Montreal is Canada’s ultimate party destination. From epic secret bars and buzzing nightclubs to sultry burlesque shows and live music venues, the city’s nightlife is legendary. With a vibrant after-hours scene, an 18+ legal drinking age, and venues that honour Montreal’s storied red-light district, there's no shortage of unforgettable experiences after dark. Whether you're looking for top-tier DJs, LGBTQ+-friendly hangouts, or the city's best strip clubs, Montreal promises one of the most exciting nights out in the country.
Crescent Street is one of Montreal’s main nightlife hubs, especially popular with tourists (and during Grand Prix weekend) thanks to its prime location in the heart of downtown. With many hotels just steps away, visitors new to the city are naturally drawn to its lively bars and clubs.
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This sprawling venue on the Lachine Canal nestled by the old Canadian Malting silos blends industrial vibes with laid-back charm. By day, it’s a cozy café, but by night it transforms into a lively bar serving up tasty cocktails and beers. Housed in a chic, repurposed garage, it’s a warm-season experience only… until they revive their Hiverside igloo one day.
This multifunctional space on St-Hubert in Rosemont is a 4,500 square foot blank canvas for everything and anything you can think of: DJ performances, live music shows, album launches from local artists, film screenings, VR projections, sound art installations, fine art vernissages and clothing line launches—and we’re pretty sure we’re forgetting something. The crowd is fashion-forward and community-oriented, so expect a laid-back vibe to accompany its artistic and bohemian clientele.
L’Axe du Mal (which translates to “the axis of evil”) is a cluster of four establishments at the nightlife crossroads of Saint-Denis Street and Mont-Royal Avenue which, when combined, makes for the perfect bar-hopping experience. Each bar offers a different type of entertainment: Quai des Brumes is a live music venue that focuses on Francophone artists and singer-songwriters playing indie rock and folk; L’Escogriffe is a more intimate rock-oriented venue with local and touring bands; La Rockette is an upstairs dance club that specializes in rockabilly, classic rock and pop from the 50s to the 80s; Pow Pow offers a more nightclub atmosphere with local DJs playing electro, house, techno and other styles. We dare you to do them all in one night.
Step through the doors of ‘Les Foufs’ and find yourself walled in by Montreal music history. An enormous multifunctional complex which has been a cornerstone of the alt-rock and punk scene in Montreal since it opened in 1983, this is where you would have seen Nirvana, Green Day and Queens of the Stone Age before they made it big. Today, it continues its robust legacy with a specialization in punk, goth, emo, new wave, ska and metal. The downstairs bar area has supremely cheap pitchers of beer and a substantial terrasse for summertime use, while the upstairs club area features a huge dance floor with one of the best mosh pit scenes in town.
At face value, this is the preeminent place to be for heavy rock, punk and metal shows on the smaller side, but there’s more to it than that. This particular place gets props for the separation of its bar—equipped with excellent cocktails, pints on tap and wine by the bottle—from its performance area, so patrons can drop in to have a drink and listen a bit before deciding to join in on the show/live band karaoke/movie screening/video game tournament/chili cook-off going on, or just have a drink and relax. Few mosh pits in town get as tightknit as this one. No jerks allowed.
Casa del Popolo has been at the heart of the independent arts and music scene of the Plateau and Mile End for several decades. Many, many great local and international acts have played on its stages over the years, including Arcade Fire and Do Make Say Think, and no night’s ever the same with its more-than-varied mix of musical acts. The café-bar section features a vegetarian food menu with some of the cheapest pints in the neighbourhood all year round, while the summer yields a terrasse out back—a great place to have a few drinks before taking in a show. Check out its sister venues La Sala Rossa and La Sottorenea for more live music with a similar laid-back approach, and pay attention to when Casa becomes a local linchpin for the avant-garde Suoni Per Il Popolo festival.
This Montreal classic, home to the city's sexiest festival of the year, features the greatest artists of the underground music scene, top musical stars looking to perform intimate shows and serves as a venue for some of Montréal's largest festivals (Festival de Jazz, Les Francos).
