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Pub Burgundy Lion

11 of Montreal’s Most Notable Pubs

The best spots for plainspoken brews in the city

by JP Karwacki
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by JP Karwacki
Pub Burgundy Lion

Among the choices to be enjoyed for beer, easy-going pubs have enjoyed a particular place in the affections of Montrealers. Think less of dive bars and craft brew spots (check out Eater’s list of microbreweries here and Eater’s list of the city’s best dive bars here) as many businesses will throw around the term “pub”.

This map covers those more traditional feeling bars, with comforting hardwood or carpeted interiors, the possibility of Guinness kitsch, and maybe a dartboard hanging on the walls or TVs exclusively broadcasting sports.

These are the kinds of businesses which excel in pints and bites with a casual feel, from time-honored taphouses with live Irish ceilis or a simply sudsy establishment evoking the classic British watering hole.

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Le Trèfle

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An newer outlier to the downtown pub bubble, Le Trèfle stands to be one of the go-to locations for plainspoken brews on a copper-top bar in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. This pub has a heavy emphasis on beers from Quebec and Britain, whiskeys, scotch and a menu with options that are sure to bust the gut.

3971, rue Ontario Est, 3971 Rue Ontario E, Montréal, QC H1W 1T1, Canada
(438) 386-3737
(438) 386-3737
Le Trèfle

Bishop & Bagg

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Following the huge success of Burgundy Lion, this pub was created with a greater focus on the food it serves. Part of the restaurant group’s mission to bring more British culture to Montreal, Bishop & Bagg is looked to for beers and bites in addition to a dizzying selection of gin.

52 Rue Saint Viateur O, Montréal, QC H2T 2K8, Canada
(514) 277-4400
(514) 277-4400

Also featured in:

Le Vieux Dublin

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Touted as Montreal’s oldest Irish pub, this spot carries two dozen and change in options for beer on tap alongside its liquor selection. Its menu features all the normal greasy fare, not to mention a major part of the menu reserved for Indian choices like saags and bhuna ghosht.

636 Rue Cathcart, Montréal, QC H3B 3C4, Canada
(514) 861-4448
(514) 861-4448
Le Vieux Dublin Pub & Restaurant

McLean's Pub

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In a building dating back to 1910, the location housed some iteration of a bar for decades before becoming the spot locals know and love in 1992. Now, its expansive space hosts long lists of drinks and pub grub, and is a fan favourite for watching a Habs game and celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.

1210 Rue Peel, Montréal, QC H3B 2T6, Canada
(514) 392-7770
(514) 392-7770
McLean’s Pub

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Hurley's Irish Pub

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Long looked to for its beers, single malts, and whiskeys, Hurley’s is a maze of tabled nooks on its hardwood and carpeted second floor and a more open stone-walled basement which offers live music every night. All that, and it’s a popular bar for catching a soccer, er, football game.

1225 Rue Crescent, Montréal, QC H3G 2B1, Canada
(514) 861-4111
(514) 861-4111
Hurley’s Irish Pub

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McKibbin's Irish Pub

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What started as a pub in a Golden Square Mile mansion now counts four locations, including two in the West Island. With a countdown clock to St. Patrick’s Day featured prominently on their website, McKibbin’s is one of the more historically-inclined pubs of Montreal in how it touts its storied connections to the Emerald Isle. Oh, and Liam Gallagher once paid a visit.

1426 Rue Bishop, Montréal, QC H3G 2E6, Canada
(514) 288-1580
(514) 288-1580
McKibbin’s

Also featured in:

Brutopia

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While at times looked to for the beer brewed on site, Brutopia is also a handy all-round pub. Its space features three floors, three bars, and three patios to enjoys their wares on, in addition to a new tapas menu crafted by chef Dimitri Vique and his colleague Sergio Cabiedes.

1219 Rue Crescent, Montréal, QC H3G 2B1, Canada
(514) 393-9277
(514) 393-9277
Brutopia

Also featured in:

McCarold’s

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Alongside Hochelaga’s Le Trèfle, McCarold's is another Irish pub which has broken free of the downtown bubble and is part of a generation of newer establishments. It’s a clean-cut spot that has all the bells and whistles from décor to drinks.

5400 Chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges, Montréal, QC H3T 1Y5, Canada
(514) 344-9009
(514) 344-9009
Pub McCarold

Also featured in:

Burgundy Lion

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Burgundy Lion has enjoyed huge popularity since it first opened, acting as one of the city’s chief emissaries of British culture. Now a decade old, the pub continues to enjoy a substantial amount of success with both its food and booze, most recently celebrated with the addition of a solarium and a scotch tasting room.

2496 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, QC H3J 1N5, Canada
(514) 934-0888
(514) 934-0888
The Burgundy Lion Group

Also featured in:

Ye Olde Orchard

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Starting out with this NDG location in the mid-90s, Ye Olde Orchard has become Montreal’s Irish pub juggernaut with a total of six locations. Despite these far-reaching expansions, alongside the swag for sale and now, beer being brewed by the company, the quality of their work is far from being watered down.

5563 Av de Monkland, Montréal, QC H4A 1E1, Canada
(514) 484-1569
(514) 484-1569
Ye Olde Orchard

Also featured in:

Honey Martin

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With nary a piece of contact information, no Facebook page, and no advertising, Honey Martin is arguably one of the most authentic community-level Irish pubs in the city. It’s a cramped space that occasionally — somehow — has a live band playing among jaunty patrons. Don’t come looking for kitschy decorations or a TV to watch the game; come for the time-warp of an experience.

