McGill University - Nightlife

1234 was once a funeral home, but is now a banging club! Laser shows, electro and house music, and lots and lots of dirty dancing are what you will usually find here.

B-Side is a small venue with no cover located at the center of St-Laurent’s nightlife. Hence, it is immensely popular, hence it is notoriously exclusive. If you do manage to get in, you will enjoy fun, classic oldies that everyone in the place sings along and dances like crazy to. A night at B-Side is never complete without at least one James Brown track, “You Make Me Wanna Shout”, and girls dancing on the bar.

B-Side’s neighbor, formerly Lodge, is decorated like a log cabin on the inside. Monday 90’s Nights are a favorite of many students and a great excuse to break out the neon track suits and ugly sweaters.

Café Campus is located right off of the main, perpendicular to St-Laurent where there is the Belle Province. A former UQAM hangout, it is now an even mix of Anglos and Francos, except on Francophone Sundays when they only play French music. Each night of the week has a different theme, and the weekends are just a good mix. The DJs are pretty good and very consistent. They play the pop dance tunes, along with some of the more groovable alternative songs of the moment. They usually throw in a little Latin music and some old songs from the ‘70s and ‘80s. It’s not an uppity place at all—people just go to dance, and no one really cares if you’re “in” or “out.” It can get really crowded on Tuesday, so go early. The bar has some great specials, like alternating beer specials. This is not the place to order a martini, but it’s probably the most fun you can have dancing. Downstairs is le Petit Campus, a bar that plays live music most nights.

Orchid is definitely one of the biggest nightclubs in Montréal. It’s also got a lightshow and some of the best DJs in town, playing old school, R&B, funk, and hip-hop. The posh decor on the inside complements the music for one of the best spots to party in Montréal.

The fact that this club is located in the financial district is the first tip-off that it’s lame. It’s at the top of one of the tallest buildings in Montréal, which makes the view spectacular. McGill loves to host parties there; when it’s a McGill party, it is worth it to go for the view alone. Other than that, the music is bad, the people are overdressed, and the layout is almost maze-like, making an already packed club even more claustrophobic. It is also home to some of the sketchiest clientele around. Don’t go unless it’s a McGill function and you can get free cover. It’s not worth the money.

The new favorite of Montreal’s hipsters, Korova is a dank, small 2nd floor bar with a dance floor. The décor includes booths with tables made from old school arcade games, a pool table, and saloon-style bathroom doors. The music is very eclectic and varies from night to night, but always anything but typical. Hipsters galore get up on tables, booths, and speakers or right next to the large windows overlooking St-Laurent and dance like there is no tomorrow.

Tokyo is the place to be on Thursdays, and pretty decent on any other night of the week too. Seriously skilled local DJs spin epic mash-ups, top 40, and old school tracks. The best part about Tokyo is the year-round terrace (heated in the winter) equipped with a small bar and booth seating.

Unity II is a massive club with a beautiful rooftop terrace and bar. Three floors, each with a different style of music (retro, pop, and techno), play remixes to flashing lights and a fog machine. Located in the gay Village, this club is a spectacle and a ton of fun for not only GLBTQ, but all people looking for a crazy time. The first floor has a big stage where people can dance. In the corners are sofas for lounging and . . . other things. This place can get a little obscene, but it’s all in good fun. The best gay club definitely, and one of the best clubs in general. Be careful about which night you go on, though; Saturday night is “Muscle Beach Saturdays,” which is almost all men, but Friday night is college night, and with a student ID you get in for free.

Bar des Pins is a Montréal staple. It’s been around forever, and because it’s so near campus, it’s an odd mix between aging drunkards and university drunkards-in-training. It’s one of the few authentic dive bars, not a bar made up to look like a dive. The bathroom is so gross you worry about contracting a disease from the toilet seat. Still, it’s a ton of fun when you go with your friends. It serves cheap beer and only cheap beer, and only accepts cash. There’s pool and video gambling, and a TV that shows whatever sports game is hot that night. During the World Series playoffs, it became a haven for New York and Boston students away from their home turf to bring the rivalry to Canada. Cheap and a good time, this is a great weekday bar for hanging out with your friends.

Don’t let the giant tarantula and creepy metal gate scare you away. Foufs, whose name roughly translates to “Electric Ass”, is an amazing bar. It has three humongous floors, and every night of the week has a different theme with different music and drink specials. Thursdays are ladies’ nights with a $4 cover which gets you 4 free drink tickets. The first floor is the chill floor, equipped with pool and foosball tables and ample seating. The second floor has a patio and even more seating, and the third floor has a huge dance floor, stage, and cave-like bar. Because of its location, it tends to attract a lot of local francophones, but this bar has serious attitude and should not be skipped.

Due to its proximity to campus and chill atmosphere, Benelux is also quite popular, especially on Wednesdays. It has a good selection of beer and offers pretty good food as well. It used to be a bank, so there’s a private back room in the old vault.

For some reason, this place is hugely popular and apparently quite famous. The bar itself is decent—it has pretty cheap drink deals, two floors of really crowded seating, and a couple of pool tables. You also get free popcorn with your drink order, a great snack for drunk people. Essentially, it’s nothing special, and this is what it is famous for. When bands such as the Foo Fighters and Against Me! come to town, for some reason this is where they choose to party.

If you ask a cab driver where you should go as a tourist to drink, they will say Peel Pub. This is exactly why you should not go there. Besides tourists and freshmen, no one goes there. It is the laughing stock of bars to Montréal natives. They do have really good specials, like dollar shooters night, but the bar is dank and crowded, and the service is really rude. And who wants to party with tourists anyway?

If you’re looking for a dank little dive bar, Vinyl is the place for you. Dark walls, antique furniture, and aged lighting fixtures kind of make you feel like you’re partying in your grandma’s attic, but come Friday nights Vinyl is anything but dull. Student DJs play epic classic rock, 80s and metal tracks, and things get progressively crazier as the night goes on. Crowd surfing, moshing, punching holes in the walls are not rare occurrences and are completely tolerated by the staff.

On the far south side of Crescent, Brutopia has some of the best beer around. The ambience is kind of like a cool artsy pub, with small tables and pictures on the wall. Live bands, open-mic night, and even a trivia night make every night here a good time. Their pints are $7.50, which seems steep until you taste their delicious raspberry beer. The least Crescent-like of all the bars on Crescent, this bar is fun, not flashy, and a great place to go anytime.

Small, and very low-key, La Distillerie has made a name for itself from its unique drinks. Their incredibly delicious and incredibly alcoholic cocktails are served in huge jars. Happy hour here is unbeatable: a Mason Jar (1 liter) cocktail for only $12. Go with a group of friends and split (or hog to yourself) one of these delicious creations.

The bottom level of this three-floor complex has a much louder and younger crowd than above. Upstairs is a great place to order food. There is a happy hour on weekdays and Martini Tuesdays. The music is kept low, so it’s a good place to go with a date or find a new one, depending on your situation.