The SAT is a high-tech venue in the Quartier des Spectacles that plays host to a wide variety of arts and music events, from their summer DJ set series Dômesicle to Cinéma Urbain projections and shows from a lineup that has included the likes of Len Faki, Ladytron, Étienne de Crécy and Richard Reed Parry. The crowning jewel of this establishment is the SATosphère, a 6,000 square foot dome designed for 360° audiovisual projections—the perfect place for both experimental art installations and wild club nights. The upstairs restaurant space Pavillon also features one of the best terrasses and rooftop bars in Montreal when the weather is warm.
Bar Le Ritz rose from the ashes of the infamous Montreal indie rock venue Il Motore back in 2014. This venue on Jean-Talon on the edge of Mile-Ex is where you’ll find live music, DJ nights and parties after parties intersecting across a diverse range of programming. Music styles vary from hip hop and electro to punk and indie rock with local and international touring acts, and the crowd is inclusive with its strong LGBTQ presence—it’s the sweet spot for those who are intimidated by mainstream nightclubs, or those who crave wild underground nights. Don’t miss their vintage dance parties with themes like 80s, 90s and 2000s. And just in case you were curious, PDB stands for “Punks Don’t Bend”.
Theme nights? Killer happy hours? DJ's, exotic cocktails, and an outdoor terrasse that clubbing dreams are made of? Welcome to the Casino de Montréal, where four bars and a cabaret are better than one.
Praised by international DJs for its impeccable sound system, Stereo keeps house and techno beats pumping into the late-night hours, long past last call elsewhere—just ask folks who dance the night away until the sun comes up here. With soundproof walls and a dance floor reinforced with springs and shock absorbers, their after-hours nightclub is fully equipped for hardcore all-nighters that flock in from all corners of the city.
Datcha sticks out as one of the rare places to hit for clubbing in Mile End. The club opened several years back in partnership with legendary local DJ Thomas Von Party and his Multi Culti label. These days, other local DJs are the ones spinning house, electro, disco, funk and techno for the club’s intimate dance floor from Wednesday through Sunday. Arrive early, and you can hit up Kabinet next door for caviar bumps and bubbles.
This West End street is one of the main nightlife destinations in Montreal for tourists and suburbanites having a night out on the town, especially when it plays host to legendary Formula 1 parties during Grand Prix weekend. On the three blocks between René-Lévesque Boulevard and Sherbrooke Street West, you’ll find dozens of places to eat, drink and dance.
If electronic dance music is your jam, New City Gas’ industrial space is the place to go. Known for welcoming EDM heavyweights like Tiesto, David Guetta, Bauer and Steve Angelo (Swedish House Mafia), it's a massive converted warehouse in Griffintown that spans two floors that can hold up to 2,000 people. These days, its large outdoor area has been converted into Bazart, a massive Mediterranean bar, restaurant and NFT gallery. While there, make sure to pay a visit to the opulent restroom area, which features a communal Turkish fountain cloaked in purple mood lighting and chandelier accents.
This nightlife spot on Plaza St-Hubert is a self-proclaimed combination of a restaurant, bar, club, venue, lounge and social club. Inspired by New York venues, expect a lot of vinyl turntables and natural wines as its dance floor comes to life thanks to an awesome sound system, but not before you stop in to eat your way through their menu and platters of popped oysters. The programming here is jampacked with all kinds of local acts playing almost every night of the week; get a feel for the vibe by listening in to their Soundcloud account.
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Back from the dead, this nightclub for anyone looking for choice EDM music during a night out, but who also wants a more intimate setting. As the music pumps and the room turns dark, keep an eye on the ceiling’s lighting for when the music drops. It’s also a fairly easy-going spot where the drinks are cheap and there’s room to relax between bouts of dancing, so all in all, a pretty solid bet for the casual club hopper.
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This institution in the Village is a multifunctional complex: While the ground floor sports a bar that’s open every day of the week, the upper floors are equipped with dancehalls, the notorious Sky Club and rooftop terrasse. We could go on about their jacuzzi, swimming pool and sauna best enjoyed in the summer too, but why spoil the fun of seeing them for yourself?
