Here’s Nhâu, Old Montreal’s Sleek New Basement Bar

Old Montreal has a seductive new basement watering hole in the form of Nhâu Bar, which has opened up beneath Restaurant Hà on the corner of McGill and William.

The city has had its share of so-called “secret” basement bars of late (see Old Montreal’s Cold Room and Henden in Griffintown), yet Nhâu is still adding a distinctive vibe: the design is from the very experienced Amlyne Phillips, who also designed Hà upstairs, as well as Kampai Garden. It’s replete with paper lanterns and table lamps that set the scene, with low seating and tables and decorative knick-knacks that add just the right amount of kitsch.

The cocktail menu is put together by Maxime Daraize (see: St-Henri’s Ludger) and Tao Zrafi (of The Cloak in Toronto) — while it’s not as strictly Vietnamese as the food offerings upstairs, it has a pan-Asian tone to it, with several cocktails featuring sake or Korean spirit soju, and southeast Asian staples such as tamarind and pandan featuring among the ingredients. One cocktail even features a Japanese mushroom dashi, so there’s some creativity going on — peep the menu.

The 50-seat Nhâu was always a planned project for beneath Hà, but earlier plans suggested it would be a noodle bar with cocktails — that appears to have shifted, with Nhâu instead offering Vietnamese eats from Hà’s menu through to 11 p.m. nightly.

Take a look inside.

Karel Chladek

Karel Chladek

Karel Chladek

Karel Chladek/Official

STATUS — Nhâu Bar is open at 600 William from 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday (closed Sunday). âu

• Nhậu Bar [Official]
• Plateau Vietnamese Spot Hà Now Has An Old Montreal Location [EMTL]