Montreal (Montréal) is Quebec's largest city and the second-largest in Canada, home to about 1.76 million people on an island in the St. Lawrence River. This guide covers Old Montreal, Mount Royal, museums, neighbourhood food, transit and practical costs for visitors.
Montreal's nightlife runs from speakeasy cocktail bars downtown and in Old Montreal to brewpubs and live music on the Plateau and in Mile End, jazz clubs, and after-hours techno in Le Village. Quebec allows bars to serve alcohol until 3:00 AM and the legal drinking age is 18.
Cocktail bars, brewpubs, jazz clubs, live music rooms and late clubs.
At a glance
- Peak hours
- Thursday to Saturday, 10:00 PM to 3:00 AM
- Average drink
- Beer CAD 8-11 (about USD 5.60-7.70); cocktails CAD 15-22 (about USD 10.50-15.40); prices exclude tax and tip.
- Dress code
- Casual in pubs and brewpubs; smart casual in cocktail and hotel bars; some clubs refuse athletic wear.
- Cover charge
- Last call is 3:00 AM across Quebec. Many clubs open Thursday to Saturday only, and the Stereo after-hours room runs past 3:00 AM without alcohol service.
Nightlife districts
Where the action happens after dark.
Boulevard Saint-Laurent (The Main)
Big in Japan Bar, Casa del Popolo and Le Belmont line the boulevard through the Plateau and Mile End.
Best for: bar hopping
Le Village
Club Unity and Stereo on Rue Sainte-Catherine Est near Beaudry and Berri-UQAM metro.
Best for: clubbing
Old Montreal (Vieux-Montréal)
The Coldroom and Bisou Bisou sit a few steps apart on Rue Saint-Vincent.
Best for: cocktails
Crescent Street and Golden Square Mile
Brutopia on Rue Crescent and Cloakroom Bar on Rue de la Montagne.
Best for: pubs and cocktails
Plateau-Mont-Royal
Dièse Onze and L'Escogriffe on Rue Saint-Denis and Bily Kun on Avenue du Mont-Royal.
Best for: live music
Bars & pubs
Where locals drink.
Cloakroom Bar
Small 25-seat cocktail bar hidden behind the Maison Cloakroom menswear shop, ranked number 1 on Canada's 100 Best bars list for 2026.
Known for: Made-to-order classic cocktails with no printed menu
2175 Rue de la Montagne, Montréal, QC H3G 1Z8
Atwater Cocktail Club
Speakeasy-style bar reached through an alley entrance near the Atwater Market, ranked number 7 on Canada's 100 Best bars list for 2026; no reservations.
Known for: Agave and sugarcane spirit cocktails with a French brasserie menu
512 Avenue Atwater, Montréal, QC H4C
Bar Dominion
Cocktail bar and raw bar relaunched in October 2023 in the former Dominion Square Tavern, a room that first opened in 1927.
Known for: About 25 cocktails plus oysters and raw-bar plates
1243 Rue Metcalfe, Montréal, QC H3B 2V5
Le Mal Nécessaire
Tiki-inspired bar that opened in a Chinatown basement in 2014 and now operates on Rue Saint-Alexandre, with DJ music and drinks served in fruit.
Known for: Tropical tiki cocktails
1015 Rue Saint-Alexandre, Montréal, QC H2Z 1N9
Big in Japan Bar
Unsigned speakeasy at the corner of Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Rue Rachel, known for its candlelit bar and rows of suspended whisky bottles.
Known for: Japanese whisky and cocktails
4175 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montréal, QC H2W 1Y7
Bisou Bisou
Mediterranean-style aperitif bar in Old Montreal, ranked number 24 on Canada's 100 Best bars list for 2026.
Known for: Fortified wines, aperitifs and charcuterie
416 Rue Saint-Vincent, Montréal, QC H2Y 1E6
The Coldroom
Speakeasy entered through an unmarked black door with a buzzer at the corner of Rue Saint-Vincent and Rue Saint-Amable, ranked number 32 on Canada's 100 Best bars list for 2026.
Known for: Seasonal cocktail menu
Rue Saint-Vincent at Rue Saint-Amable, Montréal, QC H2Y 1G8
Dieu du Ciel!
