While the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of this jazz venue’s location in downtown Montreal, their Laval address carries on their legacy for singers and songwriters playing swing, smooth, bebop, and more. It’s a great spot for dinner and a show with dishes like braised lamb shanks, burrata salad and tuna tataki, but patrons can just share a bottle while they listen in as well.

A neighbourhood bar in the Plateau that’s just as good for a beer as it is for live shows, this place has turned into one of the more trendy places to see a live show since it first opened over 30 years ago. While it hosts French literary events and art shows as well, those looking to check out who’s taking to their stage should check out the website.

Commonly known as “L’Esco”, this Plateau bar has grown from a largely country establishment to featuring sold-out nights of big name rock acts visiting from abroad. Things can get cramped in here if the space fills up, so it’s best to order platters of shots, cocktails, and beers before the show begins.

A jazz bar in the Plateau that’s been in operation since 2007, Diese Onze is often looked to because of its far-reaching programming that can feature anything from gypsy jazz and flamenco to more traditional stylings. With the exception of nights where they take a break, most evenings have a show to check out. They’ve also one of the more creative menus for food on their block with dishes like seared scallops with vanilla espuma, mahi mahi with leche de tigre, or linguine with braised lamb.

Known as the first tropical nightclub in Canada when it opened in 1985 and now more commonly as Montreal’s base camp for when the International Nuits d’Afrique Festival takes place in town, this Plateau venue features live performances from Thursday to Sunday. Visits here will feature artists both local and from as far abroad as the African continent, the West Indies and Latin America playing anything from salsa and calypso to reggae and merengue. Check the details of each show, as some feature dinner services to compliment the music. 

Once located in Saint-Henri, this bar’s second life in the Latin Quarter makes a point of being the bar and live music venue owner Sergio Da Silva always wanted to perform at when he played in the band Trigger Effect: aEuropean model that also features a café, restaurant, and accommodation for bands on its premises. Those looking for rock acts and festival performances can reliably find them here every weekend, Thursday to Saturday. 

Focused on live rock and blues bands every night of the week, this bar’s one of the older venues in town. Having been in business since 1975, it’s been the site of album launches of big Quebecois musical acts like Marjo and Éric Lapointe, a legacy that lives on with musical acts both local and visiting from across the province and country as well as abroad. Catch a show while drinking classic cocktails, wine, beers on tap, and more — no food’s available, however. 

Known by locals as ‘Foufs’, this local downtown haunt has been regularly looked to both drinks and live music since it first opened in 1983. It’s a cavernous place that can accommodate hundreds at a time across three floors with four bars in total, so going for only cheap bottles of domestic beer is just as easy as enjoying its hosted performances that lean mostly into underground acts of punk, metal, rock, and beyond.

With its unassuming location along downtown Montreal’s Sainte-Catherine thoroughfare, Piranha Bar is a local favourite bar for moshing to punk and metal. The beer’s cheap, the music’s loud, and you can entertain yourself with their namesake aquarium of live piranhas while you wait for your drink order.

This homegrown chain of Gaelic pubs with eight locations both on and off-island has live music avail able at five of them: Downtown, in the Plateau, in Pointe-Claire, and in Chateauguay and Saint-Saveur as well. Full calendars of what’s playing can be found on their website, as well as their menus of Irish pub fare — think Indian curries, burgers, and poutines — as well as drinks.

Established in 1993 on downtown Montreal’s main nightlife vein of Crescent Street, this Irish pub makes a point of offering live music every night on its basement level. They’ve a sizeable menu of common pub fare to eat up alongside 19 beers on tap, as well as more than 50 single malts scotches and 16 whiskys.

This humble pie of a pub may be known to some for its relationship to writer Mordecai Richler, but it’s far more recognized for how it regularly features live jazz on Wednesdays, folk jam sessions on Thursdays and a host of visiting live acts over weekends. Enjoy listening in over cheap pints of pilsner and stout, whisky shots, and two-step cocktails.  

Despite the popularity of the Montreal International Jazz Festival, this bar represents one of the few establishments in the city where live jazz can be found every week from Wednesday to Saturday. Its owner and artistic director Joel Giberovitch makes a point of bringing in both local and international acts to enjoy over cocktails, wine, and a long dinner menu.

This dive bar in Saint-Henri has been going strong for a decade, and has become a regular destination for its live music every Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. While most patrons drinks pints and tall “quille” bottles of beer here, some also spring for plates like cheese and hot dip platters.