It’s pretty amazing what can happen in just 365 days. We spent 24 incredible hours in Cali, ate pizza with Diddy in NYC, après skied in Whistler, worked beachside in Nicaragua, hit Fashion Week like divas, made TIFF our BFF, ate and drank at some of this city’s most spectacular new restaurants and bars, and spoke with celebrities, chefs, movie stars, racecar drivers, authors, and influential people from all over the world. So ya, 2013 wasn’t too shabby. And since it deserves a proper farewell, we’ve rounded up the Best of Montreal’s bars, restaurants, lounges and events for you to have a look back at the year that was. Don’t linger in the past too long, though, ‘cause we can’t wait to start turning 2014 into our most memorable year yet! And we hope you’ll be right there with us making it happen.
Top 8 Restaurants
L’Orignal: New Year, New Menu:
If you are an Old Montreal local, it’s almost impossible that you haven’t either spent an unforgettably awesome evening at L’Orignal or, if you’re like us, become a seed planted at the restaurant’s core. This year this chalet-chic spot has launched a new menu and a new chef, re-defining the estethic of this already favorite restaurant.
Dressed to Impress: Mandy’s Serves Up Montreal’s Sexiest Salad:
This Montreal health hotspot has Montrealers going gaga for green, with daily lineups of salad devotees craving their fresh fix. In an amazing feat of salad madness, Mandy’s has created veritable salad addicts, with top-to-bottom, greens-to-grains, it’s-not-a-burger-but-it’s-damn-close salad. So what’s the crisp and crunchy secret?
Ludger, The Notable St. Henri Newcomer:
If you’re a St. Henri resident, then you’ve probably already heard about Notre Dame’s latest hot spot, Ludger. If you haven’t, then you do now and owe yourself a trip to this gourmet watering hole or, as they call it, buvette gourmande.
H4C Place St.Henri:
What do you get when you combine two architects and a chef? A delicious and uniquely done restaurant in the foodie-budding neighbourhood of St. Henri. H4C Place St. Henri is the brainchild of architects Marc-Andre and Chantal Paradis of D3 Architecture and Chef Dany Bolduc, who were brought together through their mutual passion for gastronomy.
KYO Bar Japonais; Izakaya Gone Modern:
With an extremely impressive resume under them already, The Antonopoulos Group opened a whole new genre of restaurant under their wings, a Japanese izakaya by the name of Kyo. With Old Montreal already offering almost everything your culinary tongue desires, an izakaya was lacking in a major way, especially one where young professionals can go and do everything from conducting a lunchtime meeting to hosting a birthday soiree.
Le Kitchen Gives Vegan a Mouthwatering Modern Makeover:
Perhaps the greatest challenge of all is finding a healthy meal after a workout – a hearty salad or a wrap on-track with your training, but still satisfying. This gap in the Montreal food scene is precisely what founder of Studio Breathe, Alexandra Schwartz, aimed to fill in opening Le Kitchen. Vegan, gluten-free, and mostly raw, this restaurant is any gym-goer’s dream-come-true.
Le Cheese Food Truck; Comfort Food On Wheels:
Although not a stationary restaurant, Le Cheese Truck serves up a menu that highlights the best cheeses from the Quebec region in a collection of delicious modern twists on old comfort food classics on wheels!
Need an Aphrodisiac? Check Out ATAME Restaurant: Atame is a restaurant, lounge, cabaret, and art gallery all at once, so expect eye candy at every corner sprawled out over the 2500 square feet of chic space.
Top 6 Bars
SUWU:
The spot for fashion-savvy rolled-up jean cuff-wearing cool kids in Montreal, situated at the boisterous intersection of Boulevard St. Laurent and Rue Prince Arthur. With A Tribe Called Quest playing in the background, drinks called “Wu-Tang” and “Big Booty” and a comfort food-filled menu, this hotspot is still going super strong!
