Remembering Claude Masson, the philosopher behind the bar of L’Express

For more than four decades, Claude Masson stood behind the bar at L’Express like a fixed point in a spinning city. He would anchor the room. With a raised eyebrow, a wry smile, or the gentlest correction about your wine order, Monsieur Claude could make even a rushed weekday lunch feel like theatre.

He died on August 9, 2025 at the age of 78, after nearly 40 years in service at one of Montreal’s most iconic restaurants. And in a place that famously resists change, his absence is seismic.

Masson started at L’Express in 1983, a year after the restaurant opened on rue Saint-Denis. He was first hired as a busboy but quickly made his way to the bar, where he remained a constant presence—refined, observant, and fiercely dedicated to the craft of hospitality. For regulars, he was a man whose discretion was legendary and whose finesse never slipped, even during a Valentine’s Day rush.