NIGHTLIFE

 

Best Bartender

1.          Heidy Proulx (Madhatters)
2.          Derek Kenny (Scotyz)
3.          Jordan Mae Antoinette (Velvet Speakeasy, Blizzarts, Le Belmont)
4.          Inobe Stanislaus (Club U.N.)
5.          Jasmina Lukanovich (Le Belmont)
6.          Ram Krishnan (Grumpy’s)
7.          Bill (Foufounes Électriques, Saphir, Brutopia)
8.          Sophie Tache-Money (Le Belmont)
9.          Josh McConnell (Salon Officiel, Blue Dog Motel)
10.         Andrew Mackay (Typhoon Lounge)

Honourable mentions: Garth Burnham (Grumpy’s) • Gern F (Grumpy’s) • Adam Vieira (B-Side) • Eric Digras (The Sparrow)

Madhatters’ Heidy Proulx takes over the top spot, stealing it from South Shore bar hero Derek Kenny, who ranked first last year. Who knows what they’re putting in the drinks at Le Belmont, but three of its bartenders make it on the list this year with Jordan Mae Antoinette at #3, Jasmina Lukanovich at #5 and Sophie Tache-Money at #8. At #9, long-haired metal aficionado Josh McConnell spends his downtime standing on the bar in tight pants, which obviously goes over big with the clientele.

 

Best Waiter/Waitress

1.          Lisa Notargiovanni (Scotyz Bar)
2.          Audrey McDiarmid (Le Belmont)
3.          Heidy Proulx (Madhatters)
4.          Val Gauthier-Fontaine (Madhatters)
5.          Lisa Armstrong (Bifteck)
6.          Felicity Hamer (Brutopia)
7.          Taylor Dickson (Pinq Taco/B-Side)
8.          Vanessa Vick (The Sparrow)
9.          Cameron McKinnon (Sir Winston Churchill Pub)
10.         Stef Rosenbaum (Typhoon Lounge)

Honourable mentions: Dave Morin (3 Amigos) • Gillian Andersen (Bifteck) • Hannah Eichenwald (Irish Embassy Pub) • Laurence (Blue Dog Motel)

Don’t worry you 450 folk, Scotyz’ Lisa stays put at #1 for the second year running. Aside from regulars like Lisa Armstrong and Felicity Hamer, fresh blood takes over this category. Shooting right up to #2 is newcomer Audrey McDiarmid at Le Belmont. At #8 is another newcomer, Vanessa Vick keeping the hip young professionals at The Sparrow nice and drunk. It takes a real man to work at a bar named Pinq Taco and so Taylor Dickson makes his first appearance at #7.

 

Best Watering Hole

1.          Bifteck
2.          Madhatters
3.          Grumpy’s
4.          McKibbins
5.          Barfly
6.          Ye Olde Orchard (Monkland)
7.          Brutopia
8.          Casa del Popolo
9.          Else’s
10.         Dieu du Ciel

Honourable mentions: Le Belmont • Burgundy Lion Pub • Hurley’s • Scotyz • Foufounes Électriques • Irish Embassy Pub • Copacabana

People really love free popcorn and drunk McGill students and so, Bifteck stays at #1 for another year. Dieu du Ciel had a brief moment of glory last year at #2, but slips to #10 this year.

 

Best Swanky Joint

1.          Le Belmont
2.          The Sparrow
3.          Velvet Speakeasy
4.          Baldwin Barmacie
5.          Wunderbar
6.          KOKO Restaurant + Bar
7.          Dominion Square Tavern
8.          Gogo Lounge
9.          Typhoon Lounge
10.         Philémon Bar

Honourable mentions: Buona Notte • Newtown • L’Assommoir • Time Supper Club • Vauvert • La Buvette chez Simone • Cavalli Restaurant • Whisky Café

This year, Montrealers define swanky as a whole bunch of smoke machines (#1 Le Belmont), vintage sofas (#2 The Sparrow) and a secret guestlist (#3 Velvet Speakeasy). Okay, sometimes we like to spruce it up for real and drink in hotels (#5 Wunderbar and #6 KOKO Restaurant+ Bar).

 

 

Best Sleazy Dive

1.          Barfly
2.          Bifteck
3.          Madhatters
4.          Montenegro Beach (formerly Miami)
5.          Foufounes Électriques
6.          Le Belmont
7.          Crobar
8.          La Petite Idée Fixe
9.          Bar Diana
10.         Copacabana

Honourable mentions: Cock ‘n’ Bull • Maz • Thursday’s • Black Jack • Primetime Bar • Blue Dog Motel • Peel Pub • Grumpy’s

Barfly and Bifteck are still ruling the sleaze pile, congrats! At #4, Miami fooled everybody by changing its name to Montenegro Beach, but otherwise staying exactly the same—the booze is still cheap and that Croatian guy is still asleep in a corner. La Petite Idée Fixe finally makes it on the list at #8. Who can resist sipping on a big 50 and looping Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” on the free jukebox?

