21 editor picks in Montreal.
21 cocktail bar places in Montreal we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Montreal | Cocktail Bar across every city.
Montreal likes its cocktail bars tucked out of sight: Le Mal Necessaire glows green down a Chinatown staircase, Cloakroom builds bespoke drinks behind a downtown tailor shop, Big in Japan sits behind an unmarked Saint-Laurent door, and The Coldroom, a North America's 50 Best listee, hides down an Old Montreal lane. Little Burgundy's Atwater Cocktail Club brings the same 50 Best pedigree to a moody room of polished seasonal drinks. There is a looser end too, from DJ nights at Bar Datcha in Mile End to cheap drinks beside vintage bowling lanes at Notre-Dame-des-Quilles in Mile-Ex.
Le Mal Necessaire is a green-lit tiki cocktail bar hidden down a Chinatown staircase in Montreal, mixing rum drinks served in carved pineapples.
TipLook for the green pineapple sign off Saint-Laurent; the pineapple cocktail is the one to photograph.
Cloakroom is a tiny speakeasy hidden behind a downtown Montreal tailor shop, where bartenders build bespoke cocktails to your taste with no printed menu.
TipThere is no menu; tell the bartender a spirit and a mood and let them build the drink for you.
Atwater Cocktail Club is a moody, low-lit Little Burgundy bar in Montreal, a North America's 50 Best listee pouring polished seasonal cocktails off Avenue.
TipEnter through the alley off Atwater; the seasonal menu is where the bar shows off, so order from it.
Bar Furco is a buzzy downtown Montreal bar in a former fur warehouse near the Quartier des Spectacles, pouring natural wine and cocktails after work.
TipIt packs out after work near the theatres; the kitchen serves sharp small plates until eleven.
Big in Japan is a candlelit speakeasy behind a nondescript Saint-Laurent door in Montreal, open since 2011, with whisky bottles over a wrap-around bar.
TipThere is no sign; the list leans on whisky, sake and umeshu, with small snacks such as kimchi and roasted pecans.
Bar Datcha is a small, dim Mile End bar in Montreal, part cocktail lounge and part dance floor, with DJ sets from deep house to disco until 03:00.
TipIt opens Thursday to Saturday from 10pm; some nights are ticketed, so check the event list on its site first.
Le Darling is an all-day bar and restaurant on Saint-Laurent in Montreal, moving from coffee to cocktails and shared plates in a plant-filled Plateau room.
TipIt works from morning coffee to late cocktails; the leafy back room is the spot for an evening drink.
El Pequeno is the tiny Cuban-inspired cocktail bar in Old Montreal, styled on 1920s Havana, seating 11 guests and mixing daiquiris until 01:00 nightly.
TipOnly 11 guests fit inside, plus a summer terrace; order a daiquiri or mojito and the Cubano sandwich.
Nhau Bar is a hidden Vietnamese-inflected cocktail bar on the Old Montreal edge of Griffintown, pairing Southeast-Asian flavours in drinks and snacks.
TipIt is tucked away and easy to miss; the Asian-accented cocktails and snacks are worth seeking out.
Bar Pamplemousse is an easygoing bar and kitchen on the Main in downtown Montreal, pouring cocktails and craft beer alongside hearty comfort food.
TipIt is a solid pre-show stop by the theatres; the kitchen runs later than most downtown neighbours.
Bootlegger l'Authentique is a two-floor Prohibition-themed cocktail bar on the Main in Montreal, mixing classic drinks over live jazz in a dim room.
TipCome for the weekend jazz sets; the upstairs is louder, the downstairs bar better for the cocktails.
Notre-Dame-des-Quilles is a late-night dive in Montreal's Mile-Ex with two half-size bowling lanes, pizza, cocktails and karaoke nights until 03:00.
TipThe two half-size lanes are the reason for the name; karaoke and drag nights draw a queer-friendly crowd.
The Coldroom is a hidden speakeasy behind an unmarked black door in Old Montreal, a North America's 50 Best listee mixing inventive twists on classics.
TipThere is no sign; ring the bell at the black door at Saint-Amable and Saint-Vincent. It takes no reservations.
Philemon is a handsome exposed-brick bar on Rue Saint-Paul in Old Montreal, a long-running after-work and late-night spot for cocktails, oysters.
TipThe oyster-and-cocktail happy hour is the move; it turns into a busy late-night bar as the evening goes.
Flyjin is a moody basement izakaya and cocktail bar hidden in Old Montreal, pairing Japanese-inflected drinks and small plates with late-night DJ sets.
TipHead downstairs late; it shifts from izakaya dining early to a DJ-driven bar as the night goes.
Le 4e Mur is a Prohibition-themed speakeasy in Montreal's Quartier Latin, entered through its 'fourth wall', with burlesque, live jazz and creative cocktails.
TipSign up to the bar's newsletter to be sent the way in; its founders include national cocktail competition champions.
Le Mal Necessaire mixes rum tiki drinks down a green-lit Chinatown staircase in Montreal, a late-night hideout for pineapple cocktails and dim lighting.
OrderTiki cocktails and snacks
TipIt gets loud and full after midnight on weekends; the pineapple cocktail is the late-night signature.
Bar Furco pours natural wine and cocktails until 3am near the Quartier des Spectacles in Montreal, a downtown after-hours bar with a kitchen that runs late.
OrderNatural wine and small plates
TipThe kitchen stops at eleven but the bar runs to three; a good spot for a last glass after a show.
Atwater Cocktail Club stays open to 3am nightly in Little Burgundy, Montreal, a polished late spot where the seasonal cocktail list carries the small hours.
OrderCocktails
TipSlip in through the alley entrance; the seasonal menu is the move even at the end of the night.
Big in Japan pours cocktails behind a nondescript Saint-Laurent door in Montreal until 3am, a candlelit room with a wrap-around bar for a last drink.
OrderCocktails
TipLook for the plain door on the Main; small snacks such as kimchi and pecans are on offer, it is closed Mondays.
Cloakroom keeps building bespoke cocktails behind a downtown Montreal tailor shop late into the night, a tiny, menu-free room for an unhurried nightcap.
OrderBespoke cocktails
TipThere is no menu; name a spirit and a mood at the bar and let them send you off with one last drink.
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