&B night, but they were playing a mix of other things. There wasn’t even a whole lot of R&B. The VIP seating was kinda nice though, although it wasn’t too big. I think my favorite section is the small area behind where the DJs are playing. It’s a good little spot to avoid the overcrowded dance floor.
If you don’t already (but I’m sure you do, especially if you’re a resident of Vancouver), I highly suggest you pregame before going. Thankfully, I did; I wasn’t about to fork over any more money to a place I’m not a huge fan of.
Definitely not my favorite club downtown, but it’s not the worst either. It could be better.
Review #28 — 30 Day Unilocal Challenge.

the worst club I have ever been in Vancouver!!!
— horrible music, we couldn’t even dance with the music.
— the price is 20 bucks with is really expensive for a club on Friday night with that kind of quality.
— don’t like the crowd that much neither.

Mediocre club, and dance floor. The DJs are not the best here either. I do give props to the waitress who was serving us whole night at for the table service. Yes, we dropped a lot of money that night there and it wasn’t worth the hype of the place. Should of went to Celebrities instead, as I told my friend already… But no, they wanted to go to a straight club…
The size of this place is so small for a dance floor. The place was only packed from 11 – 12. Literally was not up for the hype of the place. The DJ was so mediocre as he played random East Indian music, and random Spanish songs that had beats from other songs that were played on the radio… We would dance to Beyonce’s «Single Ladies» beat and same chords, but a different singer was singing random Spanish in the background. The crowd here was mixed with Asians to Caucasians, and African Canadians, but I did not see any Spanish people around… AWKWARD…
The place is very pretty, for sure with the white couches and the very nice large areas for table service, but the music and the traffic of the club was really bad. Let’s go to Club 560 down the block instead.

Not a fan. $ 20 cover is pretty expensive… so I expect the place to be $ 20 worthy. It wasn’t by any means. Being from Seattle, almost any club scene is better… so I’ll give it that. The music was good and the crowd was okay. I made the best of my night here. Lots of security, felt safe-​ish.
Why did it loose so many stars for me? Because they only accept CASH. I think its pretty ridiculous. Especially with the high alcohol prices in Canada… why on EARTH would I want to carry a wad of cash on me into a club? No thanks. I already threw down $ 60 to get into the club… now I can’t use my card to buy over-​priced booze? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think it’s a norm for Canada right? I remember being able to open up tabs at other clubs.
Although I like the music and the overall ambiance… the cash thing irks me and is a complete turn-​off. I won’t be back because I refuse to carry hundreds in my back pocket. They have ATM’s… but they apparently don’t work with American banks/​cards… we tried like 8.

I didn’t come with high expectations, but somehow Pop Opera managed to shockingly disappoint — compelling me to write my first negative Unilocal review.
Our group reserved a table for the evening so getting in was a breeze for them. My friend and I, both of us being girls, arrived later and bypassed the line and getting in was painless. It was downhill from there. Cover was still $ 20 for us, obnoxiously high we would soon discover. Our ‘table’ was hijacked soon by random clubgoers, which was slightly annoying but not a big deal. We went on their Anti-​Valentines event, and I didn’t notice any of the advertised specials that were supposed to be happening this fine evening. The worst part was the as another reviewer observed, are the patrons. Specifically the men. The crowd was very young, and frankly extremely creepy. We’ve had a fair share of the dance-​behind-​her-​without-​her-​noticing «move» before, but the frequency this was happening — to every single girl in our group was shocking. And no one would take a no. Try to turn around and say no, I’m with someone, or manœuvre away, or simply walk away? Give it 5 – 10 mins there they were, staring, following, ready to pounce again. Not the least bit flattering, not the least bit fun, just plain ol creepy.
The 1 star I do credit this place for is the professional and friendly staff but I will not be returning short of some major overhauling.

The facility isn’t large by any measure, and half the floor spaces appears to have been reserved for tables and booths. On a not-​so-​packed night, the place can appear a little sad.
There appears to be only one main bar staffed by two bartenders. The schizophrenic DJ can’t seem to decided if he wants to play hip hop or house. The security and greeting staff were nonethess professional and courteous.
I feel it’s fair pass judgement on a club by observing its patrons. The women are appropriately dressed (as can be expected, bless them) but the guys are woefully underwhelming both in terms of dress and class; they’re somewhere between poorly-​executed SoCal understated and I-​just-​got-​off-​work. It’s just all bad. I’m inclined to believe that it’s a Vancouver phenomenon.
If you’re into the smallish, intimate lounge scene (I wouldn’t call it a full-​on a club), Pop Opera might be a good choice.

Terrible experience at Pop opera, no wonder no one goes there. Came here with my girls and thought we’d give them another try, but I’m never coming back again. Coat check girl acted as if she owned the club. Was very rude, considering were bringing them business. The club itself is very small. Music isn’t good. Wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

I went here with a big group of people who were connected so I got in without cover… which I *heard* was $ 18 (I don’t know that for a fact though). I am really glad I didn’t pay cover though; I was able to leave with self-​respect intact.
Okay, it wasn’t so bad, but I think that was only because within no time we were almost the only ones in the back ‘VIP’ room (and the only ones over 24 me thinks), so had all kinds of moving space. Out on the main dance floor I would have called myself grandma and cursed each top 40 song that brought high heeled shoes piercing my flip flopped toes. The dude spinning the tunes in this back room was really quite good though.
I can’t say that I will ever go back. But if I was 21 I might (if I was too drunk to notice the cover charge — very probably at age 21).

I recently went out with a bachelorette party and after a number of other stops, we ended up in a cab to Pop Opera. When we told the cab driver where we wanted to go he chuckled and said «Oh, you want to go to the shooting range.» We said, «No, Pop Opera. It’s on West Hastings.» He laughed some more and said «Ya, I know the place. It changes names every time someone gets shot there.»
Despite his warning, we clicked our high-​heeled way into the club, had our purses searched and our torsos patted down, checked our coats and made our way to the dance floor. We certainly didn’t see any suspicious characters or gun fights. All we saw were barely-​legal waifs and drunken, hormonal college boys vying for each other’s attention on the dance floor.
It’s definitely a beautiful space containing a lot of beautiful young people. Cover charge is high and you can expect lines to get in. Drink prices are average-​to-​high. There’s some pretty slick places for VIPs, think plush black or white leather couches. There were plenty of bar staff, so I never waited too long to get a drink. The music was fun for dancing. 19-​year-​old me might have enjoyed this place a lot more.