The pitch behind Marilyn's is that a private club can be the opposite of a velvet rope. It seats about 55 in the basement of Mare, runs on application-based membership, and curates for a room where people might actually talk to each other rather than for a single crowd. Zach Macklovitch (Suwu, Apt. 200, Doubles) designed it with Marie-Philippe Bergeron in red carpet, marble and mirrored triangles, the building's original stone foundation exposed behind the bar. Soul and R&B stay low enough for conversation, board games sit on the tables, and Mare's kitchen sends food down, including a chicken burger under caviar.

From the group behind The Coldroom, El Pequeño, Bisou Bisou, and Bar Bello, Sample is the first of their bars where the drinks come second. Housed in the basement of an 1863 greystone beneath Old Montreal's Arcadia hotel, the room is built around an analog sound system anchored by a McIntosh MC275 amplifier, a vinyl collection curated by Montreal artist SIMBO, and a polite ask to keep your phone away. The menu reads like an album tracklist inspired by soul music, with bottled and batched cocktails alongside Danish smørrebrød.

Beyt means house in Arabic, and Anthony Gebrayel and Angélique Custeau run their Saint-Laurent cave à manger accordingly: drop in for a coffee, a glass, a long apéro, or a full meal among the exposed stone walls and glass-block bar. Both ITHQ-trained sommeliers, the pair pour a rotating list of private imports and artisan wines by the glass, matched to Lebanese-inflected sharing plates like stuffed eggplant on labneh and lamb skewers with za'atar yogurt.

Lovebird is a cocktail bar and music salon set within the stone vaults beneath Hotel Nelligan, opened in spring 2026 by Corner Collection (Antonopoulos family) and designed by Atelier Zébulon Perron. The cocktail program draws on classic foundations, seasonal ingredients, and house-made infusions; the spirits list leans heavily on Quebec producers including Cirka, St-Laurent, Sortilège, and Menaud. Live music runs nightly from 8 p.m. in three sets, mostly local artists across jazz, soul, and acoustic. A performance fee applies once the music starts ($20 Wed–Thu, $25 Fri–Sat). Small bites range from smoked oysters and lobster roll to beef tartare and Siberian caviar; Champagne pours from Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart, and Dom Pérignon.

Prince Pub landed in the former Suwu space at Saint-Laurent and Prince-Arthur with a clear sense of purpose: serve the best pub food on the Main, keep the kitchen open until 1 a.m., and give the neighbourhood somewhere worth returning to. The room earns its tavern credentials with glossy purple walls, lacquered panelling, diner-style foot rails, banquettes, and a pool table in the back. Chef Pierre Morneau, whose resume runs through Cadet and Miracolo, built a menu around the food he'd actually want at a pub: pretzels, oysters, thin-crust tavern-style pizza, a brisket-grind burger, and the Plateau Royal, a three-tiered tower of more or less everything. Sommelier and co-owner Victor Collette handles the wine list; Jonathan Homier the cocktails. Daily 5 à 7 specials and a 30-seat summer terrace complete the picture.

Hotel Bonanza occupies a 1912 building in Sainte-Thérèse that has spent its life cycling through identities: hotel, taverne, club. The current version, from Marc-André Dubé and David Delli-Fraine, leans into that history without taking it too seriously. The room moves through a 1960s hotel lobby, a '70s Colorado ski lodge, a neon-lit pool hall, and a velvet-curtain cabaret zone. Much of the décor was sourced from thrift shops, and it shows in the best way. The programming follows the same logic: eclectic music, karaoke on Saturdays, and late hours built for people who aren't ready to leave. Simple drinks, no pretense, and a building with enough character to carry the whole thing.