Best of MTL 2015: Nightlife

A moment from a party at Datcha

Grumpy’s bartenders are dominant, making us wonder if their kegs are spiked with ecstasy (jk, jk). And it’s notable that the bar and club categories aren’t as loaded with Plateau/Mile End spots as they have been in the past, with a somewhat even spread of downtown, West End and uptown establishment making the cut. Datcha’s win over le Belmont in the Best Club category is historic, as the St-Laurent hotspot has come out on top for years (even before Cult MTL’s days) — who knew partying on Laurier could get so hot? And congrats to all the burlesque performers who made the Top 5 in this new category (Miss Sugarpuss not surprisingly leads the pack) and to the organizers of the off-comedy-club nights in another fresh Best of MTL category. As for drugs, Montreal’s love of weed seems as strong as ever, given another huge win for the lush greenery.

Best Bartender
1 Gern F. (Grumpy’s)
2 Judy Kennedy (McLean’s)
3 Ram (Grumpy’s)
4 Rashta Kruger (Blue Dog, McLean’s)
5 Garth (Grumpy’s)
6 Julie Paquet (Notre Dame des Quilles)
7 Maya (Brutopia)
8 Vito Ciocca (Up Club, others)
9 Annie (Brasserie Beaubien)
10 Jeremy Lacombe (Kabinet)

Best Waiter/Waitress
1 Manon Lavoie (McLean’s Pub)
2 Cindy (The Wiggle Room)
3 Julie Paquet (Notre Dame des Quilles)
4 Dawn Burns (ComedyWorks)
5 Vanessa Vick (Sparrow)

Best Bar
1 Casa del Popolo
2 Notre Dame des Quilles
3 McLean’s Pub
4 Sparrow
5 Brutopia
6 Bar de Courcelle
7 Snack ‘N Blues
8 Big in Japan
9 Bar le Ritz PDB
10 Honey Martin

Best Fancy Bar/Club
1 Big in Japan
2 Sparrow
3 The Wiggle Room
4 Taverne Square Dominion
5 Furco
6 Emerald Hotel
7 Champagnerie
8 Datcha
9 Flyjin
10 Philémon

Best Sleazy Dive
1 Barfly
2 Bifteck
3 Brasserie Beaubien
4 Snack ‘N Blues
5 Maz Bar
6 La Petite Idée Fixe
7 Taverne la Remise
8 Mad Hatter Pub
9 Korova
10 Pam Pam

Best 5 à 7
1 Furco
2 Casa del Popolo
3 La Buvette Chez Simone
4 McLean’s Pub
5 SuWu
6 La Distillerie
7 Benelux
8 Vices & Versa
9 Quai des Brumes
10 Brutopia

Best Wine Bar
1 Pullman
2 La Buvette Chez Simone
3 Le Vin Papillon
4 Rouge Gorge
5 Philémon

Best Pick-up Spot
1 Furco
2 Korova
3 Burgundy Lion
4 Thursday’s
5 Notre Dame des Quilles
6 Rockette
7 Dépanneur le Pick-Up
8 Datcha
9 Casa del Popolo
10 Salon Officiel

Best Club
1 Datcha
2 Le Belmont
3 Stereo
4 Tokyo
5 Rouge
6 New City Gas
7 Nesta
8 Salon Daomé
9 Unity
10 Allure Bar & Lounge

Best Club Night
1 Mess Around
2 POMPe
3 Cousins
4 Bass Drive Wednesdays
5 Faggity Ass Fridays
6 Datcha Fridays
7 Bareoke
8 Stereo Saturday
9 Tokyo Thursdays
10 The Goods

Best Underground Venue
1 Drones
2 Plant
3 Poisson Noir
4 Death House
5 Plurrealityzz

Best Live Music Venue
1 Metropolis
2 La Sala Rossa
3 Bar le Ritz PDB
4 Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre
5 Casa del Popolo
6 Divan Orange
7 Club Soda
8 Katacombes
9 Bell Centre
10 Brasserie Beaubien

Best Promoter
1 Blue Skies Turn Black
2 Evenko
3 Greenland Productions
4 I Love Neon
5 Passovah Productions
6 Samourais des Jungles Urbaines (SJU)
7 DL Jones
8 Hello Darlin’ Productions
9 Analogue Addiction
10 Laura Boo

Best Strip Club
1 Cleopatra
2 Chez Parée
3 Amazones
4 Kamasutra
5 Downtown
6 Super Sex
7 Solid Gold
8 Kingdom
9 Stock Bar
10 The Wiggle Room

Best Gay Bar
1 Sky
2 Unity
3 Notre Dame des Quilles
4 Bar le Stud
5 Cabaret Mado
6 Apollon
7 Stock
8 Stereo
9 Playhouse

Best Lesbian Bar
1 Notre Dame des Quilles
2 Unity
3 Sky
4 Royal Phoenix (RIP)
5 Drugstore (RIP)

Best Drag Queen/King
1 Mado
2 Tranna Wintour
3 Connie Lingua
4 Plastik Patrik
5 Billy L’Amour
6 Nat King Pole
7 Julie Paquet
8 Lilac Poussez

Best Burlesque Performer
1 Miss Sugarpuss
2 Lou Lou la Duchesse de Rière
3 Lady Josephine
4 Tristan Ginger
5 Phoenix Wood
6 Velvet la Touche
7 Lavender May
8 Elle Diablo
9 BonBon Bombay
10 Velma Candyass

Best Pool Hall
1 Sharx
2 Fitzroy
3 Fats
4 Le Skratch
5 La Petite Idée Fixe
6 Snack N’ Blues
7 Bifteck
8 Barfly
9 Frappé
10 McLean’s

Best Bowling Alley
1 Quilles G Plus (including Rosebowl)
2 Notre Dame des Quilles
3 Sharx
4 Forum Bowling
5 Darling Bowling
6 Laurentian Lanes

Best Comedy Club
1 Comedy Nest
2 ComedyWorks
3 Improv Montreal
4 Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club
5 Burritoville
6 The Wiggle Room
7 Blue Dog Motel
8 Le Bordel Comédie Club

Best Comedian
1 Sugar Sammy
2 DeAnne Smith
3 Tranna Wintour
4 John St. Godard
5 Joey Elias
6 Mike Paterson
7 Mike Ward
8 Steve Nash
9 Walter Lyng
10 Jacob Greco

Best Stand-up Comedy Night
1 BOOM Best of Open Mic (Yuk Yuk’s)
2 The Ladies and Gentlemen Comedy Show (Shäika Café)
3 Shut Up and Laugh (Burritoville)
4 There’s Something Funny Going On (Blue Dog Motel)
5 902 Comedy Monday (Donair Cité)
6 Danger Dulgar (Bifteck)
7 Couscous Comedy Show (Rialto Theatre)

Best Drug
1 Marijuana
2 MDMA/Ecstasy/Molly
3 Cocaine
4 Caffeine
5 Mushrooms
6 LSD/Acid
7 Hash
8 Ketamine
9 GHB
10 Aspirin

 

See the rest of the Best of MTL here:

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