The 19 best Old Montreal bars

Blink and you might miss the plain black entrance to this downstairs speakeasy carved from an old cold storage area. Exposed steel beams and brick walls help accomplish a hush-hush Prohibition-era aesthetic, but it’s the award-winning staff behind the bar that make this an indelible spot on anyone’s list of where to drink in Old Montreal. Star players like Daniel Boulianne and Pierre-Hughes Marois are sure-fire masters of their trade with seasonally inspired libations and a no holds barred approach in their creativity.

This tiny nine-seater bar fashioned after a mid-20th century Havanan bar comes from the minds of the folks behind the Coldroom—the entrance to which is right next door to it—and sports the mixology to match. Bartenders work at lightning-quick speeds to deliver classic cocktails like daquiris, mojitos and cuba libres with impressive levels of flair. It’s twice as impressive when considering how this bar dishes out some solid Cubano sandwiches at the same time.

One of the neighbourhood’s most solid locations for nightlife, this address is a Japanese fusion izakaya in the late evening until the lights dim, the volume’s up and the dancing starts. Clubs aren’t always first to mind when it comes to the city’s best bars, but Flyjin makes a point of offering a lot of solid creative cocktail options with pan-Asian inspirations, forming an ever-shifting menu that’s incorporating a variety of textures and techniques worth the trip.

This rooftop bar is one of the first that commonly comes to mind when looking for top summer destinations in Old Montreal. Cocktails, small-but-mighty wine lists and pitchers of red and white sangria are the cherry on top when considering the picturesque skyline views it offers. If you find yourself a bit too tipsy, consider booking a room at Hôtel Nelligan below, one of the best hotels in town.

A speakeasy-within-a-speakeasy, Clandestino’s located under the stairs of Boho (ask the staff to let you in and they’ll take you through its nondescript entrance). Once you’re down below, take advantage of the bar’s massive list of mezcals numbering in at over one hundred bottles or one of the ornate cocktails made from some of them. You come here for the real dark’n’spooky secret bar experience.

Located below the Old Montreal outpost of the Vietnamese restaurant Hà, this beautiful bar decked in lanterns boasts an impressive cocktail program that makes the most of a variety of teas and in-season fruits. While selections are kept lively with an oft-changing menu, one thing we hope they never change are their sharing drinks fit for four people and served in massive vessels like hollowed buddhas or conch shells.

Montrealers may remember this one as the Champangnerie, and while a rebranding with a new name might suggest trouble, you can still expect all the old drawcards at this sparkling wine-forward bar. Now they’re sporting tasting courses and luxuriant surf’n’turf sharing menus, but nothing really can beat participating in the old Napoleonic practice of slicing the cork from a bottle with saber. Ask the bar nicely to try it yourself and add your decapitation to the pile on display.

The group behind Burgundy Lion and Bishop & Bagg must have pubs in their blood, as this latest venture hits all the right notes. The only difference is location, and Old Montreal’s been made all the more charming thanks to this hardwood-lined Victorian-style fount for pints, cocktails and hearty eats. Aside from the fresh leather seats and refined tastes indoors, this new spot earns a firm spot on our list for the choice terrasse they’ve got in the back.

Finding somewhere to roost and watch the crowds go by in Place Jacques-Cartier in the summertime never gets better than this. View street performers and passersby from the comfort of this rooftop bar or turn to face your company who you’ll be no doubt enjoying some cocktails, mocktails or pitchers of sangria with. Best time to be here is by the late evening when the sun’s setting and the party picks up, but it’s best to save your spot early—no reservations here.

Having been a member of the British Empire for a time, Canada’s among the countries where a classic pub experience can be enjoyed, and it seldom gets as classic (or historic) as this one on Saint-Pierre Street. Happy hours here run cheap—none too common in this part of town—and the taps don’t stop flowing with homegrown Quebec beer brands. Try their Seafood and Swine Caesar that’s topped with tiger shrimp, house bacon and cheddar (only available from 4pm onwards).

One of the most refined offerings when it comes to rooftop bars in Montreal, this sunny location looks down on Place d’Armes Square and out over a downtown skyline. Sure, lunch, brunch and dinner are all reasons to plan a visit, but dropping in for a casual drink’s highly recommended with their top-shelf mixes best paired with a charcuterie board.

A slick wine bar in the early evening that gets turnt late at night with DJs and dimmed lights, Philémon is a discreet favourite among locals. Their lists aren’t exactly the longest for a wine bar, but they are choicely curated with bottles of delicious bubbly, reds, whites, macerations and rosés. If you want to really ball out, consider dipping into your wallet (or pool together with friends) and order up a towering magnum. Seems like sakes are starting to make an appearance on their menu, so that’s a little extra something to look forward to.

Old Montreal is a neighbourhood that accomplishes a serious wow factor in the city, but the jaw dropping doesn’t stop once you set foot in this multi-level nightclub and bar that keeps the Roaring Twenties alive and well. The floor starts to shake with flapper girl and aerial dance performances alongside popped bottles once the clock strikes midnight here, with folks either tearing up the dancefloor to electro swing or kicking back in one of their upstairs lounges. Make like Gatsby and get luxuriant to the fullest extent here.

This cheery spot on St-Vincent Street (we do love a pink banquette!) comes courtesy of some high rollers in the local bar scene, and offers a fresh take on Mediterranean eats with expert apéritif style cocktails and either low- or no-alcohol mixed drinks. The drinks list includes some mouthwatering flavour combos (peach and pea juice, for example), as well as a focus on sherries and vermouths.

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Handsome is the word that comes to mind when you walk into this moody Rue St-Paul bar, where the combo of low lights and glinting surfaces screams Y2K aesthetic. The nightlife here is live and loud as the night goes on, but the cocktails are by contrast sultry and sophisticated. Start with the Rosie to quench your thirst: a Campari-tinged tequila cocktail lifted with sweet vermouth. Delish.

The taproom of this sprawling artisanal brewery couldn’t be better located, with its view of the Old Port from its huge terrasse on the southeast corner of Marché Bonsecours, right on De la Commune. Snag one of the tall tables and sip a selection of local beers both house made and from other Montreal craft breweries, ranging from fruity sessions to sour lactic brews.

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Just the place for a steak-frites and a couple of beers, Gaspar’s thick greystone walls and sunken windows give you that 18th-century Old Montreal vibe that harkens back to European pubs, and the atmosphere is appropriately casual. The food is as no-nonsense as the service. The beer is glass-sweatingly cold and the cocktails hit the spot without reinventing the wheel.

With a rooftop terrasse that’s worth raising a glass to, this Old Montréal French bistro-by-day turns into a bar in the evening that’s a dreamy spot for a sunset hang with friends over a bottle or two. Go all-out with the seafood platter or keep it chill with some of the sharing plates and soak up the warm breeze, as you gaze down onto the river and the gleaming dome of Marché Bonsecours.

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The airy white-and-pastel décor makes this sunshiny place on St-Paul a great choice for day drinking, whether at weekend brunch or for a mid-week happy hour. It’s always a good time to savour private imports of natural wines (try the macerated wine flight for a curated selection) and snacks like the potatoes topped with scrumptious local Louis d’Or cheese and aïoli. The grilled sourdough is as good as it sounds.