Montreal Nightlife Tips by Carmanah

Casa del Popolo: An intimate venue for audiophiles

Casa del Popolo is a concert venue, a vegetarian restaurant, an art gallery, a bar, and a general all-around cool hangout tucked away on the trendy boul. St-Laurent.

On a late December evening I came here to see some friends' band play. As a concert venue, it's pretty small and intimate with the stage in the back of the room and a bar along the side. But as a bar, it has more of a relaxing coffee shop atmosphere than a beer-soaked bar. I quite liked it.

Casa del Popolo has a calendar on their website showcasing who's going to be playing. A lot of bands are unknown to the mainstream, but a few, from what I recall, are known. Back in December 2004 when I was there, I remember seeing a poster advertizing the Dears. I couldn't believe that they'd be playing such a small venue, and I'm sure it would have been a great show! As well, apparently Casa del Popolo was where the Arcade Fire hosted their CD release party for their debut album, Funeral. Needless to say, it seems to be a pretty popular small venue for local up-and-coming bands. To see a band that you truly love play there would be amazing!

There are seats along the sides of the walls, but they tend to be taken pretty fast. If you're an audiophile looking for a good place to scout out Montréal's secrets, I'd probably head here first.

Dress Code: Casual - there is no dress code.

Address: 4873 boul. St-Laurent, Montreal

Directions: Located on the east side of St Laurent, south of St Pierre.

Phone: (514) 284-0122

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.casadelpopolo.com

Pub Quartier Latin: A fine lounge for drinks with friends!

I've been to Pub Quartier Latin twice now, each time in the dead of winter on an absolutely freezing night. But that's what Quartier Latin's for - a place to escape the cold from. It's not really a pub (at least from how I see it), but moreso a bar and lounge. I love it because it's all the walls inside are painted red and all the seats are white leather. This aesthetic is very strong and classy and carries throughout the entire aesthetic. There are booths and tables set along the walls, and occasionally live DJ's playing. I'd recommend coming here if you're looking for an environment conductive for conservation, either among couples or among a group of friends.

Dress Code: No dress code

Address: 318 rue Ontario E, Montreal

Directions: Located on the south side of Ontario, west of St-Denis.

Phone: (514) 845-3301

Theme: Eating and Drinking

Foufounes Electriques: Foufounes Electriques Foufounes Electriques Review

Foufounes Electriques (translated to "Electric Buttcheeks") is a trashy alternative dance hall and concert venue with a long-standing tradition on Montréal's Rue Ste-Catherine. I even knew of this place's legendary reputation back in Vancouver before ever arriving! I knew that if I was seeking out a place that played alternative music, industrial music, or was seeking an environment without any pretention, then I should head to "Foufounes".

So after midnight in May 2003 I dropped by with a friend. They were playing heavy metal music downstairs, while upstairs had a crazy dance party going on. While they don't charge cover downstairs, they certainly do so for upstairs. We couldn't go upstairs to the dance floor without paying at least $8 (or more) each, so we decided that since it was going to close for the night soon, it wasn't worth it. Instead, we just stayed downstairs where they have tables and chairs set up like a pub. We just sat there and and mingled with some of the locals. And yes, the locals loved that I was speaking my bad French with them!

Dress Code: Anything goes - it's more of a dress down than a dress up venue.

Address: 87 Ste Catherine Est, Montréal

Phone: 514-844-5539

Theme: Nightclub

Website: http://www.foufounes.qc.ca

Go-Go Lounge: Go-Go Lounge

The Go-Go Lounge is a popular 60's style lounge located in the very trendy Plateau neighbourhood on St-Laurent. When you walk in, it smells like a cheap club that's been bathed once too often in beer and smoke. We popped in for drinks early on December 27 and for the most part, we were the only ones there. It was incredibly quiet, but perfect. The seats are all red - either 60's retro plastic bucket seats, or giant sculpted plastic hands.

The drink menus are interesting - they're vinyl records in which each drink has its own colourful sticker. For example, the lychee-vodka martini was called the "Hello Kitty", and the sticker features our favourite Sanrio cat.

During our visit it was unusually quiet, however, this place apparently comes alive at night. We actually drove by it later around 2am to find lineups outside! Crazy!

All in all, it's a long and narrow drinking lounge... but people come here to dance on the tables!

Theme: Eating and Drinking

Billy Kun: Billy Kun

Billy Kun's a dark-lit lounge that wouldn't feel out of place somewhere like Belgium or Denmark... and I can't put my finger on it. It's a long, narrow lounge with dark wood beams and stuffed ostrich heads up along the wall. The ceilings are high and the drinks are really cheap - bottles of wine are $30, maybe $5 more than what they'd cost at the SAQ. In Vancouver? The same bottle of wine in a lounge would cost double!

Billy Kun doesn't have food - only beverages. During the evening it gets really crowded and it's nearly impossible to find a table. This place tends to attract a 25+ crowd of seeming intellectuals. There's almost always a live band playing or musician playing, and you don't have to pay any cover charge.

Dress Code: Casual - this is not a nightclub, but a drinking lounge.

Directions: Located on the south side of Rue Mont Royal just west of St Denis.

Theme: Eating and Drinking

Jello Bar: Jello Bar

The Jello Bar is a live-music club venue where once upon a time you could catch DJ's like Amon Tobin perform. When I visited, it was a particularly quiet week, but we managed to see a local funk band, Dr Sax, which was actually really fun.

The atmosphere is somewhat retro 70's, with low-lying couches and tables. There is a small dance floor and a completely separate room in the back. The waitresses dress seductively and the house DJ is... well... we nicknamed him "DJ Breakdance" because he would play these cheesy dated techno tracks from the early 80's and it seemed appropriate at the time!

The Jello Bar has a multi-page martini menu, which is fantastic, however, the prices are absolutely outrageous at $10 a drink - a lot more expensive than what I'm used to at even expensive restaurants. Considering that the club is fun but not posh, I'm assuming they charge so much for martinis because

a) they can, and
b) the waitresses kneel down to the low table and pour the martinis right there for you.

While prices are expensive, the service at Jello Bar *is* fantastic. Our waitress was adorable and the manager seemed to make special note of us - asking us how we were enjoying ourselves. We even were brought a round of free shooters, on the house, from the staff. How awesome is that?!

Dress Code: Fun but casual. I don't think there's much of a dress code, but everyone in Montreal dresses up, so you might as well dress up rather than down!

Theme: Nightclub