Mile End Gets a 24 Hour Dining Option That Isn’t Bagels

The Mile End’s all-night dining scene is getting quite the defibrillation this month, as a 24-hour casse-croûte named Chez Léo Snack-Bar (Leo’s Snack Bar, if anglicized names are preferred) opens up on Bernard.

Despite being home to a number of bars, the neighbourhood has nothing reliably open past closing time, with the exception of Fairmount and St-Viateur bagels — and at 3:30 a.m. on a cold night, a bagel can be rather unsatisfying, especially when one has to grapple with flimsy plastic cutlery to get a microscopic 50-cent smattering of cream cheese onto it. Greek restaurant Arahova, resto-bar Nouveau Palais, and the newly-arrived Poutineville all open late, but often no later than 3 a.m.

The menu hits the late-night craving spot reasonably well: diner fare like burgers and poutine feature prominently, breakfast is there for the early hours, and Nightlife.ca reports that salads, ice cream and fresh juices round it out. In short, there are classic casse-croûte style options, and there are fancier options; not a bad formula if you’re planning on opening around the clock and serving the very diverse clientele that a 24-hour business brings in.

STATUS — Chez Léo is open in the former L’Assommoir location at 112 Bernard West for limited hours at present; 24-hour openings will start later in July.

• Un snack-bar 24h ouvre bientôt ses portes dans le Mile-End [Nightlife.ca]