If you’re from out of town (or you just don’t get out enough) and you’re wondering what’s causing the traffic jams at the corner of Prince-Arthur and Saint-Laurent Boulevard on Friday and Saturday nights, this bottle servicing, high skirt-wearing spot is the reason why. With more than 17 years in the business, Le Rouge is where you’ll find a great mix of original artists and great hits playing. Just be sure to put your name on their list via the website before you go.
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Found on the border between the Plateau and the Mile End, this nightlife destination’s programming prides itself on offering a little bit of something for everyone throughout the weekend. All genres of music and performance arts get pumped through their speakers, from house music nights and ska bands to R&B and hip hop performers, plus some drag nights for good measure.
If you’re looking for a grander experience, this here’s Canada’s largest: Tucked inside is an indoor Japanese garden that leads into a 6,000 square foot dining room that has a 15-foot-tall Geisha statue towering over it and a menu heavy on Nikkei cuisine from chefs Andrew Bambino and Hakim Chajar. If you want to drop a few thousand, consider booking one of their bottles of Rémy Martin Louis XIII Cognac kept in glass cabinets with a white glove service.
Part supper club, part nightclub, part speakeasy, this subterranean address themed after a forest is one of the most popular spots in Downtown Montreal—after the entirety of Crescent Street, anyway. Frequented for seafood platters and cocktail parties in the evening, the crowds start to really stream in when the tables are tucked away and music by resident and guest DJs starts to spin. This is definitely one of the more elegant venues in town.
This underground club in Old Montreal has been maintaining a reputation for hosting as many lavish dinner services as it does popular DJ nights. Earlier hours of the evening have an attractive cocktail program and fusion-y menu that’s equal parts Japanese and Italian, but at night? A killer light and sound system are put to good use by top acts both local and international.
With one in Old Montréal and one in DIX30 in Brossard, Farsides have in common a street art aesthetic and a party-arty-arty vibe that makes homage to Brooklyn in the ‘90s. Like all spaces opened by the JEGantic group, Farsides is a people-watching dream every night with hotties and totties teetering around in unwieldy heels and busting biceps in too-tight tees. Toast the room with the bottle service and fill your plates with Thai-twisted lobster rolls and their signature burger dressed with pineapple chutney.
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Sneak into the laneway behind the popular Foiegwa restaurant in Little Burgundy and you’ll find this spot, a stylish wee-hour hangout for local IT people who love it for its homey speakeasy vibes and the deliciousness of the drinks (okay, and maybe for the mirrored ceiling). They put the “craft” in crafted cocktails with flavours like butter biscuits, soursop, black walnut and pink peppercorn.
Find this downstairs bar by the green neon pineapple which hangs above the staircase. A swanky tiki-inspired lounge, Le Mal Nécessaire made a huge mark on Chinatown when it opened in 2014, bringing a fresh breath of nightlife to the otherwise food-dominated landscape of its neighbourhood. The place features a colourful menu heavy on tropical ingredients like cachaca, rum and pisco, oftentimes served in cored coconuts and pineapples—don’t miss their Dragon Boat punches, perfect for large groups, and bartending events. If you’re hungry, the bar has a direct line to the Chinese restaurant Fung Shing above it for snacks.
The quality of its cocktails and décor—designed as though it sits at the bottom of a drained pool—are great drawcards for this bar, but so is their musical curation. Guest DJs from out of town with vinyl rigs are just as valuable as the local acts here, and just about every night of the week has some really, really chill music playing. Weekends are the best for dancing, while weekdays are solid for aural appreciation. Either way, we recommend arriving early in the evening for one of the best happy hours in Montreal.
Located high above Chinatown, this sixth floor spot inside the Hampton Inn by Hilton is big on its menu of French bistro fare with Vietnamese flavours in addition to a bar menu constructed by none other than Kevin Demers and Sam Kirk of supreme cocktail bars The Coldroom and El Pequeño. It’s spacious too, with 7,000 square feet and 250 seats to spare, and is a big summer hangout thanks to its views of the Old Montreal skyline.
