Nightlife

Best Bartender
1. Bill at Foufs, Saphir
2. Stacey at Tokyo
3. Gern F. at Grumpy's
4. Rhys Taylor at Saphir
5. Megan at Tokyo
6. Liora at Club 1234
7. Jen at Cock 'n' Bull
8. Kim at Barfly
9. Marielyne at Sala Rossa
10. Anabel Colpron at Jet
Honourable mentions: Nancy at Bifteck • Sami at Blue Dog (RIP) • Heather Day at Bourbon Street West • Stephanie at Vinyl

As always, readers gave props to the steely ladies who work the west end of downtown, but the alternative set had their say too, putting Bill at the top once again, and introducing Plateau/Mile-End mainstays Marielyne and Rhys Taylor to the category. Don’t forget to tip.

Best Waiter/Waitress
1. Susan at Bifteck
2. Josh Macdonald at Le Pistol
3. Marie-Claude at Copacabana
4. Stacey at Tokyo
5. Caroline at Saphir
6. Felicity Hammer at Brutopia
7. Gwelf at Saphir
8. Shannon Linde at McKibbins
9. Elise at Foufounes
10. Julie Young at La Cabane
Honourable mentions: Soula Trougakos at Club Mansfield • Angela Potvin at Cock ‘n' Bull• Arianne at Gogo • Sheila at Jimbo’s

Best Watering Hole
1. Bifteck 2. Brutopia
3. Cock ‘n’ Bull
4. Foufounes Electriques
5. Barfly
6. Peel Pub
7. Hurley’s
8. Copacabana
9. Madhatters
10. Grumpy’s

Best Sleazy Dive
1. Barfly
2. Bifteck
3. Miami
4. Cock ‘n’ Bull
5. Foufounes Électriques
6. Cheers
7. Madhatters
8. Copacabana
9. Thursdays
10. Diana Pub

Big changes to this category this year, with the temporary closing of Miami, which was #1 last year, and Skala. Barfly proudly rises to the top, while Cheers, Copa and Thursdays break into the sleaze scene for the first time. Congratulations!

Best Happy Hour
1. Vol de Nuit
2. Peel Pub
3. Foufounes Électriques
4. Carlos & Pepes
5. Cheers
6. McKibbins Irish Pub
7. Brutopia
8. Sky Pub
9. Newtown
10. Thursdays

Best Pick-up Spot
1. Thursdays
2. Tokyo Bar
3. Cheers
4. Foufounes Électriques
5. Parking
6. Jet
7. GoGo Lounge
8. Saphir
9. Café Campus
10. Orchid/Vinyl (tie)

Best-looking Clientele
1. Jet
2. Tokyo
3. Time
4. Buona Notte
5. Saphir
6. Foufounes Électriques
7. W Hotel/Wunderbar
8. 737 Altitude
9. Globe
10. Club 1234

Best Terrasse
1. Saint-Sulpice
2. Saint-Elizabeth
3. 737 Altitude
4. Tokyo
5. Vol de Nuit
6. Sky
7. Foufounes Électriques
8. Santropol
9. Thursdays
10. Madhatters

Best Live Venue
1. Metropolis
2. La Sala Rossa
3. Spectrum
4. Club Soda
5. Le Medley
6. Le Swimming (RIP)
7. Foufounes Électriques
8. La Tulipe
9. Café Campus
10. Bell Centre

Best Lounge
1. Lola
2. Jello
3. GoGo
4. Vinyl
5. Sofa
6. Lounge 6
7. Laïka
8. Kafein
9. Buddha
10. Blizzarts

Luba is dead, long live Luba. Vinyl took over Luba’s physical space, but not its traditional #1 BOM spot, but it’s a good showing for a new establishment nonetheless. Laval’s Lounge 6, another newcomer, assumes its logical ranking.

Best Jazz Bar
1. Upstairs
2. Jello Bar
3. House of Jazz
4. Bily Kun
5. Pub Quartier Latin
6. Cobalt
7. Le Blanc
8. 1221 Crescent
9. Grumpy's on Wednesday
10. Barfly on Thursday

It’s another triumph for swingin’ swank this year as Jello Bar and House of Jazz switch places, with Upstairs on top, as always. But class isn’t everyone’s bag, as the 10th place winner shows. Clearly some people prefer that old-school ambience, harking back to the days when jazz clubs were dens of sin.