 

 

Best 5 à 7

1.          La Buvette chez Simone
2.          Thursday’s
3.          McKibbins
4.          Brutopia
5.          Foufounes Électriques
6.          La Distillerie
7.          Winnie’s
8.          Casa del Popolo
9.          Else’s
10.         Baldwin Barmacie

Honourable mentions: Sir Winston Churchill Pub • Bily Kun • Hotel de la Montagne • Les 3 Brasseurs • Brasserie Reservoir • Philémon Bar • Benelux

McGill hangout Else’s climbs up from the honourable mentions and wins a spot on the list at #9. Hotel de la Montagne, with its faux luxury and cheap cocktails, gets some recognition in honourable mentions, alongside new spot Philémon Bar. At #6, La Distillerie is a good place to start off the night…with a giant mason jar of alcohol. Great idea!

 

Best Wine Bar

1.          Pullman
2.          La Buvette chez Simone
3.          BU
4.          Le Comptoir Charcuteries et Vins
5.          Vino Vin et Terrasse
6.          Philémon Bar
7.          POP!
8.          Bocata
9.          Restaurant Les Cavistes
10.         Les Trois Petits Bouchons

Honourable mentions: Grange Vin & Bouffe • Else’s • Newtown • Bistro Justine • Joe Beef • Restaurant L’Original

 

Best Pick-Up Spot

1.          Thursday’s
2.          Foufounes Électriques
3.          Le Belmont
4.          Rockette
5.          Korova
6.          Reggie’s
7.          Tokyo
8.          Madhatters
9.          Salon Officiel
10.         Baldwin Barmacie

Honourable mentions: Blue Dog Motel • McKibbins • B-Side • Café Campus • Moomba • Faggity Ass Fridays (Playhouse) • Le Parking

Thursday’s always wins, because cougars never quit. Foufounes Électriques offers the closest competition at #2, if lip rings and two-tone hair is your thing. Rock ’n roll bar Rockette is new on the list at #4, because nothing says SEX like dancing like your parents to ’60s music.

 

Best-Looking Clientele

1.          Le Belmont
2.          Buona Notte
3.          Cagibi
4.          Velvet Speakeasy
5.          The Sparrow
6.          Moomba
7.          Casa del Popolo
8.          Blizzarts
9.          Blue Dog Motel
10.         La Buvette chez Simone

Honourable mentions: Philémon Bar • Baldwin Barmacie • Salon Officiel • Madhatters • Wunderbar • Macaroni Bar • Foufounes Électriques • Rockette

Le Belmont beats the upscale Buona Notte with its model waitresses? Something fishy’s going on here! Cagibi at #3 and The Sparrow at #5 are good spots for the cardigan-wearing bespectacled crowd. And the hottest people in Laval are always at Moomba (#6). Good to know!

 

Best Terrasse

1.          Saint-Sulpice
2.          Pub Ste-Élisabeth
3.          Tokyo
4.          Hotel De la Montagne
5.          Sky
6.          Foufounes Électriques
7.          Casa del Popolo
8.          Santropol
9.          Terrasses Bonsecours
10.         Winnie’s

Honourable mentions: Madhatters • Vices & Versa • Le Drugstore • Irish Embassy Pub • Jardin Nelson • 737 Altitude

 

Best Live Venue

1.          Metropolis
2.          La Sala Rossa
3.          Casa del Popolo
4.          Club Soda
5.          Le Belmont
6.          Divan Orange
7.          Le National
8.          Il Motore
9.          Foufounes Électriques
10.         Bell Centre

Honourable mentions: Barfly • Katacombes • SAT • La Tulipe • Cabaret du Mile-End • L’Escogriffe • Bobards • Place des Arts • McKibbins

 

 

Best Jazz Bar

1.          Upstairs
2.          Dièse Onze
3.          House of Jazz
4.          Snackn’ Blues
5.          Jello Bar
6.          Griffintown Cafe
7.          Kafein
8.          Bistro à Jojo
9.          Gainzbar
10.         Modavie

Honourable mentions: Casa del Popolo • L’Envers • Piano Rouge • Barfly • Bily Kun • L’Astral

Upstairs at #1 and Dièse Onze at #2 are the usual spots for people who actually like jazz. At #4, Snackn’ Blues can’t do any wrong with its free Cheetos and miniature DJ. Gainzbar crawls up from the honourable mentions to #9. It is, after all, the hippest bar of la Plaza St-Hubert!

 

Best Dance Club

1.          Le Belmont
2.          Stereo
3.          Moomba
4.          Tokyo
5.          Rouge
6.          Unity
7.          Club U.N.
8.          Blue Dog Motel
9.          Club 1234
10.         Salon Daomé

Honourable mentions: B-Side • Korova • Velvet Speakeasy • Blizzarts • Le Parking • Saphir • Foufounes Électriques • Café Campus • Muzique

Le Belmont wins another category, kicking Laval’s cherished Moomba out of the top spot. Expectations are getting high for this place, seriously, your parties better be fucking crazy, Belmont! Stereo also comes out of nowhere at #2. One wonders why the dance parties are so crazy at these bars. Ah yes, see last category of this section. Ahem.

