Taverne Midway’s New Sibling Bar Brings Seasonal Cocktails to the Village

The team behind Quartier des Spectacles cocktail bar Taverne Midway has unveiled a new drinking establishment in the Village.

Located on Ontario Street East, corner Wolfe, Taverne Marion opened its doors on February 15, and co-owner Charles Landry says customers can expect a well-rounded offering of Quebec microbrews, wines, and seasonal craft cocktails. Currently on the menu are the “French Buccaneer” made with rum, pineapple, bitters, honey, ginger, and lime, and the “Siffredi” with bourbon, Italian herbal liqueur Lucano, coffee, and Demerara sugar.

Taverne Marion/Supplied

Marion also dips into snacking fare — having a food permit allows it to adhere to coronavirus guidelines for restaurants, meaning it’s been able to operate ahead of the February 28 reopening for bars. At the moment, Landry says that includes charcuterie, nachos, and wings. Come March 14, when restaurants and bars can reopen at full capacity and without vaccine passports, the bar’s food menu will expand — as will its operating hours.

Taverne Marion/Supplied

While Midway is relatively somber, donning dark woods, copper fixtures, and rusty red brick walls, new sibling Marion is bright with bursts of greenery. Its brick walls are white-washed, and large garage-style windows line its corner storefront. “It gives the feeling of being outside, even when you’re inside. And in the summer, we will open them and add a terrasse,” Landry says.

The bar takes over a locale that for years belonged to Fun Spot, a divey place for video poker and pool playing. In its reincarnation as Marion, the owners left those elements behind.

Landry is joined by Midway partners and fellow bar vets Alexandre Théberge, Jean-Philippe Bouchard, and François Chamberland for the project, which he describes as the “little sister” to their last. In keeping with that label, they decided to name Marion after Théberge’s daughter (herself a younger sister).

“She doesn’t know it yet because she’s only one year old, but when she grows up, she’ll be able to say, ‘There’s a bar in my name,’” Landry says.

Taverne Marion is currently open Tuesday to Saturday from 4 p.m. to midnight at 1151 Ontario Street East. Operating hours will change next month.