Le MTL Resto + Bar

In order for a restaurant or a bar to survive Montreal’s busy scene it needs to stand out. Investments in top notch decor, the best food and most importantly great people are key to making an establishment a success. MTL Resto and Bar recently opened on the Plateau, the city’s most densely packed neighbourhood, and we were at the media opening last week to see what all the fuss was about.

The decor is magnificent making MTL Resto and Bar easily one of the most interesting new spots in the city. The bar is cozy, dark in the right places and lit with lines of little lights that dot the ceiling. The use of honey-coloured wooden slats on the walls make the space feel warm while a red Westfalia sits in the back of the restaurant, acting as a food prep station. It’s inventive and entirely cool.

The food and drinks are well made, all inspired and crafted from Montreal’s history. A list of signature cocktails are named after and concocted with ingredients indigenous to each of the nations that helped found Montreal 375 years ago. There’s a creamy Irish coffee and a lightly sweet cocktail inspired by the drinks of Italy that even comes in a slanted glass, a nod to the leaning tower of Pisa. They also feature an pretty great wine list. The food is just as rooted in Montreal as the cocktails. Dishes like smoked meat shepherds pie and Piri-piri poutine remix our city’s comfort classics. You can see the whole menu here. This is bar food but with a little something extra.

On the night we went the service was spot on. The waiters, waitresses and bar staff were helpful, friendly and quick on their feet. It wasn’t a normal night out at the bar so this could be different on a regular night but I have a feeling these guys act this way whether media or a regular client.

Above MTL Resto and Bar sits a type of Auberge Español on two floors. The restaurant and bars owners will be inviting people to stay in Montreal for the summer, come work for the restaurant while here and stay in the coolest neighbourhood in the city. It’s a great initiative that I think will flourish and help the bar maintain a sense of cool.

I liked MTL Resto and Bar. It’s the type of place I would be glad to spend an hour two after a dinner for drinks or even stop by and spend the whole evening while enjoying some of their food. For more, visit their website here.

Image credit: Patricia Brochu