3643 St-Laurent Apt. 200:
This newly opened spot re-created their vision that was highly inspired from apartment parties that take you back to the 90s and the fun times. Think a huge space filled with everything that just screams happiness and fun. We’re talking classic arcade games (which are free to play on Sundays, by the way), pool tables, those basketball hoop games, an amazing hockey dome at the front of the room, and more. Don’t worry about stuffing your backpacks with change, they even have a change machine on site for all the games you’ll be hogging for hours.
Joverse: An Old Port gem that keeps filling up.
The concept behind Joverse is to be a place where you can stimulate your senses. In an atmosphere recalling one of an open lounge, with an industrial and stylish decor and a warm ambiance, Joverse has become the ideal urban bar and resto for young professional express business lunches, happy hours and festive evenings. Did we mention the epic sound system?
Bier Markt:
Montreal’s Bier Markt has opened its first restaurant in the city on 1221 Renè-Lèvesque Ouest and is already creating major buzz amongst beer connoisseurs. What Bier Markt brings that’s new and fresh to our hugely growing drink and culinary scene is an unrivalled beer and food experience by offering guests a journey in the art of perfectly pairing beer with made-from-scratch, European-inspired cuisine.
La Champagnerie:
La Champagnerie was built to offer Montrealers a one-of-a-kind unpretentious space with an elaborate assortment of bubbly at various price points and flavours showcasing the elegance of champagne with rustic chic decor in a stunning 2,000-square foot setting.
Jack Saloon Resto Bar: The constantly growing, evolving and hugely popular DIX30 commercial lifestyle centre opened a rockin’ resto-bar called Jack Saloon. Expect rocking tunes including live bands, an outgoing crowd and a modern spin on what a Western saloon would be like today.
Top 8 Events
The Notable Merchants 5 a 7 Launch:
Our highly anticipated collaboration with one of our favourite restaurant/bars, The Royal Merchant, was utterly epic. From the classic rock hits that everyone was nodding and singing along to, to the free pizza courtesy of our friends at the Pizza Season, which was highly enjoyed by foodies in attendance, the vibe was truly notable:
KYO Bar Japonais x Notable Official Grand Opening:
To celebrate the success that was already circulating around KYO Bar Japonais, our dear friends at Groupe Antonopoulos, the hospitality team behind Old Montreal’s most exciting eateries, including Méchant Boeuf and BEVO Bar + Pizzeria, partnered with us to host their official grand opening on June 20th.
Montreal’s Top Mixologists Showcase Skills at Grey Goose Pour Masters Competition:
June 26th was host to the best and most creative Montreal mixologists getting down, dirty and imaginative at the final stop of the 2013 Grey Goose Pour Masters competition in Montreal and we were one of the judges.
Gold-Plated Good Times at YAD Montreal’s 007 Gala: YAD Montreal’s third annual fundraising gala took place at the Loft Hotel in the heart of downtown with a very notable guest list of young entrepreneurs, philanthropists, artists, restaurateurs, partygoers and connoisseurs. The event was jammed-packed with James Bond paraphernalia, including a real life Casino Royal and a room decorated as an authentic film set.
21st Annual Kids for Kids Gala:
With over 800 guests revelling until the early morning hours, the 21st annual Kids for Kids Gala delivered its usual dose of excitement and extraordinary success. One of the most highly anticipated charity functions of the season, Kids for Kids provides the incredible opportunity for a new generation of donors to support local children’s causes.
Tying One On for Prostate Cancer:
Billed as ‘The Bow Tie Affair,’ you could say this was THE Movember party of the year as 300 strong of the city’s suave and sexy young professionals took to the saying ‘blue is for boys’ and donned their fashion neckwear to come out and raise $50,000 for the province’s only charity dedicated solely to prostate cancer research.
Project K Dazzles on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve:
One of the newer benefit evenings to hit the Montreal scene, Project K is bound to become a mainstay on the YP social agenda. In only its second year, non-profit organization Project K set itself the lofty goal of raising $50,000 to fund a much-needed laundry facility for the HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Center at the Kilema District Hospital in Tanzania:
Montreal Oysterfest Goes Big for 5th Annual Edition:
In comparison to last year’s event, this time the location was newer, bigger, and more jam-packed than ever, with some of the trendiest foodies this city has seen.
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