Brewpub founded in 1998 on Avenue Laurier, one of Quebec's best-known craft breweries, pouring its own beers on draft.
Known for: House craft beers such as Péché Mortel imperial coffee stout
29 Avenue Laurier Ouest, Montréal, QC H2T 2N2
Brutopia
Long-running brewpub on Crescent Street spread over three floors with several bars and terraces, including one heated year-round.
Known for: House-brewed beers such as Raspberry Blonde, trivia and open-mic nights
1219 Rue Crescent, Montréal, QC H3G 2B1
Pub Le Sainte-Élisabeth
Pub near the Quartier des Spectacles best known for its multi-level courtyard terrace framed by ivy-covered walls.
Known for: Draft beer on an ivy-walled terrace
1412 Rue Sainte-Élisabeth, Montréal, QC H2X 3C6
Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill
Downtown jazz club and restaurant with live sets nearly every night, typically an early set around 7:30 PM and a late set around 9:45 PM.
Known for: Live jazz with dinner
1254 Rue Mackay, Montréal, QC H3G 2H4
Dièse Onze
Candlelit basement jazz bar and restaurant on Rue Saint-Denis, open since 2007, with two live shows daily from gypsy jazz to flamenco.
Known for: Nightly live jazz with a tapas-style menu
4115 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC H2W 2M7
L'Escogriffe Bar Spectacle
Small Plateau bar and stage known locally as L'Esco, booking garage rock, psych and indie bands most nights.
Known for: Rock, punk and indie concerts
4467 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC H2J 2L2
Bily Kun
European-style tavern on Avenue du Mont-Royal since 1998, with tiled floors, candlelight and taxidermy, early-evening live jazz and DJs later.
Known for: Czech spirits, beer and live jazz
354 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est, Montréal, QC H2T 1P9
Casa del Popolo
Small bar and concert room on Boulevard Saint-Laurent central to Montreal's independent music scene.
Known for: Indie, folk and experimental concerts
4873 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montréal, QC H2T 1R6
Nacarat
Bar inside the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel serving cocktails over hand-carved ice, with DJ sets and a rooftop terrace in summer.
Known for: Spritzes and hand-carved-ice cocktails
900 Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest, Montréal, QC H3B 4A5
Clubs
For dancing into the early hours.
Stereo
After-hours house and techno club opened in 1998, holding about 700 people; the upstairs room runs until morning without serving alcohol.
Cover: Cover varies by event
Hours: Weekend nights; the upstairs after-hours room runs past 3:00 AM without alcohol, while StereoBar downstairs serves during licensed hours
Le Belmont
Club on Boulevard Saint-Laurent operating since 1985, with two rooms and three bars and a mixed programme of hip-hop, bass and electronic nights.
Cover: Cover varies by event
Hours: Thursday to Saturday nights; closes around 3:00 AM
Club Unity
LGBTQ+-friendly club in Le Village open since 2002, with two music rooms over three floors, a VIP area and a rooftop terrace.
Cover: Cover varies by night
Hours: Thursday to Saturday about 10:00 PM to 3:00 AM
Live entertainment
Music, theatre, and performance venues.
Casino de Montréal
Loto-Québec casino in the former French and Quebec pavilions of Expo 67 on Île Notre-Dame, with gaming floors, restaurants and shows; visitors must be 18 or older.
MTELUS
Historic concert hall near Saint-Laurent metro, formerly known as the Métropolis, hosting touring rock, pop and hip-hop acts.
Club Soda
Mid-size concert and comedy hall on Boulevard Saint-Laurent, a regular stage for the Montreal International Jazz Festival and Just for Laughs.
Théâtre Corona
Restored 1912 theatre on Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, a short walk from Lionel-Groulx metro, used for indie and touring concerts.
The Comedy Nest
English-language stand-up club founded in 1979, with a 140-seat room on the third floor of the former Montreal Forum near Atwater metro.
Nightlife tips
Stay safe and have fun.
Bring government photo ID; Quebec's drinking age is 18.
The STM metro stops running around 12:30-1:30 AM depending on the line (later on Saturday nights); STM night buses numbered in the 300s run overnight.
Taxis and Uber operate across the island after bars close; tip about 15 percent on drinks and taxi fares.
Many popular cocktail bars do not take reservations; arrive before 9:00 PM on weekends to avoid queues.