Restaurants in Vancouver can soon apply to extend their liquor-serving hours. (CBC)

Vancouver restaurants will soon be allowed to serve liquor later, following a city council decision late Thursday.

Council approved recommendations by city staff to provide restaurants with the option of extending liquor hours from midnight to 1 a.m. during the week, and from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekends.

"For a big city like Vancouver, this is long overdue. Not everyone works nine-to-five jobs anymore. There need to be some more local options," Mayor Gregor Robertson said in a news release.

Robertson said there's even been a Facebook group created called "Stop Vancouver's bedtime police."

"It's time we shed that kind of image once and for all," said Robertson.

Coun. Heather Deal also applauded the move.

"I think we have very archaic liquor laws, and this is a step in the right direction," she told CBC News.

Deal said a new bylaw could be passed as soon as next week, after which restaurants can apply to extend their liquor-serving hours.

The current rules vary widely across the city, largely depending on when liquor licences were originally granted.

Since 2003, the city has required all new restaurants stop serving alcohol by midnight. That applies to 38 per cent of Vancouver's 1,000 licensed restaurants.

About 40 per cent can serve until 1 a.m. A small proportion of other establishments can serve until 12:30 a.m., and a few others until 1:30 a.m. Just 13 per cent can currently keep serving alcohol until 2 a.m., according to numbers provided by the city.

The neighbouring cities of Burnaby and Richmond already allow restaurants to serve until 2 a.m.