Bar Renard has distinguished itself as one of the most elegant spaces in the Gay Village and one of the most inviting—it’s particularly popular among LGBTQ women, but everyone is welcome. It offers a wide selection of local beers and a variety of cocktails including liters of Pimm’s Cup and Mojitos. A menu of light meals is also available, with meat-based and vegetarian takes on burgers, pulled pork and hotdogs. This is a place where tables get pushed aside in the evening, as DJs turn up the volume to get clients dancing. Pure, clean fun.
Just off Place Jacques-Cartier, The Coldroom hides underground like a well-kept secret—part speakeasy, part sanctuary. It oozes old-school swagger and shakes up cocktails that hit hard and look good doing it. Go deep into the seasonal menu while diving into the inventive cocktail options like Shotgun Wedding: a blushing mix of vodka, aperol and prosecco with mint and notes of cardamom, all coloured pink with beet juice.
It was opened by the people behind Grinder and Makro, so you know this place is going to produce flavours that slap. The greystone interior and carpeted walls of this basement bar open from Thursday to Saturday make the womb-like atmosphere feel that much cozier with the woodfired pizza offerings—comfort on a plate. Pair your pie with pretty seasonal cocktails like the floral Purple Bloom.
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Tucked along Laurier West, this glowing gem wrapped in cream brick and polished wood is pure good living à la Montreal. The food is fabulous without the pretension or price tags of your average wine bar, and the cocktails reinvent basic ingredients like Ricard in the Cinq Étoiles, or rum in the tamarind-kissed Dolorés. It’s a warm and celebratory place to meet for a 5 à 9 (et plus).
Bar Pamplemousse brings the heat—literally. This Boulevard Saint-Laurent brewpub throws a Levantine curveball into its wood-fired lineup: grilled octopus with pearl couscous and chickpeas, chicken-and-lamb kebabs, and flame-kissed halloumi glazed with guava and drizzled with fried sage butter. With 20 local beers on tap, grab a seat at the counter, lean in, and let Montréal’s flavour light you up.
Cabaret Mado is Montreal’s premier drag queen cabaret, and Mado Lamotte has been running the place personally since 2002. You’ll find themed nights with a host of drag performers, hilarious and provocative comedy sketches and lip-syncing. Once the show is over, the DJs take over and you can hit the dance floor with Mado and her friends. Many unforgettable nights have started (and ended) at Cabaret Mado.
The Wiggle Room is the new kid on the block in Montreal’s storied cabaret scene, inspired by classic speakeasys of the 1920s. Featuring old-school burlesque, drag queen and drag king galas, comedy sketches and theme nights, the Wiggle Room also serves up an expansive and elegant selection of cocktails both new and classic which perfectly accompanies an evening of entertainment. Make sure to wear your wildest outfit and get ready for an epic party here.
Café Cléopâtre is one of the last remaining vestiges of Montreal’s infamous Red Light district at the corner of Saint-Laurent and Sainte-Catherine, surviving multiple rounds of demolition and expropriation. Its façade, which dates back to the 1800s, is now surrounded by a brand new glass and steel office complex that couldn’t contrast more with the interior of the establishment. On the ground floor, you’ll find one of the best strip clubs in Montreal with a colourful range of performers and décor that hasn’t changed in 30 years, or head upstairs for wild gender-bending drag and burlesque performers or baraoke on the first Saturday of every month when anyone is welcome to strip while singing (and trust us, it’s more fun than you think).
Who knew there was a 1920s speakeasy hiding within the Marriott Château Champlain? The hotel has now fully restored this incredible red-velvet and gilded curves club, now the site for events like raucous drag queen variety shows and dulcet-toned crooners.
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Tucked inside the historic St. James United Church, Le Balcon is where Parisian dinner-theatre meets New York cabaret swagger—right in the thick of downtown Montreal. The experience is as rich as the menu: bold seasonal creations and cocktails that roam the world in flavour. Once the plates are cleared, the party kicks in—live acts light up the stage and the dance floor heats up.
Whether it's wine, mixology or perfect pints you're after, use this list to find the best bars of Montreal.
Boredom isn’t an option in Montreal when looking at all of the city's parties and festivities happening year after year.
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