Beaver's guide to the Montreal nightlife

Le Sainte-Elizabeth
(I couldn't find a picture, so go check out their website...)

When you walk in, it looks like your average "Irish-style" pub, nice and dark, lots of wood, an island bar, and some cozy sofas. Uptairs you can find a nice long bar, with plenty of taps, more seating, and a section behind the bar where you can sit near plate-glass windows that give you a bird's eye view of the terrasse in the back.

The terrasse in itself deserves a 5 for atmosphere. In my humble opinion, it's the nicest one in Montreal. Feels homey and secluded, with trees, vines climbing up the brick walls, even propane heaters when it gets chilly.

I went there with Hubby and a couple of friends for a friday evening drink a few weeks ago. Definitely one of the best places to go in Montreal, if you want to have a nice chat with friends in a partying, relaxed environment.

Foufounes Électriques
The punk mecca (aka Fouf) has lost some of its popularity, mainly because.. of too much popularity. It's the kind of place where you'd have seen tourists sitting at one table and spiked hair suburban punk-wannabes at another. After it re-opened last year, it's back on the right track with many live shows. It's interesting from the outside as is from the inside. There's (or use to be) an Internet cafe on the ground floor. P.S. The name means electric buttocks.

I went there to have a drink with my honey a month or so ago and was disappointed in the lack of fauna present. It was still early though, so I'm willing to check it out again...

Ye Olde Orchard
"Ye Olde Orchard, a neighbourhood pub with the flavour of the old country. "

This one is a favorite of my Scout-Leader friend, who inevitably wants to go there where offered to go out for a beer. A very cool place with live music on weekend nights.
A strange mix of 40 year old's and 20something's enjoy the party at the Ye, creating a cool atmosphere to let go. Don't plan to stay after midnight though, the action ends a bit early.



McKibbin's
Your typical Irish Pub, at the heart of Montreal ! The atmosphere is good, and a sense of friendly crowd that combined the people working downtown and university students. The McKibbin's is combined in three spots. Upstairs the Toucan Club(Ladies Night on Wed) and the Shebeen downstairs.Most of the nights there are some bands playing, but the selections of band was better in a recent past, with 139 South splitting to bits and replaced with less irish, more contemporary groups !

I revisited this old hangout spot of mine recently, after a particularly difficult consultation at the Y. I was alone, but not for long, as I actually stroke a conversation with a bunch of engineers of international backgrounds : Brazilian, Polish and Irish. It turned out to really be a nice evening ! Definitely a good place to have a beer on one's own...