The 2011 Ultimate List of Shisha Places in Montreal City

It was long overdue, but here it is: the Ultimate List of Shisha Places in Montreal, 2011 edition. All of these places have been compiled and put together by me, Saro, the self-proclaimed hookah king of Montreal. The 2009 list is here for your viewing pleasure.

My current favourite for the year? Café Hookah Lounge on St-Denis. You can catch me there every week or two enjoying a Green Apple + Mint combination, either with mint tea or a gin & tonic. The place is way too small, so make sure you go in early if you want to enjoy some hookah.

I haven’t been to every lounge on this list, so I welcome suggestions/corrections (including places I haven’t mentioned) to make this post up to date. In alphabetical order:

• Al-Dar
• Arabesque
• Café Al-Dar
• Café Boudoir (new)
• Café Gitana
• Café Hookah Lounge
• Café Le Notre
• Café Sphinx
• Chez Zaza
• Habibi Restaurant Café: I’ve been to this place once (first time). It was decent.
• Lordia (Laval)
• La Palma Resto-Café
• Les Mentheurs
• Les Nuits du Sahara
• Restaurant Adonisia (Laval)
• Rex Café
• Sequoia
• Sherazade
• Taouk du Québec (Longueuil)
• Toot Café
• Volluume (Laval)

The following places are no more:

• Kafein: I have no idea what happened, but they supposedly stopped serving shisha. If anyone has any news or clues, I would like to hear about it. My first guess is they weren’t licensed.
• Orienthé: mentioned in the comments below by Lauren, this place no longer offers shisha.

What is your favourite place hookah/shisha lounge in Montreal?

The Ultimate List of Shisha Places in Montreal City

Update: this list has been replaced with the 2011 Ultimate Montreal Shisha Places post.

I currently have this little voting list going on in another post that you guys may want to check out. Currently, the best shisha place in Montreal (rated by Montrealers) is Sherazad. If you don’t like how the list looks so far, then you guys better do something about it (which is: vote). Owners, take note of the following criticisms I have of your places!

• Toot Café: My first downtown shisha experience with friends. It’s a cozy place (last I visited) and might need to be renovated here and there, but still an okay establishment.
• Sherazade: Right now, this is my favourite place downtown. The service and the quality of the shisha is great. They’re not cheap on the coals either.
• Orienthé: My second pick when it comes to smoking downtown. I don’t like the seating system that much and the fact that you have to take your shoes off inside (but I’ll let it slide for now). The outside terrace is much better, especially during the summer time. Sometimes, it’s way too hot inside and uncomfortable after extended seating periods. What’s better than the shisha here is the Moroccan mint tea. This stuff is gold.
• Café Al-Dar: Shisha is… ehh, okay. The tea is quite good. Plenty of seating for all your friends. The crowd can be quite sketchy sometimes.
• Kafein: Turn down the music already! I want to enjoy shisha with my friends, not by myself listening to loud music. The shisha bowls are either underpacked or not properly prepared (too many holes in the foil, too dry, etc). Right now at the bottom of my place. Only time you’ll catch me in there is if I’m somehow banned from everywhere else.

There’s also the following places, but I have yet to try them out.

• Café Gitana
• Chez Zaza: I haven’t smoked there yet, but when I asked to buy Al Fakher tobacco, I was promptly told they can’t sell it to me. Instead, they gave me dried up Nakleh tobacco and charged me 20$ for a small box. Only reason I bought it was because of an emergency (smoking at my friends’ engagement party). Serious. I ended up throwing the box in the trash since there was virtually no moisture in the packaging.

Am I missing any places here? We need to create a master list of shisha places in Montreal or something.

Sharx Downtown Montreal: A Haven For The Indecisive

At first glance the small entrance and innocuous sign would not lead anyone to suspect what truly lies below. Found hiding under the newly acquired Concordia building on the corner of Guy and Ste-Catherine’s is an extensive playground for those of varied interests.

The small entrance and cavernous main room downstairs gives the impression that you have found a niche, away from passing eyes on the street, in which to party and let loose. This particular venue is great in the way that it provides three fairly popular activities all in one area, at a fair price. For the group of friends that can’t come to an agreement, the person who can’t have just one or the attention deficit, this is your haven.

