Downtown is turning into the mini strip. All these cool laid back bars turn into clubs on the weekends. Wayfarer, Commonwealth, Gold Spike. With the club mentality comes the douchey bouncers and stupid cover charges, which always indicates that you are going to be disappointed.
Enter Vanguard. All the good qualities about a club without all the douchiness. There wasn't a cover. Bouncers weren't douchey. There was actually room at the bar to order. The DJ was actually playing some great songs. People could actually dance on the dance floor.
The bar has no draft beer which is a positive as you deal with less spilled drinks. Bartenders are generally nice. People don't seem to have attitude. It's a little narrow but you move around in there better than you would think.
I've been to the Vanguard plenty of times and have always had an awesome time. It's club atmosphere for people who are way too chill to actually go to clubs.