The best speakeasies and secret bars hidden in Montreal

Decorated in a mix of Hollywood Regency and Dallas-era 1980s glitter and glam, Bowie (the new kid on the block in Old Montreal) is a party for the senses with a dress code and a preference for reservations. If you make the cut you can nosh on whole grilled fish, a slab of BBQ short ribs or a shareable wagyu striploin, but if you feel like daintier bites, try the Cantonese shrimp toasts or the dumplings. The cocktails also have an Asian edge. Try the Golden Years—a white negroni—or the Sakura Smoke, featuring cherry blossom.

Pointe-Saint-Charles’ first speakeasy is a psychedelic clash of concepts. Behind a leopard skin door connected to the Fugazzi pizza restaurant, walk up the stairs between a rainbow of neon-lit walls and stroll into a jungle-tiki cocktail bar where drinks come in disco ball glasses, Easter Island Moai statues and shiny flamingos. With its connection to the pizza restaurant, it doubles a great place to snack as well. There are no reservations except for groups, so come early or expect a wait.

The retrofitted diner Foiegwa turned a lot of heads when it opened its doors in Saint-Henri, but the real line-ups are found in the alleyway behind it. Pass through the steel door at the end of the passageway to find this French disco-themed bar with one of the most spectacular liquor selections in town, all of which is doubly impressive when tasting the cocktails. No style or presentation is too wild here to try out—that is, if you can grab a seat.

This famous tiki-style bar, just steps from Chinatown's ornate gates, serves up quirky cocktails exploding with tropical fruit—and some slushy twists on old favourites—with a focus on sustainability and upcycled ingredients. Look for the glowing neon pineapple that hangs over the stairwell leading down to this hidden gem.

You’ll walk past the non-descript door to this slick speakeasy at least twice before finding it, but once you’ve been, it’s hard to forget. First-timers will be rewarded with a cocktail den decked out with candles and a wrap-around-and-around bar serving a stellar wine list, a touch of saké and killer whisky sours. Locals and returning customers might enjoy purchasing a full bottle of whisky to hang from the ceiling which they can return to at their leisure over the course of a year.

If you don’t want to spend time walking up and down Saint Denis Street in search of this cocktail bar, go to the 4e Mur website first and fill in the contact form to be emailed the location. The Google Maps address will lead you astray, as will the clues of the murder mystery which thematically frames the cocktail program here. Come with a crowd, since each of six drinks that shift monthly gets you a clue, all of them gradual steps closer to solving the puzzle and winning more drinks.

Baby Far West is a hidden bar within a bar. Located inside Bar le Baby in St-Henri, Far West is a unique spot that accommodates only 12 people. Think decor with some Western touches and a next-level mixology experience.

A prime date destination, this bar brings romance to cocktail descriptions with seasonal specialties. To find the bar, look for the duck below the exit sign next to El Pequeño Bar, and enter a world where the bartender rules. Seriously, that’s #1 on the official house rules. There are several more where that came from, but each rule leads to a single purpose: Keeping it classy.

This classy subterranean spot upped the Plateau’s cocktail game when it opened in 2017. Located below reputed wine bar Rouge Gorge, it’s a 65-seat secret designed by Montreal’s own Zébulon Perron, the brains behind innumerable beautifully designed projects in the city. It's the perfect date or late night party destination. Above all, head cocktail creator Manu Ruiz is among the city's current masters.

With a couple of romantic nooks, some tables and a few coveted stools numbering in at a total of 25 seats, this bar is one of Montreal’s most intimate cocktail speakeasies. Tell the bartender what you like in terms of flavours and let them make something to order, carving an appropriately sized cube of ice to match. Don’t like what they made? No problem, they’ll try again. If only it were so easy at the adjacent barbershop.

The Asian speakeasy below Vietnamese restaurant Hà in Old Montreal is no joke: Drinks come in shells, buddhas and coupes as classics are reinvented à la tiki, like the Pandan Sour and the Dji, a riff on an Old Fashioned with tequila, mezcal, pineapple, hazelnut bitters and chanterelle mushrooms. The dancing to deep house starts around 11 p.m., so come early or reserve if you want a seat. Otherwise, join the crowd trying not to spill their buddhas-for-two.

If you're looking for a place that's cozy, intimate, and a little sexy, this is the one. Sporting a look that's similar to a grotto in the Playboy Mansion, a trip to Henden's downstairs hangout below the fried chicken and champagne restaurant Bird Bar in Griffintown has just about everything you need to help you unplug from the day to day. Bubbles, caviar and blinis help start the evening just as well as the cocktail menu, but the homemade pogos and oysters ain't too shabby either. 