The kitchen is open until 11 and snacks are offered all evening. This isn’t your place for fine dining after the kitchen closes, but more for late night drinking snacks.

The pool and snooker tables are in decent shape and are hardly ever all taken. Except for the odd busy day, it’s quite empty. They are charged by an hourly rate so for the pro’s that’s good news and those of us who take an hour to finally scratch on the 8… well, we’d better go more.

The bowling area with its black lights and bar close at hand makes for a real party environment. The bowling itself is as would be expected except for the, some times, reoccurring technical issues with the scoring screens.
Don’t want to be around all the hustle and bustle on their busy nights? Two private bowling lanes are also available off to the side but for the extra price you aren’t offered much more service or any seclusion except for a single pane of glass between you and other players, somewhat putting you in the spotlight.

The lounge with its overview of the surrounding pool tables provides a decent area for socialization and leisure. The low height, leather sofas and chairs are fairly comfortable albeit somewhat tricky to manoeuvre into an upright position with. For those of us who’d rather sit at an angle greater than 30 degrees, the lounge bar is right there and stocked predominantly with what seems to be  barmaids of  mid-east origin who, depending on the day, may or may not speak your language of preference.

Furthermore there is a VIP lounge with room for 50 people. This room comes with its own bar, pool table and couches and looks rather snazzy.

Service can be lacking in the pool and bowling section on quiet nights as they tend to under staff but in general it’s fair priced and well served venue.

Halloween Massacre

It’s PARTY TIME…

If you are like me, you are already looking for a costume to wear this year. Yes, Halloween is my favorite holiday. I get all dressed up every year even if I’m not going trick or treating (and no you can never be too old for free chocolate and candy). If you haven’t started yet, the time has come! Get ready for the biggest Halloween party this year.

Presented by LND Productions, Halloween Massacre will be held at Bourbon Street Club St-Adele on Saturday, October 31^st. This is an event not to miss! More than 4000 people are expected. There will be SIX rock bands performing live and house music by DJ Uppercut and Domenico Pandolfo. And if that’s not enough for you, get ready for some heat with live percussion (tam tam) performances by Hovo aka Dahov (www.dahov.com).

Be sure to get your costume ready because there will also be prizes for the 2 best costumes, including a trip to anywhere in the world! More than $2000 in prizes. It all starts at 9:30 p.m. and guess what… barbeque all night long. They thought of everything!

Guess what?! It does get even better! You don’t need to worry about the designated driver… they offer bus service (courtesy of Shootdown Order)! Departure from Cote-Vertu metro station at 8:00 p.m., coming back at 3:30 a.m. from Bourbon. There is a small fee of 10$ and you have to reserve in advance. You have to confirm by email [email protected].

Tickets for the event are $15 pre-sale and $20 at the door. Get your tickets at Admissions.

Reasons to miss this party: NONE!

Keep up with them on Facebook.

 

Montreal Clubbers To Welcome Two New Spots… On The Same Week-End!

For those of you who aren’t in the know, both CLUB ELEMENT and MUZIQUE NIGHTCLUB will be opening their doors during the weekend of October 9th! Let’s take a closer look at what both spots are aiming to deliver:

•••

CLUB ELEMENT

www.elementclub.ca
66 Blvd. Industriel
Saint-Eustache, QC

Straight from their Facebook group:

Venez découvrir un tout nouveau club sur la rive-nord. Un concept venant directement des plus beaux clubs de Las Vegas. Un concept rejoingnant les 4 éléments soit: air, eau, feu et terre.

OUVERT: Jeudi, Vendredi, Samedi

Right, so it’s technically not IN Montreal, but it’s in its “environs“. Not much else has been revealed as of yet: no pictures, no videos, no flyers. Their head resident DJ is DJ TaG. From what I’ve been told, ELEMENT is as far in distance & time as downtown is for Laval nightlife fiends. No traffic, simply two highways and you’re there! The official opening is on October 8th, a Thursday night, and because one of my homies is actually part of the ownership, I will no doubt be there for support!

•••

MUZIQUE NIGHTCLUB

(no website as of yet)
3718 St-Laurent Blvd.
Montreal, QC

Straight from their Facebook group (2):

Tucked away in the upper part of Montreal’s nightlife corridor, Muzique Nightclub eagerly awaits its revival of the St. Laurent night scene.

