Former Buonanotte Space to Become Chain Burger and Cocktail Joint

The large St-Laurent space that used to house clubstaurant Buonanotte is set to have a new tenant this spring.

Sainte-Foy tartare, burger, and cocktail chain Shaker is moving into the premises, bringing somewhat of a clubby approach, but a much different atmosphere to its Italian supper club predecessor.

Shaker is a Quebec-only chain with 12 locations spread across the province in Quebec City, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, and Rimouski, among others — the Montreal one is its first in the city (suburbs included), and will be number 13 overall.

While Shaker is both a lunch and dinner spot, the emphasis seems to be on evenings — a lengthy list of cocktails is offered, with six sangrias (all available in pitcher form), on top of 24 other house cocktails which skew rather sweet and fruity. All are served in pretty large mason jars, to boot.

For food, the menu reads as slightly upscaled bar food — burgers and tartares are two of the main pegs, but fried, snacky options like lobster pogos feature, as well as some, well, random options such as General Tao chicken and spaghetti bolognese.

If you’re thinking “tartare-focused chain” sounds familiar, you’d be right: not long ago, another chain, Kuto, also recently opened in Montreal, although it’s more strictly focused on the raw meat dish. Then there’s downtown restaurant Taboo, which like Shaker, takes a similar bar approach with burgers and tartare.

• Griffintown Now Has an All-Tartare Restaurant [EMTL]
• Mega Menu of Tartares and Burgers Arrives in Downtown Montreal [EMTL]