The only real clue for the entryway is a neon sign pointing downward to take a dive: Club Pelicano has got to be one of the only places in the world where it's possible to spend a full evening in a pool. It's through table-like diving boards, "No Diving" warnings and lifesaver decorations that you'll settle into a pool corridor and wade through your cocktails. We also enjoy the delicious Nikkei-style cuisine of its neighbour/associate Tiradito. 

If you can't find the entrance to King Crab's hidden bar, know that all you need to do is try asking someone working at Makro (the seafood restaurant). They'll point a thumb over their shoulder to the cobbled alleyway next door, and you'll head down through a mirrored hallway to a place where evenings never seem to end. The place is dark, chic and elegant, with the added bonus of a wood-fired oven that churns out some pretty decent pizza to go with your popped bottles and signature cocktails.

At its most active, Soubois is a buzzy nightclub in the heart of downtown Montreal, but you can pay a visit to its bar-within-a-bar speakeasy-style bar L'Orangerie for calmer vibes. Things can still get as wild in here as they can during a cabaret or on the dancefloor, but the bonus is being able to spend time with the bartender to watch their head-turning mixology at play while bottle service with sparklers cross the main room.

Tucked away out of view on Rachel East in the Plateau in a way that keeps things dicreet, A Bar Le A has a small terrasse and indoor space engenders calm and collected vibes earlier in the evening while—occasionally—getting a little more raucous later at night. Super casual and personable with a BYOF policy (bring your own food), it's just the kind of place you want when you're looking to escape and rub shoulders with (other) locals.

Pull back the curtain beside the chirashi counter at Ryoshi to find this Yakuza-themed saké and cocktail speakeasy. Try the Ishigaki San with blended Japanese whisky, Cognac, fresh oranges and Saint Germain—a recipe given with permission from Bar Ishinohana in Tokyo—or a glass of Homare Junmai Daiginjo Kiwami sake. Both bring out the funk in umami-rich pork floss, soft tofu and truffle ponzu salads and torched foie gras and eel handrolls from up front. 

Inside Hiatus, the high-flying restaurant that presides over the 45th floor of the iconic Place Ville Marie, sits Sora 45: a Japanese small-bite bar where the succulent pork ribs yakiniku and wagyu brioche burger pair magnificently with an attractive wine list and cocktails worth the journey. Try the salty and sassy Dutchman (a type of martini mixing gin, vodka, Nikka Miyagikyo whisky and dry vermouth dressed with nori and olives) as you soak up the stellar view.

Up through the alley behind Rue Saint-Paul you go to access this Old Montréal cocktail bar, where a dark and moody vibe and bumping music await. The industrial decor belies a warm and homey approach to mixology—they’re not too fussy, not too showy, but just perfectly designed for nuance and refined enjoyment.

The playful side that’s all over the cocktail design at this fun subterranean bar in Chinatown spreads throughout the space. It’s a quirky, glamorous, sexy, impeccably lit space that’s suffused with a cushy and velvety atmosphere. Turn up your late nights with some killer hip-hop and the tropical trip for the senses that is their signature Juice Box cocktail.

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Another Chinatown basement must is this spot nestled under one of the most popular contemporary restaurants in the area, Fleurs & Cadeaux, from which you can order your bar snacks, by the way. Graced with the same good mojo, Sans Soleil plays a great selection of music from its endless vinyl decks while pleasing palates with beautiful wines, a unique choice of sakes and cocktails like the Matcha Fizz that make you go “hunh”—and then order four more.

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Hidden in Downtown Montreal’s Italian seafood restaurant Sea Me, Beluga Lounge feels like you’re going below deck into a luxurious, glittering secret space replete with a seafaring vibe. The marine-inspired cocktails match a food menu that focuses on bites like oysters, caviar, crudi and cicchetti: open-faced Italian sandwiches topped with things like octopus carpaccio and grilled baby squid.

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Dressed in red velvet and Turkish rugs, Le Grotto doles out vibe and tasty bites on a silver platter—but only if you make it in. Pass the front door and get your access code, then follow the arrow, enter your code, and hope for the best. The secret cave will reward you for your troubles with the prettiest drinks and yummilicious tapas like the Instagram-famous Remy Royale Sando, wagyu beef between slices of pillowy brioche dolloped with whole-grain mustard.

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