Muzique features 2 rooms where a collaboration of Montreal’s best DJ’s spin a collection of Modern Urban, Electro, House and Rock, where it is finally once again possible to enjoy phenomenal music in a relaxed and elegant atmosphere. Unparalleled service and an eclectic ambiance combine to make your weekly escape a unique experience every time.

Warmer nights will feature a rooftop terrace where guests can truly unwind and have fun, all the while enjoying the one club that aims to provide the essentials: good music, a more mature clientele, and most of all a place where you can truly enjoy yourself.

On October 9th, Muzique invites you to attend our GRAND OPENING. Come participate in the reshaping of the nightclub experience…

Remember, its about you and its about the sound.

21+ Dress to impress

Their description is pretty self-explanatory, and quite frankly, their concept is surprisingly seductive. There is no denying that their sleek logo design (seen on the above flyer) and its matching contemporary nightclub name, Muzique, make for a very powerful first impression. Yet, there is something even more impressive tucked away in their Facebook groups (one for Fridays, one for Saturdays). If you look through their Pictures section hoping to find snapshots of the exterior or interior design, you are instead presented with a clever and effective series of concept flyers (13 to be exact) which work in favor of solidifying their aspiration as an up-and-coming nightclub that is all about the music.

Here are just a few of my favorites, but I encourage you all to head over to their Photo Gallery to look at all of them:

As for DJs, the FB group lists DJ Payce & DJ Zoo in the Main Room, and DJ Kidd & DJ Goldenchild in V.I.P. Room, but here is a recent status update by Payce which also lists Keith Dean…

If I had to make a suggestion, I would strongly recommend that they get in touch with DJ Special K… Either way, as a music aficionado, I am sold on the concept and will definitely be checking Muzique out when the time comes.

Bored on a Monday Night? Comedy Works Open Mic Night May Be The Answer

If you are looking something fresh to do downtown on a Monday night at 8:30 PM, Comedy Works on Bishop (corner of St-Catherine) has Open Mic Night, where your everyday person can have his shot at standup comedy in front of a crowd. While I’m not completely sure how to register for a spot, I do know it’s not complicated and the hardest part is that you need to contribute four people to the crowd. Even at that, one comedian got his spot last minute during the show. For this review, the night I attended had a big set of acts; a nice mix of first timers and experienced comedians. The MC, however, could not establish an effective connection with the crowd.

As far as the atmosphere goes, it was alright: the stage is located on the second floor, completely cut off from the bar at the entrance. Like most comedy clubs, the lighting is dim and the bar is standard enough to offer you your everyday run-of-the-mill drinks. However, beer aficionados be warned as there were only a few select brands on tap. Seating was ample enough, and there are no “bad” seats like the ones you’d find in movie theatres. Even though the room was small, you won’t feel crammed up as you watch the shows. As one would expect, there was a modest cover charge (5$) and a one drink minimum (which may seem like a scam to most) but in my opinion is fair priced. After 2 pints, the total for my night was less than 20$. For transportation, Guy-Concordia is your metro. Drivers will appreciate the fact that parking was pretty abundant since it was, after all, a Monday night.

The crowd during the night I frequented was pretty supportive: even when bad jokes were plenty, some people would force a chuckle. Of course, there were comedians that were more successful than others and simply ripped the place apart in tears. Overall, the night was time well spent. Probably an unknown highlight of this place is that big name comedians have been known to stop by and try out some of their content on the crowd, almost like a focus group. It is a good way to get a sneak-peak of upcoming comedy shows without paying the outrageous prices for tickets. While I would like to believe this place is a hidden gem amongst group of friends, I’m pretty sure Comedy Works will now be packed on Monday nights after this review hits the streets.

This review was written by Jordan V for Montrealing.com

The Sports Station – Most booze for your buck

This post was written by Jordan V.

Going out to drink and get absurdly drunk is a regular activity for many of us (…right?). Well there is one bar that I am pretty sure is among the most efficient places for that, rivaling even campus bars. The place is called La Station Des Sports or as many of call it: “Sports Station” and it totally fits the bill if your goal is to:

• Not get dressed up
• Eat a decent meal
• Booze up
• Enjoy the company of your friends.
• Catch the game
• Spend under 25$

Located right in front of Lasalle College on St-Catherine (corner of Fort and St-Cat), this place can accommodate a nice crowd. While it is a sports bar, you will quickly forget that because pretty much anyone from the area stops by for a beer or their awesome fish and chips. This is one of the few places I know where you can get a good meal and pretty drunk by dropping only 20$ and probably getting change back. The menu is pretty vast and the kitchen closes late and they also have a standard variety of beers to choose from. They even have a breakfast menu and the waitresses are pretty hot.

