A Bartender's Guide to the Best Bars in Montreal

If you’ve yet to visit Montreal, consider this your sign. With nonstop flights from various U.S. cities and accessible via a six-and-a-half hour, straight-shot drive from New York City (hop on I-87 outside Manhattan, take that for 373 miles and you’ll wind up in downtown Montreal), Montreal’s top selling points include a world-class summer jazz festival, an abundance of incredible things to eat and getting a taste of Europe without the jet lag, courtesy of historic Old Montreal and the French-speaking locals.

Between all the music, food and picturesque strolls, we suggest you also take part in another thing this city excels at — drinking. But because you, like most visitors, will likely only spend a long weekend here and can only drink so much over the course of two or three days, we turned to Montreal bartending all-star, Kate Boushel, to point us towards a few bars worth prioritizing.

a photo of a woman standing against a window in black and white — Kate Boushel knows a thing or two about good bars.

Jessica Blaine Smith

As Partner and Director of Beverage and Education at Barroco Group, one of Montreal’s preeminent hospitality firms, Boushel oversees the bar programs across three of the city’s best restaurants and three of the city’s most beloved bars (Atwater Cocktail Club, Milky Way Cocktail Bar and upscale dive bar Bon Délire). Often found behind the stick making drinks and chatting up customers, Boushel’s passion and presence as a bartender has made the bar world take notice. With a slew of awards and recognitions already under her belt, Boushel most recently won North America’s 50 Best‘s prestigious, peer-nominated Bartender’s Bartender award (the first Canadian to do so), was named 2024 Bartender of the Year by Canada’s 100 Best and was a top four finalist for International Bartender of the Year at the 2024 Spirited Awards. It’s no surprise then that North America’s 50 Best called Boushel, a longtime champion of her city’s bar community, the “matriarch of Montreal,” with Canada’s 100 Best adding, “she was born to do this.”

Of the Barroco Group’s establishments, all of which offer lively, fun-filled spaces and true old school hospitality, Boushel is often most associated with the firm’s first and most-awarded bar, Atwater Cocktail Club (ACC for short). Nabbing the number 50 spot on the 2024 list of North America’s 50 Best Bars and number four on Canada’s 100 Best ranking, ACC is tucked away at the end of an alley behind an inconspicuous graffiti-covered door. Arriving here feels like you’ve discovered a secret spot, unless of course you arrive on a weekend night when the line outside reveals it’s actually a Montreal favorite.

Inside, the relatively small and ambiently-lit space is lined with metallic silver banquets, mirrored ceilings, the perfect amount of design kitsch and live DJs spinning on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. In addition to the vibes, you’ll find a bar beautifully packed with more than 600 spirits, bartenders with the skill the whip up anything you’d like and a cocktail list with some 22 house creations (find Boushel’s go-to drink order for ACC and the rest of Barroco Group’s establishments at the end of this article). And while you could simply spend your time in Montreal doing a Barroco Group bar crawl, we encourage you to branch out and check out some of Boushel’s favorite bars in the city.

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Kate Boushel’s Go-To Bars in Montreal

Cloakroom

“Located downtown and hidden behind the Maison Cloakroom men’s tailor shop, this bar is an intimate 24-seater that offers up a tailor-made experience for each guest,” Boushel says. “Without an actual menu, you just have to chat up your bartender to enjoy a cocktail made to your liking. And speaking of the bartenders, the team — assembled by Beverage Director Andrew Whibley — are all highly knowledgeable and really attentive to your requests, so no matter who’s there when you visit, you’re sure to have a memorable experience. As far as ordering in a no-menu spot like this, my typical request is ‘long, refreshing, effervescent,’ and then I switch up the spirit base depending on how I’m feeling — sometimes low ABV, sometimes agave, sometimes Cognac.”

Double’s

“A new staple in the Mile End, Double’s is simply a great dive bar,” Boushel says. “Unassuming from the street, inside you’ll find exactly the kind of spot you want to watch a game, drink a beer and play a game of pool. Their food is also unbelievably satisfying, with their perfect smash burger being the star of the show (it, along with a vodka soda, is my go-to order). Plus, they’re open until 3 a.m. seven days a week, as all good dive bars should be.”

A bartender doing his thing behind the bar at El Pequeno — A bartender doing his thing at El Pequeno

Jeanne Provost

El Pequeño

“This lovely, tiny bar (it has room for about 10 people) brings the warmth of historic Cuba to Old Montreal,” Boushel says. “Chill vibes, Latin music and great banter with your bartender and the few other patrons in the space are just a few of the things that makes this bar so special (it also happens to hold spot 29 on North America’s 50 Best Bars). They have one of the best Mojitos the city has to offer, so that’s always what I gravitate towards, plus their fantastic Cuban sandwich.”

Le Majestique

“Located on St-Laurent Boulevard, this cozy bar is an industry favorite and a spot where anyone will always feel welcome,” Boushel says. “They have a wonderful wine menu, and the bartenders make a great Espresso Martini and a slew of classic cocktails perfect for the traditionalist cocktail lover. And while you may have come for a drink, it’s all too easy to fall into the food menu, which offers oyster specials, delightful smoked mackerel spread, a foot-long hot dog and sea snails, among other delights. The music is always on point, too, which ties it all together and makes this a place you’ll really want to settle into.”

Bar Dominion

“Bar Dominion is located in downtown Montreal and has existed in various forms since 1927 when it first opened as a hotel restaurant,” Boushel says. “Most recently reimagined by Cloakroom’s Andrew Whibley and the folks behind Provisions (a great local butcher and sandwich shop), it evokes the elegance of a timeless hotel bar. It’s one of my favorite spaces in the city. They offer really fun Martini and raw bar specials, as well as late night highball and fizz specials — and I personally love to go for a wet Martini and oysters or one of their fun highballs, alongside Provisions ham served with figs and shaved Manchego cheese.”

Rouge Gorge

“Rouge Gorge started out as a killer wine bar in the Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood,” Boushel says. “A few years later, they opened a sexy cocktail bar in the basement. Over the past few years, they merged both concepts to ensure that all patrons could enjoy the food, cocktail and wine menus in both spaces, to all of our delight. I always let the knowledgeable staff guide my choices and take me on a journey, no matter if I’m in the mood for wine or cocktails. Be sure to get an order of the popcorn shrimp served with a wasabi and maple mayo — it’s the best snack on the menu.”

Bar Le Mal Nécessaire

“Le Mal Nécessaire has been a Montreal cocktail institution for a decade,” Boushel says. “Originally in Chinatown, it just recently changed locations, moving to nearby Old Montreal — though their cocktail menu is still jam-packed with hits. The refined, tropical-inspired space is beautiful, and they’re well known for bringing in great DJs to liven the crowd (they actually have more than 60 hours of live DJ curated music per week, everyday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.).

Sans Soleil Bar

“If you want a ‘70s throwback, wood-paneled basement party vibe, then San Soleil is your spot,” Boushel says. “Hidden in Chinatown in the basement of a Japanese restaurant, they offer fun sake and shochu cocktails, plus up-and-coming DJs that get the crowd dancing in this dimly-lit, low-ceiling space. I love sending our guests their way and personally love hitting it up on a weekend.”