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The Main Media Inc. 2026

✦ Built By Field Office
    The Main

    Montreal's Cultural Directory

    Help us improve! Share your thoughts on how we can make your experience better.

    Leave feedback

    For partnerships and collaborations:

    partnerships@themain.com

    Content

    • Articles
    • Food & Drink
    • Arts & Culture
    • History Lesson
    • Bulletin
    • Events

    Guides

    • All Guides
    • Best Restaurants
    • Best Cafés
    • Best Bars
    • Best Brunch
    • Best Bakeries

    Explore Montreal

    • Browse Directory
    • Restaurants
    • Bars
    • Cafés
    • Bookstores

    About

    • About us
    • Subscribe
    • Shop
    • Advertise
    • Pitch us
    • RSS Feed

    Legal

    • Terms of service
    • Membership Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    Follow us
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    The Main Media Inc. 2026

    ✦ Built By Field Office
      --°C|Tuesday, April 14, 2026|
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      --°C|Tuesday, April 14, 2026|
      Subscribe today to get 3 free articles per month.ROYALMOUNT Wants to Be Your Dining Destination for a Whole MonthGet 50% off your first 5 rides with Lyft
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      |
      Advertise
      The Main Logo
      Arts & CultureFood & DrinkHistoryCity Guides
      Explore
      Popular Guides
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      • Best new Restaurants
      • Best Cafés
      • Unique Boutiques
      • Romantic Restaurants
      • Best Bookstores
      • See all Guides
      Neighbourhood
      • Downtown
      • Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
      • Mile End
      • Mile-Ex
      • Saint-Henri
      • See All
      Business Type
      • Restaurant
      • Café
      • Boutique / Store
      • Bar
      • Bakery
      • See All
      Near the Metro
      • Peel
      • Mont-Royal
      • Place-Saint-Henri
      • Place-d'Armes
      • Jarry
      • View all
      More
      Categories
      • Beyond Montreal

        Travel, adventure, and global perspectives.

      • Design

        The best of Montreal design.

      • History

        Stories, lessons, and context.

      • Newsletter

        Our weekly newsletter.

      • Weather
      • See all original stories
      Shop
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      Subscribe

      More Food & Drink

      Bona Fide, One of Villeray's Best New Restaurants, Is Closing
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      Willie's Clubhouse Brings an Elevated Billiards, Darts, and Cocktail Lounge to Downtown Montreal

      This swish take on the 'bar ludique' creates a new recreational hub inside the Montreal Forum.

      ByJ.P. Karwacki

      April 15, 2025 · 5 min read

      Willie's Clubhouse brings an elevated billiards, darts, and cocktail lounge to downtown Montreal
      Photography by Aidan Matthews / @aidanc.m

      More Food & Drink

      Bona Fide, One of Villeray's Best New Restaurants, Is Closing
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Bona Fide, One of Villeray's Best New Restaurants, Is Closing

      The Roman-style pasta and natural wine spot on Saint-Laurent lasted just under two years, but long enough to make a real impression.

      The New Chinatown Doesn't Call Itself That
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      The New Chinatown Doesn't Call Itself That

      What's taken shape on Montreal's Sainte-Catherine West is something entirely distinct from the old Chinatown.

      A New Pub Aims to Bring Finesse to the Plateau's Bar Scene
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      J.P. Karwacki

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      Elevated pub classics, a daily 5 à 7, and a kitchen open until 1 a.m. have all arrived at the corner of Prince-Arthur and Saint-Laurent.

      The Drink Is the Last Thing a Great Bar Thinks About
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      The Fancy Cocktail Bar Isn't Dead, But Andrew Whibley Wouldn't Open One Today
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      A Day in the Life of a Montreal Wine Importer
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      Keaton Ritchie of Flor Vin was on the banks of the Loire last week. Today he's hauling bottles through the slush.

      Food & Drink

      Willie's Clubhouse Brings an Elevated Billiards, Darts, and Cocktail Lounge to Downtown Montreal

      This swish take on the 'bar ludique' creates a new recreational hub inside the Montreal Forum.

      ByJ.P. Karwacki

      April 15, 2025 · 5 min read

      Willie's Clubhouse brings an elevated billiards, darts, and cocktail lounge to downtown Montreal
      Photography by Aidan Matthews / @aidanc.m

      Discover the places mentioned in this story

      Willie's ClubhouseMontreal Forum

      The recreational landscape continues to evolve beyond the traditional bar scene, and activity-based venues are gaining momentum thanks to home teams focused on offering up alternatives.

