© Alison Slattery
Boswell Brasserie Artisanale
Found on Mont-Royal street East, this pub has over 20 artisanal Québec beers on tap. Most of the beers are made by their own microbrewery. Check out its bistro-style menu, and bring the family, there’s a kids menu to boot.
© Le Blumenthal
Le Blumenthal
This brasserie in Montréal’s Quartier des Spectacles has a vast list of wines, cocktails, hard liquors and beers. Enjoy a drink before or after your show and sample the menu created by chef Rémi Brunelle, whose dishes focus on fresh and seasonal ingredients.
© Two Food Photographers
La Taverne du Pélican
The owners of restaurants Le Filet, le Serpent and Club Chasse et Pêche have come together to create a perfectly simple neighbourhood bar. The menu lists about 20 wines as well as classic cocktails. The 90-seater space invites everyone to sit back, drink and have a great time.
© Alison Slattery - Two Food Photographers
Le Blossom
Sophisticated, classy and modern, Le Blossom is a beautiful place to have a drink. The Japanese cherry blossom in the middle of the room certainly impresses. Check out their vast selection of sake, the largest in Montréal, along with their choices of Shochu, Japanese traditional hard liquor.
© Alison Slattery Photography
Boho
Located in Old Montréal, this bar comes alive as of 6pm through a hidden door behind restaurant Venice’s take-out counter. Walk through and you’ll feel as though you just stepped into a trendy Miami club. Signature cocktails are colourful and delicious. Up until 11 p.m., food can be ordered from the Venice menu.
© Clandestino
Clandestino
As if one hidden bar wasn’t enough, the team at Venice restaurant created another speakeasy bar in the basement beneath Boho. Dark rich colours set a classy stage for an evening of mezcal and tequila specialties.
Madame Smith
From Mr. to Mrs., this newly renovated and refreshed bar changed their name for a more feminine touch. Located in Hochelaga, you’ll find an interesting cocktail list here, including new ones by the Mrs. and popular one back from when the Mr. was in charge.
© Gokudo
Gokudo
Another hidden bar has made its mark with its signature cocktails, sakes, private import sakes, Japanese whisky, tequilas and mezcals. Head to Ryoshi, a tiny fish shack that makes traditional Japanese snacks and right behind it you’ll find this Japanese treasure!
© Karel Chladek
Riverside
Picturesque, this bar is a hit with the locals during the warm months. Huge terraces set by the foot of colourful, graffitied silos is surely a place to enjoy an al fresco drink.
Nhâu Bar
Old Montréal has been charmed with this new underground cocktail bar. An exotic vibe comes alive in this space. Along with a wonderful list of drinks crafted by the talented Tao Zrafi and Maxime Daraize, the dishes are not to be missed; the talented chefs at Restaurant HÀ created the menu concept.
Vol de nuit
This new very red, cabaret-style bar, from the Big In Japan team, has recently opened up on Prince-Arthur Street. Classic cocktails, wines, beers, plush velvet chairs and a swanky décor are all on the menu.
© Two Food Photographers
Cicchetti
Negroni or Aperol anyone? Hidden away in the Mile-Ex area of Montréal, this cute bar is quickly becoming a popular hangout with the locals. Cicchetti (Venetian aperitivo-style snacks) are offered to accompany their long list of wines, beers and cocktails.
Club Pelicano
“A peculiar bar in heart of downtown Montréal”, Club Pelicano’s décor is inspired by the city’s abandoned forgotten bathhouses. Wines, cocktails and delicious snacks inspired by the owners’ travels await you at this hippest of new bars.
Bar Pamplemousse
This artisanal Québec beer pub has taken residence in the Quartier des Spectacles. It’s the perfect place to sample over 20 different local craft beers as well as Caribbean-inspired snacks.
El Pequeño bar
With only 9 seats, El Pequeño has earned itself the title of smallest bar in Montréal and perhaps even Canada. Inspired by Havana, El Pequeño specializes in rum-based cocktails and serves a great Cubano. Arrive early to soak up the Cuban vibes.
© Two Food Photographers (Alison Slattery)
Paperplane MTL
The Venice team has done it again by opening a third restaurant in Saint-Henri. Along with this new space comes bar Paperplane MTL right next door. Delicious and affordable cocktails, a great wine list and a funky vibe makes this new bar a great idea for a night out.
Mayssam Samaha
Mayssam Samaha is a food and travel writer and blogger and the founder behind the blog Will Travel for Food. She travels the world in search of the next culinary discovery. From Iceland to South Africa, she’s already visited over 30 countries and there’s nothing she enjoys more than wandering around a farmers’ market in a foreign city. She is also the founder of the SAISONS intimate dinner series highlighting Québec products and chefs.