Ok, so the highlight of this place? You can buy a 4L pitcher of beer for $17,50, its practically a bucket of beer in your face and they clean the taps often enough so it doesn’t taste like rust. No it’s not a Happy Hour Special, or a seasonal promotion, it’s the universal law here; even during the recession. Another cool feature is that some tables have a beer tap built into it, I don’t remember what the deal with that is, whether you pay a flat rate or something but hell it’s a beer tap at your disposal!

The atmosphere is nice, hard wood décor, solid tables and chairs and big flat screens all around showing you whatever sports are happening at that very moment. In the summer there is a make-shift terrace that puts you in everyone’s way but you are protected by a rope-line; it’s actually not that great. But if you want to catch a game you should do it here; hockey games attract a nice enthusiastic crowd. For a casual beer with friends an off night can be just as fun because they don’t blast the music in your ears so you can carry a good conversation. As for logistics; it is located between Atwater and Guy Metro, a short walk from either.

Upstairs – It’s Jazztastic!

Just a few steps below the street level on Mackay, you will find a quaint little hidden gem called Upstairs Jazz Bar and Grill. This place caught my eyes from the moment I glimpsed in through the window and saw an upright bass musician jamming away. As an avid jazz fan, I squealed like a little girl and excitedly walked in.

The place: dimly lit room. Very jazz-y and intimate. The Chicago 1950’s feel, complete with brick walls covered with an array of frames, takes you away from the downtown Montreal feel the moment you walk in. All that’s missing is the cloud of smoke hanging in the room (damn this ban!). The food is simple yet tasty and the staff is remarkably friendly. The ditsy, large breasted blonde bimbos you’d find as a nightclub bartender working for tips would not fit in to this classy, old-fashioned joint. Surprisingly, the prices are extremely fair. This place has a vibe I haven’t seen in a long time in Montreal, which is always a bonus since it seems that so many places follow the same template nowadays. A generally older crowd (30+) can appreciate this cozy, laid-back feel where people can share their passion for music.

Several times a week, you will find live performances by jazz artists. For that alone, it’s worth to check out Upstairs. Don’t get me wrong; you don’t have to adore jazz to go. When the performances are done for the night (roughly by midnight), the crowd gets back to it’s lively pace.

I fell in love with this place the moment I walked in. There’s a certain warmth in the personal interactions you can never find in a nightclub.

Their wine list isn’t too extensive, so I’d stick with the drinks. If you’re in the mood for a quick bite, get the Antipasti for 2, you can’t go wrong with calamari, smoked salmon, grilled chicken and a few other ingredients to pleasure your taste buds.

Bonus: Check out their website for scheduled performances as well as special recipes with step-by-step instructions.
www.upstairsjazz.com

Time Supper Club for Ballers Only

What happened to saving your money and not spending it foolishly during the recession? It seems that I’m the only one who’s broke these days, as the higher-end clubs are packed with the rich and the wealthy, and Montreal can’t seem to cater all of them. It used to be a rarity – “bottle service”. Now, no one steps foot outside their homes unless they have a reservation and a table, with a 6L bottle of Moet & Chandon to boot with.

Time Supper Club opened its doors to the public in 2002 and has been active since. I don’t know anything about ownership changes, what it used to look like the year before or what they serve on the menu, but I will tell you that they are definitely doing very well for themselves. I would think that a club that’s not on the St-Catherine strip or its surrounding area would fail business-wise, but this is not the case for Time. Naturally, I would suspect the place is advertised mainly by word of mouth from party-goers who happen to have an excellent time and had to mention to everybody they meet about the experience. And this works very well for the club, because they keep an exclusive image and distance themselves from their competitors.

