Today, the result for both Canada's 100 Best Restaurants and Canada's 50 Best Bars 2020 dropped today, and with it came 11 bars in Montreal making the list in total with several holding their ranks, new names establishing themselves, climbing up or falling off the list entirely.
This year's results marks a significant jump in Montreal's presence among highly ranked bars from across the country, going from six bars in 2019 to 11 in 2020.
New arrivals in the guide include the latest operation from the group which owns the Cloakroom Bar, Stillife, as well as the curated wines and cocktails at Le Majestique, the fresh-on-the-scene wine bar VinVinVin, and—most notably—the cocktail bar Milky Way from the Barroco Group (Foiegwa, Atwater Cocktail Club, Fugazzi, Barroco) nabbed the award for Best New Bar.
A look at the 2020 numbers show that several bars which previously made the 2019 list have managed to go up a few ranks here and there—Atwater Cocktail Club rose two ranks to the number slot—or made huge strides, like how Le Royal climbed 17 spots up to the number 17 spot. On the other hand, Nacarat was one of the only bars to have experienced a significant dip in its standings; it feel 17 spots from to number 31 this year.
The guide's celebration was sombre this year, with editors and curators having to broadcast their announcements for both lists remotely from its website and making the inevitable acknowledgement of how difficult COVID-19 has impacted the hospitality industry:
Here's the complete list of Montreal bars that made the list for Canada's 50 Best Bars 2020, followed by the rank it held in 2019 (if applicable):
3. Atwater Cocktail Club (5)
4. El Pequeño (11)
7. Cloakroom Bar (no change)
11. The Coldroom (6)
13. Milky Way (new)
17. Le Royal (34)
20. Stillife (new)
25. Le Majestique (new)
31. Nacarat (14)
47. VinVinVin (new)
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