Not “hidden” per se, but subtly tucked alongside clubby Datcha, this cozy space serves as an espresso bar by day and a cocktail bar by night, boasting one of the best Moscow Mules in the city (partly thanks to fresh ginger). Prepare to rub elbows with other patrons at the bar as there is only one table in this snug abode. Note that later on some evenings

Many have likely walked by this unassuming Plateau favourite on the way to Café Névé. Come for the comprehensive wine and beer list, stay for the warm atmosphere and good company.

The bar counterpart to Big in Japan restaurant just down the street, this elegant, dimly lit bar with curtained walls and candles aplenty is intimately tucked behind a nondescript red door on the Main. Whisky connoisseurs can rest assured when they order their most expensive preferences - the bottle will be safely suspended from the ceiling and reserved until their return.

Let the neon green pineapple be your guide down the steps into this tucked-away Chinatown gem from Dave Schmidt. A modern take on Tiki awaits, stocked with the requisite novelties, such as drinking a cocktail straight out of a fruit. For those more classically inclined, all of the usual cocktail suspects can be found here too.

To enter, ring a doorbell next to a nameless black door and wait to be received into the basement that housed a 19th century cold room serving vendors in Jacques Cartier Place above. Manners reign supreme at this velvety underground bar where the servers’ cocktail knowledge is as extensive and impressive as the bourbon list.

This Old Port supper club oozes sexy, neon vibes — once would-be customers manage to find it. Dinner service with a Japanese flavour rolls over into a clubby, DJ’ed atmosphere as each night moves on here, so it’s a spot to both enjoy some solid sashimi alongside cold, fresh cocktails.

This Vietnamese-tinged spot is the newest basement bar on the scene, housed right beneath the also-rather-new Restaurant Hà in Old Montreal. Expect cocktails that integrate a range of pan-Asian flavours from saké to pandan, and order fine Vietnamese bites from the upstairs restaurant. —Tim Forster

Though this 19th century building in the heart of Golden Square Mile first appears to be a high end tailor shop from the outside, venture in further to visit their in-house barber, and this cocktail bar serving up signature drinks overseen by Andrew Whibley.

A back alley bar located behind Foiegwa in St Henri, ACC (as it’s known by regulars) is great for a 5 à 7 or to come for a 2 a.m. night cap (be warned: line-ups can form on busy nights). Come for creative cocktails mixed with inspired ingredients like truffles or smoke.