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Motel Motel
Photograph: Motel Motel

The best LGBTQ+ bars and clubs in Montreal

Grab a drink and live it up at the city's welcoming LGBTQ+ hangouts, bars, star-studded drag shows and more.

Written by
Richard "Bugs" Burnett
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Montreal is one of the world’s great LGBTQ+ capitals and its queer bars and nightclubs are a pillar of local nightlife. The city is home to one of the largest Gay Villages in North America, but queer nights and establishments can also be found outside the Village—a testament to the city’s all-embracing joie-de-vivre.

In 2023, for its 17th year, the lively one-kilometre-long summertime pedestrian mall on Saint-Catherine Street in the Village stretches east from Place Émilie-Gamelin near Berri-UQAM metro station to Papineau Avenue, surrounded by some 40 outdoor terrassesHere is the ultimate guide to LGBTQ+ and queer-friendly establishments, including rooftop bars, karaoke, drag shows and more. 

RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best bars in Montreal

Best LGBTQ+ bars in Montreal

 

Named for beloved Montreal drag icon Mado LamotteCabaret Mado has been packing them in since it opened in 2002. The club is so well-known you can spot visiting celebrities, such as Charlize Theron, Jean-Paul Gaultier and the Pet Shop Boys. Mostly local, but also some national and international drag artists headline shows and sketch comedy nightly.

One of the biggest gay clubs in Canada, Complexe Sky boasts three floors of entertainment topped by a popular summertime rooftop terrasse complete with outdoor pool and jacuzzi. Or enjoy a pitcher of ice-cold sangria on the street-level terrasse which is great for people-watching. Beginning May 11, Montreal drag legend Jimmy Moore hosts the free-admission Le Jimmy Moore Drag Show each Thursday at 10 p.m.

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Montréal’s Black Eagle is called Aigle Noir, an old-school neighbourhood gay bar in the heart of the Village. While it serves the leather and denim communities, it is also popular with bears and the athletic crowd, young and older alike. Cheap drinks, happy hour specials and a cruisy summertime terrasse.

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A Village institution since 1981, friendly sports bar Le Normandie on Atateken Street is a terrific local watering hole with cheap drinks and karaoke. Le Normandie also has two of the nicest summer terrasses in the Village.

The friendly and comfortable vibe of legendary Montreal female impersonator Michel Dorion’s Bar Le Cocktail has made the drag bar a popular Village hangout, with live shows by many of the best drag artists in the city, including Dorion.

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There are karaoke bars and then there is Club Date, a classic neighbourhood bar in the Village whose regulars could give Tom Jones and Barbra Streisand a run for their money! The song list features “hundreds of thousands” of titles, including Elvis tunes, 80s ballads and Québécois classics. Patrons can also upload a ​high-definition MP4 digital video document of their performance.

Le Stud’s motto is, “Stud is a men’s bar, where men love men.” Open since 1995, the labyrinthine nightclub is popular with the bear and leather communities, but has a diverse clientele. Couple dancefloors, nightly DJs, pool tables, video poker, two summertime terrasses, and theme events ranging from bear nights to leather kink.

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Montreal is famous for its gay male strip joints and none is bigger than Stock Bar in the Village. There's a Ladies Night every Wednesday, and Stock Bar is also home to Montreal’s Violet Hour queer reading series showcasing LGBTQ+ poets, writers and authors.

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Popular performance and event venue for those who love Post-Punk, New Wave, Alternative, Cold Wave and Dark Wave. 

The new kid on the block, opened in 2023 by the team behind Bar Renard and Bistro Tendresse, Motel Motel presents a new concept in the Village: enjoy a good meal and then party under the same roof. This kitchen offers small dishes designed to be shared, with a magnificent nightclub hidden out back.

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Located just outside the Village, Taverne Marion was opened in 2022 by the team behind Taverne Midway on The Main. With its white-washed brick walls and large garage-style windows, the bright and cheery Taverne Marion has become a trendy hangout.

Queer nights
Photograph: Susan Moss

18. Queer nights

There are many LGBTQ+ nights hosted by queer-friendly establishments, such as the LuvHaus Soirée LGBTQ at Blockhaus Bar in east-end Hochelaga-Maisonneuve; uber-queer MPU nights (formerly called Mec Plus Ultra) and Thirst Trap nights at Le Belmont nightclub in the Plateau district; and The L Nights, Queen & Queer dance parties and Homopop events are held at various venues, including at such queer-friendly and drag-friendly spaces as Bar Le Ritz PDB and The Diving Bell Social Club.

 

Sing it out loud and proud in Montreal

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