Best Dance Club
1. Jet
2. Orchid
3. Parking
4. Tokyo
5. Dôme
6. Saphir
7. Rouge
8. Lola
9. Unity II
10. Stereo

Best Club Night
1. Peer Pressure (Saturdays at Vinyl)
2. Overdose (Thursdays at Parking)
3. Darkwave Nights (Fridays at Saphir)
4. Mix Thursdays (at Saphir)
5. Back 2 Basics (at Blue Dog, RIP)
6. Flight Fridays (at Jet)
7. Saturdays (at Lola Lounge)
8. Diva Saturdays (at Jet)
9. Dirty Thursdays (at Stereobar)
10. Easy Tuesdays (at Orchid)

Best Afterhours
1. Stereo
2. Circus
3. Aria
4. Red-Lite
5. Peer Pressure
6. Someone’s house/apartment
7. None
8. Sona (RIP)
9. Gravity
10. Millennium

Despite strong showings for the Island’s three most visible afterhours joints (and some love for the mega-clubs in the ’burbs), #6–8 say something about the state of afterhours in this town. Yes, you can turn on your ’90s nostalgia right about now.

Best Rave/Party
1. Bal en Blanc
2. Black & Blue
3. Peer Pressure
4. I Love Neon
5. Celebration
6. Cream
7. Nostalgia
8. Piknic Electronik
9. Eclipse Festival
10. Kops Crew New Year’s Eve

The Bad Boy Club of Montreal take the top two spots again with their grandiose homo happenings, proving that circuit parties just won’t quit. But there’s also a little something for the electro-oriented (I Love Neon, up three places from last year), the tree-hugging technophile (Piknic, up two) and the down and dirty dancefloor maniac (Kops, down one).

Best Strip Club
1. Wanda's
2. Kama Sutra
3. Super Sexe
4. Chez Parée
5. 281
6. Solid Gold
7. Amazons
8. Club Downtown
9. Stock/Cleopatra (tie)
10. Château du Sexe

Tucked away around the corner from Prince Arthur and St-Laurent is a neon sign that reads “Danse contact.” The primo location, the faux-discreet entrance and the kitschy gold exterior (not to mention the lap-dancing strippers) make Kama Sutra the Plateau’s main source of skin, poles and semen-encrusted briefs.

Best Gay Bar
1. Parking
2. Sky
3. Unity II
4. Cabaret Mado
5. Drugstore
6. Stud
7. Agora
8. Club Date
9. Saloon
10. Cleopatra

Best Lesbian Bar
1. Drugstore
2. Parking
3. Magnolia (RIP)
4. Sky
5. There aren’t any!
6. Femme Fridays at Parking Lounge
7. Meow Mix nights at la Sala Rossa
8. Lips
9. Unity II
10. Sisters (RIP)

#5 reflects a familiar complaint in the lesbian community, and the presence of three male-dominated gay bars on this list shows that their frustration is valid. But take heed, dykes, the brand new Lips bar should help you get your smile on.

Best Drag Queen
1. Mado
2. Plastik Patrik
3. Sheena Hershey
4. KIKI
5. Miss Gina/Drag Piper
6. Gigi L'Amour
7. V.nus
8. Atif
9. Mark Tewksbury
10. Popeline

Best Pool Hall
1. Sharks
2. Le Skratch
3. Fats
4. Le Swimming (RIP)
5. Boule Noire
6. Drugstore
7. El Jumanji
8. Bogey's
9. Bifteck
10. Unison

Best Comedy Bar
1. Comedy Nest
2. Comedy Works
3. Comedy Zone
4. Yuk Yuk's
5. Théâtre Ste-Catherine Improv Night
6. Mado's
7. Kandy Bar
8. MainLine Theatre

Best Stand-up Comedian
1. Sugar Sammy
2. Joe Elias
3. Uncalled for Improv
4. Derek Seguin
5. Derick Lengwenus
6. Lydia Lockett
7. Louis Josée Houde
8. Mike Patterson
9. Scott Faulconbridge
10. Kevin Gasior

Best Drug
1. Marijuana
2. Ecstasy
3. Cocaine
4. Alcohol
5. Beer
6. Crystal meth
7. Mushrooms
8. Hash
9. Caffeine
10. LSD

What, no solvents? Well, at least the DIY spirit is alive and well in the form of crystal meth—great to see some respect for the continent’s hottest chemical. No change to last year’s top four, but coffee drinkers had their say and usurped last year’s #9 substance, GHB—it’s a lot easier to fight off a date rapist when you’re wired on Timmy’s.