      First there was the revived relic of Montreal Bowling, then the indoor driving ranges of the alt-country club Muni, and now? The latest entrant, Willie's Clubhouse, transforms a mothballed, 3,230-square-foot space in the Montreal Forum into a refined space that combines classic billiards, darts, and cocktail culture.

      Stepping down into the pool hall.
      The smoky backroom with dartboards.

      In development since last summer, what started as aspirations for "just another pub" evolved into something more ambitious: a trendy English-style pool hall connected to a sophisticated dart room with distinct personalities.

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      The Main

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      My restaurant got busy before it was ready. Now I can finally take a step back.
      Food & Drink
      Scott Usheroff

      My Restaurant Got Busy Before it Was Ready. Now I Can Finally Take a Step Back.

      It's the unspoken problem of early popularity in restaurants: Nineteen months in, La Spada's owner reflects on the chaos, clarity, and learning to step away.

      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution
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      Anick Jasmin

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      Peel Pub Is Coming Back
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      The Main

      Peel Pub Is Coming Back

      Eight months after closing, the downtown institution has new owners, a renovation, and a reopening before St. Patrick's Day.

      Numéro's brutalist bar wants to serve your next post-shift martini
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      Numéro's Brutalist Bar Wants to Serve Your Next Post-shift Martini

      Walk-ins and reservations share a warm welcome in this highly customized space, and it's got the menu to match.

      Discover the places mentioned in this story

      Willie's ClubhouseMontreal Forum

      The recreational landscape continues to evolve beyond the traditional bar scene, and activity-based venues are gaining momentum thanks to home teams focused on offering up alternatives.

      First there was the revived relic of Montreal Bowling, then the indoor driving ranges of the alt-country club Muni, and now? The latest entrant, Willie's Clubhouse, transforms a mothballed, 3,230-square-foot space in the Montreal Forum into a refined space that combines classic billiards, darts, and cocktail culture.

      Stepping down into the pool hall.
      The smoky backroom with dartboards.

      In development since last summer, what started as aspirations for "just another pub" evolved into something more ambitious: a trendy English-style pool hall connected to a sophisticated dart room with distinct personalities.

      Free account required

      For readers who care about Montreal

      Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.

      Independent. Local. Reader-supported.

      or

      Already a member? Sign in

      The Main

      Comments

      Welcome to The Main's comments section!

      Share your thoughts and join the conversation. Please be respectful and constructive.

      No comments yet. Be the first!

      Advertisement

      Follow on Google
      My restaurant got busy before it was ready. Now I can finally take a step back.
      Food & Drink
      Scott Usheroff

      My Restaurant Got Busy Before it Was Ready. Now I Can Finally Take a Step Back.

      It's the unspoken problem of early popularity in restaurants: Nineteen months in, La Spada's owner reflects on the chaos, clarity, and learning to step away.

      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution
      Food & Drink
      Anick Jasmin

      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution

      Owner Jermaine learned to cook from his grandmother in Jamaica at six years old. Everything at Boom J's still carries those teachings.

      Cécile Puts Fine-Dining Polish on Rotisserie and Acadian Comfort Cooking
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Cécile Puts Fine-Dining Polish on Rotisserie and Acadian Comfort Cooking

      The Fleury Ouest newcomer pays tribute to post-war family tables and its chef Benjamin Gilker's Nova Scotian roots.

      Chouchou Is the Modern Chinese Bistro Our City's Been Missing
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Chouchou Is the Modern Chinese Bistro Our City's Been Missing

      Chef Chouchou Jia spent years cooking in French and Italian kitchens before opening their first restaurant, and the result is unlike anything else in town.

      Peel Pub Is Coming Back
      Food & Drink
      The Main

      Peel Pub Is Coming Back

      Eight months after closing, the downtown institution has new owners, a renovation, and a reopening before St. Patrick's Day.

      Numéro's brutalist bar wants to serve your next post-shift martini
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Numéro's Brutalist Bar Wants to Serve Your Next Post-shift Martini

      Walk-ins and reservations share a warm welcome in this highly customized space, and it's got the menu to match.

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      @canada.gov.ca’s Accidental Archivist John Batt is Reshaping Canadian Culture

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