 

Best Club Night

1.          Bass Drive Wednesdays (Le Belmont)
2.          Faggity Ass Fridays (Playhouse)
3.          Indecent Xposure (various venues)
4.          POMPe (Jello Bar)
5.          Boom Clap (Blue Dog Motel)
6.          Tokyo Rock Wednesdays (Tokyo)
7.          Get Nice Fridays (Blizzarts)
8.          Gaybash (various venues)
9.          The Goods (la Sala Rossa)
10.         Peopl (Club U.N.)

Honourable mentions: Dark Wave Night (Saphir) • Kannibalen (Le Belmont) • Chuurch (Blue Dog Motel)

Thank the gays for some of the best parties with Playhouse’s Faggity Ass Fridays at #2, monthly queer party POMPe at #4 and the Party Monster wannabes of Gaybash at #8. The DJs won’t throw anything at you if you request “Born This Way”…more than once.

 

Best Promoter

1.          Blue Skies Turn Black
2.          D.L. Jones
3.          Indecent Xposure
4.          DubMachine
5.          Evenko
6.          Indie Montreal
7.          GRAND Entertainment
8.          I Love Neon
9.          Impulsively Braindead
10.         Jesse Walker

Honourable mentions: Global NTT • Neon & High Food • Sherwin Tija • Greenland • Big Moe Productions • Pop Montreal • Jenny “Vilify” Carmichael

 

Best Strip Club

1.          Wanda’s
2.          Chez Paré
3.          Café Cleopatra
4.          Kamasutra
5.          Amazones
6.          Super Sexe
7.          Club 281
8.          Solid Gold
9.          Downtown
10.         Gentlemen’s Choice

Honourable mentions: Stock Bar • Kingdom • Les Déesses • Calèche du Sexe • Strip Spelling Bee

Kudos to Sherwin Tija’s Strip Spelling Bee for making it into the honourable mentions and Café Cleopatra for still being around to make it in the list again at #3.

 

 

Best Gay Bar

1.          Unity
2.          Parking
3.          Sky
4.          Cabaret Mado
5.          Le Drugstore
6.          Le Stud
7.          Faggity Ass Fridays (Playhouse)
8.          Club Date
9.          Club 281
10.         L’Aigle Noir

Honourable mentions: Le Belmont • Stereo • Stock Bar • Cagibi • Woof

Best places to shamelessly dance to Kylie Minogue (Unity #1, Sky #3), or to sing “Total Eclipse of The Heart” (Club Date #8) to a crowd of adoring fans.

 

Best Lesbian Bar

1.          Le Drugstore
2.          Cagibi
3.          Meow Mix (la Sala Rossa)
4.          Unity
5.          Faggity Ass Fridays (Playhouse)
6.          Sky
7.          Le Parking
8.          Le Belmont
9.          Saphir
10.         Cabaret Chez Mado

Honourable mentions: Salon Officiel • Café Cleopatra • Casa del Popolo • Balattou • Buona Notte • Le Cocktail

Poor lesbians, most of their bars seem to shut down. Le Drugstore stays at #1 for another year. Many other answers for this category simply asked where the lesbian bars were. One answered that any roller derby event will do. But Balattou in honourable mentions has to be the best response.

 

Best Drag Queen/King

1.          Mado Lamotte
2.          Plastik Patrik
3.          Nat King Pole
4.          Cary Tauben
5.          Connie Lingua
6.          Reena (Cleo)
7.          Ian Poe Kerr
8.          Kiki Chan
9.          MSTR SSTR
10.         Marquise

Honourable mentions: Johnny Forever • Miss Cookies • Sheena Hershey • Tommy Toxic • Dream • Dukes of Drag

 

Best Pool Hall

1.          Sharx
2.          Skratch
3.          Boul Noir
4.          Fat’s
5.          Montreal Pool Room
6.          El Jumelgi
7.          Le Drugstore
8.          Frappé
9.          Bifteck
10.         Shooters

Honourable mentions: Le Belmont • Dooly’s • Unison • Romolo • Barfly • Maz • Copacabana

 

Best Comedy Bar

1.          Comedy Nest
2.          Comedyworks
3.          Montreal Improv
4.          Cabaret Chez Mado
5.          Grumpy’s

Honourable mentions: MainLine Theatre • Théâtre Ste-Catherine • Barfly • Bourbon Street West

 

Best Stand-Up Comedian

1.          Sugar Sammy
2.          Joey Elias
3.          DeAnne Smith
4.          Louis-José Houde
5.          Mike Paterson
6.          Andrew Searles
7.          Asaf Gerchak
8.          Martin Matte
9.          Franco Taddeo
10.         Lydia Lockett

Honourable mentions: Walter J. Lyng • Peter J. Radomski • Russell Peters • Robby Hoffman • Uncalled For • Jon Lajoie

 

Best Drug

1.          Marijuana
2.          MDMA
3.          Alcohol
4.          Cocaine
5.          Mushrooms
6.          Hash
7.          LSD
8.          Caffeine
9.          Ketamine
10.         Speed

Honourable mentions: Sex • DMT • GHB • Advil • Tylenol • Salvia • 2C-I • Crack • Meth • PCP

Dishonourable mentions: Love • life • music • happiness • chocolate • poutine.

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