Catch every game at the best sports bars in Montréal

It’s well understood that Montréal is a sports fan’s paradise, and from pro sports to the Olympic Games, F1 racing, the World Cup and all points in between and beyond, there’s somewhere to watch in every corner of the city. Many of the city’s biggest sports bars are located right downtown. In the heart of the Village on Sainte-Catherine Street, find the ever-popular Station des Sports, while nearby MVP Bar Sportif packs fans in on two floors. With locations in Complexe Desjardins and near the Bell Centre (home of the city’s beloved Montreal Canadiens NHL hockey team), bar and restaurant La Cage is a Montréal institution when it comes to watching hockey, soccer, tennis, UFC matches, you name it.

But in life, as in sports, size doesn’t always matter — it’s what you bring to the table. Situated, appropriately, on Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal adjacent to the Bell Centre, busy La Belle & La Boeuf Burger Bar serves up a mean burger and poutine in a fun setting. Head farther east into the Quarter Latin for Abreuvoir Bar et Terrasse to watch the game, eat pub food and even stay for the stand-up comedy. And who doesn’t want to get their pre-game party on? The easy answer to that: no one. Enter restaurant Lloyd, where the flavours of Oceania are creatively celebrated, and which offers pre-game drink specials prior to all Habs matchups as well as on show nights at the Bell Centre.

If dark wood, brass accents and old-timers spinning a yarn or two about the Habs of yore are more to your liking, make yourself at home at one of the city’s cozy downtown pubs, where good food, good people and good times can be found (as well as the occasional post-game gang of Habs players). Try welcoming Irish pubs such as McKibbin's and Hurley’s, or step into the action at Ziggy’s Pub, McLean’s Pub or one of Ye Olde Orchard Pub & Grill’s locations.

The lively Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood may be known for its arts and music scenes, but its many diverse cultural scenes are also breeding grounds for some of the city’s most ardent sports fans. Historically notable for being the best-known sports bar on the Plateau, Saint-Laurent Boulevard’s Champs is not only a quintessential, multi-screen rallying point with great bar food and wine, it’s also a popular go-to hangout for MTL’s LGBTQ2S+ community, featuring dance parties on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays. Also on Saint-Laurent, pool tables and big screens gather fans at the nearby Bar St-Laurent Frappé. Just up the street, you won’t miss a Canadiens game at hole-in-the-wall, mainstay dive bar Barfly. Stick around for the local bands afterwards. And on Prince-Arthur Street, just a stone’s throw east of Saint-Laurent Boulevard, is Dispensaire Microbrasserie, one of the coolest (while remaining humble) places to catch a game with a great craft beer anywhere in town.

Adding a party atmosphere to your game day are Chez Baptiste and craft-beer purveyor Le Boudoir Café-Bar on Mont-Royal Avenue, while nearby Fitzroy is a billiards and foosball aficionado’s heaven on Earth. Les Enfants du Rock MTL lends a rock’n’roll vibe to watching hockey and soccer (classic KISS, Misfits and Sex Pistols logos adorn the bar’s exterior, making it impossible to miss). On Rachel Street in the heart of the Plateau, Les Verres Stérilisés — which literally means The Sterilized Glasses, which is an encouraging start — is a very popular neighbourhood tavern with numerous screens for sports watching. Added bonus: it’s just steps away from famous 24-hour poutine palace La Banquise. And at L’Barouf on Saint-Denis Street, enthusiastic hockey and soccer fans often spill out onto the sidewalk in front of the café’s big window. It will be one of the places to be during the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Hockey, soccer and great British pub grub make the Mile End’s Bishop & Bagg a must. For international soccer-watching intensity all year round, powered by some of the highest-quality coffees in town, head to the Mile End’s famed Café Olimpico, where you’ll find not only Italian fans of the beautiful game, but supporters of teams far and wide. Closer to Parc Jeanne-Mance, Bar Monsieur Ricard plays all the games, including rugby matches, and brings an accent of France to the fun. While up in Little Italy, it would be almost criminal to not fortify yourself with an espresso at the fourth-generation, family run Caffè Italia while raising a roar with some of the most enthusiastic (and caffeinated) soccer fans in the city.

For more neighbourhood vibes, check out the very chill Bruno Sport Bar, serving up great Italian sandwiches and mean lattés a hop and a skip from Beaubien metro station. If you’re looking for a place where you can not only enjoy sports but also have a good meal and a completely unique experience, then Chez Ernest (which lives up to its billing as the “Comptoir de curiosité,” or “Curiosity counter”) may be the perfect place to scratch that itch. Their weekly program is filled with a range of activities including live music, DJ sets, swing shows, improv, dancing and much more. Expect the unexpected.

Not only are Saint-Henri and Little Burgundy home to several of the city’s best new restaurants, but the Burgundy Lion pub rivals the big sports bars for its enthusiastic soccer and hockey fans, adding excellent food and drink to a truly U.K. game experience. If you’re a visiting Brit, it’s a home away from home.

Explore Saint-Henri further and get your game on at the low-key trendy, friendly Bar de Courcelle (hotdog Tuesdays, aka Dogbiza, in the warmer weather is a journey unto itself). And for amazing Mexican eats, tequila and games on the screens, it’s Notre Dame Street’s Le Tequila Bar for the win.