The Best New Bars of 2022
The year is coming to an end, which means it’s time for the top lists! After the Top 22 best new restaurants of 2022, here is the list of the best bars that opened this year in Montreal.
We can safely say that we really missed getting together to have a drink (or several) and dance until the wee hours of the night. Fortunately, with the end of closures at the beginning of the year, we could finally return to our favourite bars and, of course, discover some new ones.
Whether it’s wine bars, cocktail bars or simply bars, the year was marked by several very interesting openings. Here are the ones that stood out for us.
Cheers!
Bar WILLS
Goodbye Alexandraplatz, and hello Wills! The spot well known for its summer happy hours that stretched into the night is coming back to life thanks to cousins Alex and Ethan Wills (ex-Lawrence), who have also set up their eponymous craft brewery in the back of the bar, in the space formerly occupied by the Brasserie du Vieux-Montréal. The two partners took the opportunity to redesign the space with designer Annika Krausz; the decor is warm and more mature, without trying to hide the former industrial vocation of the place. The result is magnificent, the wine and cocktail list is just as beautiful and the Winneburger truck from the restaurant Nouveau Palais is parked outfront for any cravings. And a big plus: the place has been insulated and is heated, so the bar will be open all year long! A guaranteed favourite.
Montréal
Buvette Pompette
Buvette Pompette quietly opened its doors in mid-December and has already won us over with its concept inspired by traditional Iberian bars: good wine, good friends, and good food—it’s as simple as that! Nothing complicated, but we anticipate many beautiful evenings ahead. An unpretentious place as we like it!
Montréal
Le Système
“Business in the front, party in the back.” That’s how le Système describes itself. With a bar in the front, and a nightclub in the back, this new hybrid space nestled on the St-Hubert plaza reflects the eclectic crowd that it attracts: cool, hip, and laid-back. The place offers diverse programming and a killer sound system to keep you dancing all night long.
Montréal
Nolan
A new favourite address in the South-West, Nolan is a small café, wine bar and restaurant whose interior has been designed to encourage bringing people together. We love the chic vintage yet contemporary decor, the welcoming and relaxed service and the tempting menu by chef Vincent Lévesque-Lepage (Knuckles). The address is also on our list of the best new restaurants of 2022. We would also be remiss if we didn’t mention the excellent wine list by Marie-Claude Lauriault and Matthew Shefler, and the delicious cocktails by Abel Garcia.
Montréal
Nikkei MTL
The friends of Barranco—an excellent Peruvian restaurant in the Plateau—are back with Nikkei, a cocktail and tapas bar that fuses Peruvian and Japanese cuisine. The drink menu—which also mixes Asian and Latin American influences—is sure to make you drool with evocative names like Nikkei Spritz, Miso Mule, Sensei’s Martini or Tokyo Sour, in addition to a nice selection of sakes, wines and beers. A guaranteed change of scenery!
Montréal
SUPERNAT
Café by day, wine bar by night, Supernat has it all. The clean and colourful decor is inspired by the wabi-sabi aesthetic, with a large central bar where you can sit and chat with the team about natural wine or third wave coffee. Of note: in addition to a nice selection of bottles to drink on site and to take away, the bar offers several wines and ciders in barrels and a nice selection of Asian-inspired cocktails, like the Japanese High Ball and the Thai Basil Mule. To eat, they offer a choice of delicious sandos on Hokkaido bread.
Montréal
Pubjelly
Pubjelly is the more casual counterpart to the chic Jellyfish restaurant and describes itself as a “gourmet pub.” Part wine bar, part cocktail bar, part oyster bar, it offers a superb menu of seasonal delicacies, as well as comforting Roman pizza al taglio. Only the best!
Montréal
Fleurs et Cadeaux Restaurant
In the basement of the Fleurs & Cadeaux restaurant, accessible through a door near the restrooms or by walking around the building, is a hidden bar called Sans Soleil. Here you can enjoy the same menu, but in a more subdued atmosphere with a spellbinding soundscape drawing from the impressive vinyl collection visible behind the DJ table. After 9pm, the music goes up a notch, the small space fills with partygoers and the cocktails and sake flow.
Montréal
NOMI
The team behind Flyjin and the excellent Jatoba restaurant has come up with a new address in the same spirit: NOMI, a superb Japanese-inspired buvette located a few steps away from Philips Square, downtown. The name NOMI is inspired by “nomikai”, a Japanese tradition of getting together to eat and drink after work. Thus, the place is ideal for a happy hour, with friends or colleagues. On the menu: wines, cocktails, sakes and a tasty izakaya menu by Olivier Vigneault (Jatoba) and Rémi Lemieux (ex-Au Pied de Cochon).
Montréal
Bar Datcha
Before the arrival of chef Jean-Michel Leblanc—who earned the address a place on our list of the best new restaurants of 2022—Kabinet was known mainly as a great cocktail bar. Rest assured, it still is! Moreover, the sommelier Simon-Pierre Rivard offers us a superb wine list in perpetual evolution. After a few drinks, a few bites, and a “bump” of caviar or two, we’re off to Datcha nextdoor to drink and dance the night away.
Montréal
l'idéal bar & contenus
Technically, L’Idéal opened its doors at the very end of 2021, just before the Legault government imposed a lockdown for the holidays. It is therefore in 2022 that this unique multidisciplinary concept – part wine bar, part club and part creative studio – really took off. L’Idéal offers a rich and diversified cultural program: DJs and guest artists, intimate concerts, podcast recordings, launches, etc., but is also ideal for a drink and a bite to eat with friends.
Montréal
Le Bar Baby
The launch of Bar Baby in November was shrouded in an aura of mystery. The address did not appear on social media, and it was only through a series of enigmatic publications on the accounts of the partners and staff that we were able to discover the concept behind this new hot spot of Montreal nightlife. This aura of exclusivity has quickly attracted crowds of young, hip people: you have to arrive early to secure a spot on the dance floor! The establishment also offers a unique cocktail tasting experience called L’Étude. Baby Far West is an experience not to be missed.
Montréal
