Best of MTL, Nightlife

Best of MTL 2019: Nightlife

by Cult MTL

Your picks for the top bars, clubs, events, libations and substances that light up the city by night.

When it comes to drinking, Montrealers are pretty particular. The variety of votes in the Best Bartender category was staggering, resulting in a Top 5 that is completely different from last year’s — aside from everyone’s Bishop Street mainstay Gern. F at Grumpy’s. Mile Ex watering hole Notre Dame des Quilles continues to reign the Bar and LGBT Bar/Club categories, while queer events make up the Top 4 Best Club Nights (and their DJs make up the Top 4 Best Club DJ category in the Music section). Tranna Wintour’s popularity continues unabated as she tops the Best Comedian category, the Stand Back event she co-hosts with Rachel Gendron wins Best Comedy Night and her Trannavision film series comes in at #4 in that category. Marijuana’s dominance in Best Drug will surprise no one, but I have a couple of questions about Best Drink: Can we not get more specific than “beer” and “wine”? And how is wine only #4?

Best Bartender

  1. Gern F. (Grumpy’s)
  2. Vito Ciocca (Le Bremner)
  3. Rashta Kruger (Comedy Nest/Blue Dog)
  4. Asilex Rodriguez (Kabinet)
  5. Caroline Kaufman (Bifteck)

Best Bar

  1. Notre Dame des Quilles
  2. Grumpy’s
  3. Turbo Haüs
  4. Bar de Courcelle
  5. Wiggle Room
  6. Loïc
  7. Sparrow
  8. Bar le Ritz PDB
  9. Casa del Popolo
  10. Else’s

Best Sleazy Dive

  1. Barfly
  2. Brasserie Beaubien
  3. Bar de Courcelle
  4. Grumpy’s
  5. Bifteck
  6. Snack N’ Blues
  7. La Remise
  8. Idée Fixe
  9. Café Cleopatra
  10. Turbo Haüs

Best Wine Bar

  1. Loïc
  2. Pullman
  3. Vin Papillon
  4. Buvette Chez Simone
  5. Rouge Gorge
  6. Larry’s
  7. Mon Lapin
  8. Elena
  9. Furco
  10. Cul Sec

Best Club

  1. Datcha
  2. Nesta
  3. Stereo
  4. Sky
  5. Bar le Ritz PDB
  6. Wiggle Room
  7. Club Unity
  8. Bord’elle
  9. Blizzarts
  10. Loïc
CRZN, Best Club Night #4

Best Club Night

  1. Glitter Bomb
  2. LIP
  3. MPU
  4. CRZN
  5. Moonshine
  6. Voyage Funktastique
  7. Jovial MTL

Best Underground Venue

  1. La Plante
  2. Bog
  3. Cyberia
  4. Fattal
  5. Tarot
  6. TraXide
  7. 4ème Mur
  8. Art Loft
  9. Durocher
  10. Rocket Science Room

Best Live Music Venue

  1. MTelus
  2. Casa del Popolo
  3. La Sala Rossa
  4. Théâtre Corona Virgin Mobile
  5. Bar le Ritz PDB
  6. Turbo Haüs
  7. Club Soda
  8. L’Escogriffe
  9. Katacombes
  10. Bootlegger, l’Authentique

Best Promoter

  1. Blue Skies Turn Black
  2. Evenko
  3. Suoni per il Popolo
  4. POP Montreal
  5. Greenland Productions
  6. Hello Darlin’ Productions
  7. Extensive Enterprises
  8. Les Productions Red Light
  9. KickDrum
  10. Analogue Addiction

Best Strip Club

  1. Chez Parée
  2. Cleopatra
  3. Kamasutra
  4. Club Wanda
  5. Solid Gold
  6. Amazones
  7. Kingdom
  8. Wiggle Room
  9. Stock Bar
  10. Le 281

Best LGBT Bar/Club

  1. Notre Dame des Quilles
  2. Cabaret Mado
  3. Sky
  4. Bar Renard
  5. Club Unity
  6. Bar le Ritz PDB
  7. Bar le Cocktail
  8. Le Stud
  9. Cabaret Berlin
  10. Normandie

Best Burlesque Performer

  1. Lavender May
  2. Audrey Ivory
  3. Tristan Ginger
  4. Celesta O’Lee
  5. Loulou la Duchesse
  6. Lady Josephine
  7. Elle Diabloe
  8. Rosie Bourgeoisie
  9. Sugar Vixen
  10. Honey Lustre

Best Drag Queen or King

  1. Uma Gahd
  2. Mado
  3. Rainbow
  4. Rita Baga
  5. Charli Deville
  6. Wendy Warhol
  7. Barbada de Barbades
  8. Peaches Lepage
  9. Nat King Pole
  10. Crystal Slippers

Best Comedy Club

  1. Comedy Nest
  2. Le Bordel
  3. Montreal Improv
  4. Wiggle Room
  5. Terminal
  6. ComedyWorks
  7. Art Loft

Best Comedian

  1. Tranna Wintour
  2. Mike Ward
  3. Sugar Sammy
  4. James Brown
  5. Joey Elias
  6. Harrison Weinreb
  7. Derek Seguin
  8. DeAnne Smith
  9. Louis-José Houde
  10. Arnaud Soly

Best Comedy Night

  1. Stand Back
  2. Squad Laughs
  3. Arts and Laughs
  4. Voix de Ville
  5. Films in Focus

Best Karaoke Bar

  1. Pang Pang
  2. Notre Dame des Quilles
  3. 3 Minots
  4. Club Date
  5. La Remise
  6. La P’tite Place

Best Film Screening Series

  1. Cinema Politica
  2. DeuXX
  3. Fantasia
  4. Trannavision
  5. Cinéclub Film Society
  6. Drunken Cinema

Best Drug

  1. Marijuana
  2. MDMA/ecstasy/molly
  3. Cocaine
  4. Mushrooms
  5. LSD
  6. Ketamine
  7. Hash
  8. Speed
  9. GHB

Best Drink

  1. Beer
  2. Gin & tonic
  3. Old-fashioned
  4. Negroni
  5. Wine
  6. Whiskey
  7. Scotch
  8. IPA
  9. Long Island iced tea
  10. Dark stormy

Best Cocktail Bar

  1. Atwater Cocktail Club
  2. Palco
  3. Le Lab
  4. Coldroom
  5. Wiggle Room
  6. Sparrow
  7. Idole
  8. Kabinet
  9. Distillerie
  10. Loïc

See the rest of the Best of MTL here:

* PEOPLE & PLACES
* MEDIA
* MUSIC
* FILM & ARTS
* GOODS & SERVICES
* FOOD & DRINK

Posted in Best of MTL, Nightlife
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by Cult MTL

Contributor
Cult MTL is a daily news website and monthly magazine focusing on Montreal culture, music, arts, news, politics and city life. Along with interviewing local and visiting artists, promoters and entrepreneurs, we feature analysis and criticism, curate a daily To-Do List and run the annual Best of MTL readers poll.