5916 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montréal, QC H4A 1X7, Canada
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Le Trèfle

3971, rue Ontario Est, 3971 Rue Ontario E, Montréal, QC H1W 1T1, Canada

An newer outlier to the downtown pub bubble, Le Trèfle stands to be one of the go-to locations for plainspoken brews on a copper-top bar in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. This pub has a heavy emphasis on beers from Quebec and Britain, whiskeys, scotch and a menu with options that are sure to bust the gut.

3971, rue Ontario Est, 3971 Rue Ontario E, Montréal, QC H1W 1T1, Canada
(438) 386-3737
(438) 386-3737
Le Trèfle

Bishop & Bagg

52 Rue Saint Viateur O, Montréal, QC H2T 2K8, Canada

Following the huge success of Burgundy Lion, this pub was created with a greater focus on the food it serves. Part of the restaurant group’s mission to bring more British culture to Montreal, Bishop & Bagg is looked to for beers and bites in addition to a dizzying selection of gin.

52 Rue Saint Viateur O, Montréal, QC H2T 2K8, Canada
(514) 277-4400
(514) 277-4400

Le Vieux Dublin

636 Rue Cathcart, Montréal, QC H3B 3C4, Canada

Touted as Montreal’s oldest Irish pub, this spot carries two dozen and change in options for beer on tap alongside its liquor selection. Its menu features all the normal greasy fare, not to mention a major part of the menu reserved for Indian choices like saags and bhuna ghosht.

636 Rue Cathcart, Montréal, QC H3B 3C4, Canada
(514) 861-4448
(514) 861-4448
Le Vieux Dublin Pub & Restaurant

McLean's Pub

1210 Rue Peel, Montréal, QC H3B 2T6, Canada

In a building dating back to 1910, the location housed some iteration of a bar for decades before becoming the spot locals know and love in 1992. Now, its expansive space hosts long lists of drinks and pub grub, and is a fan favourite for watching a Habs game and celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.

1210 Rue Peel, Montréal, QC H3B 2T6, Canada
(514) 392-7770
(514) 392-7770
McLean’s Pub

Hurley's Irish Pub

1225 Rue Crescent, Montréal, QC H3G 2B1, Canada

Long looked to for its beers, single malts, and whiskeys, Hurley’s is a maze of tabled nooks on its hardwood and carpeted second floor and a more open stone-walled basement which offers live music every night. All that, and it’s a popular bar for catching a soccer, er, football game.

1225 Rue Crescent, Montréal, QC H3G 2B1, Canada
(514) 861-4111
(514) 861-4111
Hurley’s Irish Pub

McKibbin's Irish Pub

1426 Rue Bishop, Montréal, QC H3G 2E6, Canada

What started as a pub in a Golden Square Mile mansion now counts four locations, including two in the West Island. With a countdown clock to St. Patrick’s Day featured prominently on their website, McKibbin’s is one of the more historically-inclined pubs of Montreal in how it touts its storied connections to the Emerald Isle. Oh, and Liam Gallagher once paid a visit.

1426 Rue Bishop, Montréal, QC H3G 2E6, Canada
(514) 288-1580
(514) 288-1580
McKibbin’s

Brutopia

1219 Rue Crescent, Montréal, QC H3G 2B1, Canada

While at times looked to for the beer brewed on site, Brutopia is also a handy all-round pub. Its space features three floors, three bars, and three patios to enjoys their wares on, in addition to a new tapas menu crafted by chef Dimitri Vique and his colleague Sergio Cabiedes.

1219 Rue Crescent, Montréal, QC H3G 2B1, Canada
(514) 393-9277
(514) 393-9277
Brutopia

McCarold’s

5400 Chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges, Montréal, QC H3T 1Y5, Canada

Alongside Hochelaga’s Le Trèfle, McCarold's is another Irish pub which has broken free of the downtown bubble and is part of a generation of newer establishments. It’s a clean-cut spot that has all the bells and whistles from décor to drinks.

5400 Chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges, Montréal, QC H3T 1Y5, Canada
(514) 344-9009
(514) 344-9009
Pub McCarold

Burgundy Lion

2496 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, QC H3J 1N5, Canada

Burgundy Lion has enjoyed huge popularity since it first opened, acting as one of the city’s chief emissaries of British culture. Now a decade old, the pub continues to enjoy a substantial amount of success with both its food and booze, most recently celebrated with the addition of a solarium and a scotch tasting room.

2496 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, QC H3J 1N5, Canada
(514) 934-0888
(514) 934-0888
The Burgundy Lion Group

Ye Olde Orchard

5563 Av de Monkland, Montréal, QC H4A 1E1, Canada

Starting out with this NDG location in the mid-90s, Ye Olde Orchard has become Montreal’s Irish pub juggernaut with a total of six locations. Despite these far-reaching expansions, alongside the swag for sale and now, beer being brewed by the company, the quality of their work is far from being watered down.

5563 Av de Monkland, Montréal, QC H4A 1E1, Canada
(514) 484-1569
(514) 484-1569
Ye Olde Orchard

Honey Martin

5916 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montréal, QC H4A 1X7, Canada

With nary a piece of contact information, no Facebook page, and no advertising, Honey Martin is arguably one of the most authentic community-level Irish pubs in the city. It’s a cramped space that occasionally — somehow — has a live band playing among jaunty patrons. Don’t come looking for kitschy decorations or a TV to watch the game; come for the time-warp of an experience.

5916 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montréal, QC H4A 1X7, Canada