Why we love it If you were to draw up a Venn diagram of inclusive, exuberant vibes, a great range of beers, shots and cocktails, finger-on-the-pulse music programming (bands and DJs), a spankingly good happy hour, a playfully rundown Americana aesthetic, and chicken, The Gem would be one of the few venues in that tiny little middle bit. Bang all that on a quiet backstreet corner in one of the city’s most colourful neighbourhoods, and you have a winning proposition suitable for hangs of all kinds: birthday parties, casual shenanigans, first dates, last dates – you name it.
Who to takeAny open-minded, fun-loving individual who’s comfy in a little chaos. Mum like a bit of Akka Dakka? She’s in. Colleague threatening to unleash their wild side? Right this way. The music isn’t always blaring – it can be quite tranquil during the day, in fact – but it will be guitar-driven most of the time, so keep that in mind when choosing your company. The punters are mostly Millennials and Gen Xers, but, really, everyone’s welcome at The Gem, so long as you ain’t fixin’ to cause no trouble.
