The Best New Bars in Montreal [January 2026]

Subterra is offering something slower and more deliberate outside the DJ-bar arms race. Beneath SonoLux in Old Montreal, the audio lounge treats vinyl as the main event, with selectors playing full records and long arcs instead of peak-hour drops. The sound system is serious, but the energy isn’t precious—more about discovery, not flexing.

Music moves through jazz, soul, funk, dub, and hip-hop, often landing on tracks that shaped scenes without ever becoming obvious. Drinks and food follow the same logic: cocktails by Clément Wallas stay restrained and thoughtful, while Graham Hood’s small plates and Nadiia Manchuk’s desserts are there to extend the evening, not interrupt it.

The Bar is a downtown cocktail lounge built around immersion and momentum. The room centres on a newly designed central bar, surrounded by three large screens running continuous artistic projections that shift the mood throughout the night. DJs and programmed events shape the soundtrack, giving the space a steady sense of movement without overpowering conversation.

Drinks are the focus for now, with a menu of original cocktails designed to be accessible, balanced, and easy to return to for a second round. Local beers and bottle service round out the offering, while a custom pool table adds a casual, social layer to the space.

If Snowbird is escapism and Spaghetti Western is pastiche, Wünderbar is Anthoni Jodoin’s most grounded fantasy yet—a 3,500-square-foot Bavarian beer hall that marks Montreal’s first classically German address in 30 years (there was Das Bier in 2015, but this one gets closer to the original vision).

Under chandeliers and exposed beams, guests raise litre steins of Erdinger and Starnberger at communal tables that stretch the length of the room. The details feel cinematic—no surprise from a guy who builds bars like movie sets—but the spirit is unmistakably local, powered by pretzels from a German expat baker and a crowd that’s more about good times than gimmicks. A little Munich, a lot Montreal.

After refining NDG’s dining scene with Entre-Deux, restaurateurs Marc Flynn, Félix Poirier, and Alex Quinton turn their attention to cocktails with Numéro, a moody, sit-down-only bar on Saint-Laurent that feels like it’s been here forever. The trio set out to create the kind of place they’d actually want to drink after service—and it shows. The room balances brutalist edges with soft light and a sense of calm rarely found in Montreal nightlife. Cocktails are precise without pretense, arriving fast and flawlessly made, while late-night snacks like pan con tomate and boquerones keep the energy conversational.

At Hiba, chef Jean-Sébastien Giguère trades the dining room for a dimly lit shrine to precision drinking. Upstairs at the Humaniti Hotel, the team turns Japanese influence into something distinctly Montreal—restrained, artful, but not afraid of a little spectacle. Behind the bar, Mickael Bouvier builds cocktails like the Ginza Gold (grilled sesame, Lillet, honey gin) and the matcha-tinted Midori No Mezame, while the kitchen sends out izakaya-style small plates that land somewhere between comfort and polish.

Verdun just got louder with Le Billy, from restaurateurs Patrick Mainville and Hugues Gagnon. It reimagines the old Bar Palco as a hybrid cocktail and live music bar named after local creative Billy Walsh. The vibe lands somewhere between neighbourhood haunt and concert venue: cocktails in hand, crowd swaying, bands taking the stage a few feet away. It’s casual but charged, with a programming lineup that puts local talent front and centre.

Le Rodman's Caribbean-inspired restobar in the Mile End skips the usual tropes and goes for something grittier: big flavours, loud music, and a bar program with zero interest in being polite. It runs on late-night energy and the kind of confidence that comes from knowing exactly what it wants to be. The kitchen stays open until 2 a.m., firing off island-style plates with smoke, spice, and a bit of swagger, while the bar pours cocktails alongside steadily flowing draft lines. The vibe leans more block party than bistro. Instead of trying to fit into the neighbourhood, it’s trying to wake it up.

Cappella doesn’t advertise itself (sort of). Found behind a fridge door inside the Old Montreal restaurant Benedetta, it’s more than easy to miss. Once inside, though, the tone shifts: low lighting, rough stone walls, and a DJ booth driving the room. The room borrows its name and mood from Italian chapels, but the rituals here lean more toward sound, smoke, and late-night confessions. With a tight guest list, rotating performers, and cocktails built for pacing the night, it's certainly got a secretive feel to it. Make sure to DM them on Instagram for the password.

What used to be a neighbourhood magazine shop is now a café by day, aperitivo bar by night—run by the team behind Caffettiera, Cloakroom, and Provisions. Mornings at Bar Edicola are espresso and cornetti at the counter; evenings stretch out into Negronis, marinated zucchini, and plates of fresh pasta. The name nods to old-school edicole (newsstands), and the space itself keeps the memory alive with Italian magazines tacked to the wall.

With a layout that shifts as the day does, the bar runs the full length of the room, the soundtrack leans lively, and the welcome starts with a proper “ciao.” It’s a versatile, soulful hangout that feels like a piece of Italy has been reinserted into a downtown that desperately needed something personal.