There used to be a club in New York City, dubbed “Studio 54″. It used to be the place to go to in the 70′s as a lot of celebrities used to frequent it, and being seen there was a Big Deal™. With that said, good luck getting in because the doormen for Studio 54 were selective and only chose people who were either loaded or simply beautiful, the latter being surprisingly more important. In Time’s case, it rather have both qualities present in its clientele. The 20$ cover charge seems to prevent bums from accidentally getting inside, yet I don’t understand why people who reserve a table beforehand have to pay this silly tax. If I’m spending over 1000$ in a single night, why are you charging me 20$ to get in?

Time is definitely a great looking place, with its high ceiling, flashy lights and its glittering disco ball make you feel like you’re high class. The decor, atmosphere and overall quality and cleanliness of the place shows, although ignore the napkins tossed all over the floor. At the end of the night, you’ll most likely be tossing a few in the air yourself. There is an upstairs VIP section with its own private bar for those intimate nights with loved ones, which was vacant the last time I went surprisingly.

I’ve heard numerous times about the clientele being snobby or uptight at Time, but I personally did not notice any irregularities. Then again, I’m usually not affected as I’m not exactly a scrawny guy to get pushed around, so people tend to move out of the way for me when I’m coming through (I still excuse myself when I cut through, mind you). I think people should expect snobbishness, especially in a setting of this sort: you’ve got bottles of alcohol lined up across tables and money flying through the air. I’m not saying it’s okay to act like an asshole among other clientele, but expect people to be full of themselves as it makes them feel better about the money they’re plunking down to get crunked.

Pros

• Awesome decor, lights and atmosphere
• Decent sound system, great music
• Vacant & free parking around club
• People are well dressed and beautiful

Cons

• Drinks aren’t cheap; 10$ average
• Getting in is a bitch, so reserve a table beforehand or find friends with connections
• Clientele is somewhat snobby, be prepared
• Mens washrooms are too small; urinals are too close to each other
• Silly 20$ entrance tax

Suite 701 – Don’t Forget to Shave

Feel like bumming out and getting wasted with your buddies without spending too much? Then don’t head off to Suite 701, because you probably won’t even get in with those dirty sneakers of yours. This lounge is the definition of class – the interior is beautiful, the people are beautiful and the drinks are beautiful.

Located in Old Montreal, Suite 701 is relatively small: basically a long narrow room with a bar running down one side. However, its extremely high ceiling prevents the feeling of being cramped. Opposite of the bar, a series of low coffee tables and lounging sofas help accommodate large groups. The interior architecture is absolutely fascinating. The high ceiling paired with the detailed moldings, modern chandeliers and boudoir-type mesh curtains give the space a classical, contemporary and naughty feel.

Although you’ll see the DJ booth the moment you walk in, there unfortunately isn’t an existent dance floor. So really, a DJ is kind of useless but she was hot, so there you have it. I’m more of a chat-over-a-drink kind of person, so the absence of the dance floor didn’t bother me. What was frustrating however was the excessively loud music that even prevented you from having a conversation. After somewhat mastering the art of reading lips, the ambiance was pretty chill and ideal for going out with a group of friends.

The drinks are not cheap, they’ll run you about 12$ for a cocktail, but you’ll definitely find some original ones made with quality liqueur. Maple syrup is an interesting ingredient found a few times on the menu – a tad too sweet for my liking, but worth trying and will definitely be enjoyed by most girls. Fortunately, Suite 701 is one of the rare nightlife spots where they serve mojitos! Finally! You can sit down with a drink and pretend like it’s just another hot summer day when the reality is that you’re completely unaware a snow plow has just ripped off one of your side mirrors during its run. Unfortunately, I speak from experience… By the way, the reason why those drinks are so hard to come by is due to the fresh mint leaves needed as the prime ingredient. Most of the time, it’s not worth for clubs or bars to carry something with such a short shelf life if the demand isn’t high enough. So ladies, no bitching if a club or bar doesn’t offer mojitos. Order something else and quit acting like a princess. … again, I speak from experience.

If there’s a drink that you must try, it’s called The Basilic. Evidently, one of the ingredients is basil… sounds nasty, I know, but its combination with the sweetness of the raspberry liqueur makes it very interesting. It’s a usual favorite for the ladies, the men however, find it tastes like spaghetti sauce.

Pros:
• Good music
• Good drinks
• Gorgeous design

Cons:
• Pricey
• A slightly snooty crowd
• Tight space

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