Award winning cocktail bar tucked away in a Montreal Chinatown. Authentic Cantonese food available for clients who want to snack while enjoying an all-natural libation. Live DJ sets every night.
Bar Le Mal Nécessaire is described as a stylish cocktail bar with a cozy, intimate vibe that can feel upscale depending on the room and night. Cocktails are frequently praised for creativity, balance, and strong flavors, with standout drinks like strong water, negroni, and pina fuego, though a few guests find prices high and portions small. Service is noted for being attentive and friendly, with staff offering knowledgeable recommendations and occasional courtesy substitutions that enhance the experience. The atmosphere and music receive mixed reviews, ranging from lively DJ nights and live acts to nights where the sound can be loud and conversation difficult. Food options are limited to small bites, and mocktails can be less exciting, but overall the experience is memorable and many would return.
One of, if not, the best bars I've ever been to. There's a wide variety of drinks to choose from & if you're indecisive, the staff will make it easy by getting you something according to your preferences. The bar has a very nice atmosphere, with great music playing all along. Our server Adam was very friendly & professional with us. He handled our order with care & made sure we had a pleasant experience throughout the entire time, asking us if we needed anything or not. Additionally, he provided us with a portable charger so we could keep enjoying our night. I would totally recommend this bar if you're a couple or a group of friends looking for a nice place to spend an evening with amazing drinks.
Amazing vibes & music; The Champagne Papi was really good & i enjoyed the vibe all around, bartenders & service was actual legends. Thank you Jay & the others for a great time :)
Big recommend!!
Oct 12, 2025
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Lovely bar. Great music from the dj. Great place to drink & chat with your friends. I had the champagne papi & it was drake. I mean great. Jay gave use great service & I hope to visit again when I'm back in Montreal.
L'équipe de service est très courtois. Je remercie Olian. Assis au bar tout comme sur la banquette, l'ambiance est parfaite. La musique est mixer sur vinyle. Toutes leurs boissons signatures sont raffinées. L'architecture & l'aménagement de la pièce est un fort attribut tout comme l'éclairage. Parfait pour discuter avec de bonnes personnes. Je recommande
Le Mal is a very nice bar, but I have to be honest it is more suitable for adults in their mid 20s & up. A very honest advice for anyone who's coming here the first time: if you're in the waiting area where you can order a drink (was at the very back of the bar), please do not get into a hurry for getting a drink yet because there is not a good variety of options available & honestly in my friends & I opinions, it was just straight up very strong & not tasty especially if you are a fan of cocktails or a look/taste-matters person. I'm sure once you actually get into the bar the drinks will be way better as I saw the other feedback with so many eye-catching ones. Overall was a nice experience to try!
Des cocktails & un accueil toujours exceptionnel ! L'Équipe a vraiment été aux petits soins pour que nous passions un bon moment. Je recommande toujours ce bar !!
Stopped in here for a few drinks & the vibe is super cool & chill. Seems like a very hip stop to grab a drink or to take a date. The drinks were very cool & fun. Some of us got the drink served in a pineapple & set on fire. I got the coconut one which was served in a coconut! Refreshing & tasty
I found a lot of the drinks here to be quite unique. The bar was stocked with many different types of alcohol & everyone seemed to be having a great time!
Sep 21, 2025
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Amazing cocktail bar that you need to check out. A lot of great tiki & rum cocktails. They can also make you anything you'd like based on your taste & pallet. They're very friendly & talkative & one what they do. They're two bartenders that made our night special tonight are Audrey & Adri.
J'y suis allée en pensant que c'était un speakeasy. En arrivant devant on se rends compte que ce n'en est pas un pantoute mais nous y étions alors nous sommes entrés pareil (pas du tout caché) ! L'ambiance est vraiment nice à l'intérieur. Le bar est superbe. Le service est au top. Adam a su vraiment bien nous recommandé & le barman a créer un mocktail spécial pour mon ami qui n'était pas sur la carte. Pas un speakeasy certes, mais j'y retournerais !
More a vibe than a quality cocktail bar. It's a cool looking space with a house DJ in the
middle of a beautiful room. The bar seating is an elevated experience while the liquor bottles are back lit. Frankly this is a fairly standard look & feel for any cocktail bar trying to be good. The sad part is the actual cocktails & bartenders…they can produce someone's recipe for 10 pretty basic cocktails with a slight twist but aren't actually mixologist & can't make a cocktail that's interesting on their own. It all just came across as a high end DJ cocktail bar over charging for basic cocktails. There are better options for cocktails, vibe, DJ's & all things combined. Pass.
Pretty mid honestly. I guess if you forget what it was & see it as a new thing… it's fine. But it's not even a shadow of its former self. Felt super sterile, cut with the cookie cutter mold of every hotel bar ever. Staff seemed uninterested & not at all experienced. The mal necessaire cocktail - what used to be a staple - was poorly made, served with half melted ice & definitely canned pineapple juice. The espresso martini was surprisingly amazing . Also no food was a let down
Aug 5, 2025
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Le Mal Nécessaire is a very good bar, though I must admit I more liked the vibes of the old location as compared to this on. Its brighter & more vibrant, but the vibes of the old one were just better inmy opinion, also didn't feel as well taken care of as before, not bad by any stretch! Just not quite 5 stars. Can't fault the cocktails at all though.
J'ai était hier soir une Ambiance avec la musique à fond le barman sympathique mais quand j'ai attendu la queue je me suis cru au boîte de nuit mais ça était je retournerais un jour ici
We came here on a Friday night between 10 & 11 PM & managed to get a seat however it's quite full. It's a very mixed crowd. We really enjoyed the cocktails. There was a DJ too. Overall, a really great bar.
Exceptionally well-done cocktail bar. Probably the most creative cocktail menu I've ever seen, resemblant of a passport to travel their world of flavours. This place puts a lot of energy & focus into it's creative drinks - which it should as a cocktail bar. Service was alright. Atmosphere is really cool. Expect to wait for a seat at peak times.
New location, 2025 Review:
Leaving a second review here as they have moved to a new location & have adapted the experience to the space, as well as changed the cocktail menu. Most notable change is their brilliant seating system that almost eliminates the lineup. They have a'lobby bar' that you wait at while waiting for seating in the main hall. This lobby bar serves simple mixed drinks at lower prices instead of the full cocktail menu. We weren't there for too long before our table was ready. The atmosphere at the new location has been tuned a bit more upscale, abandoning the more colourful, travel theme for a more refined nightlife experience. A few items on the cocktail menu have not changed but much of it has, & I have to admit I don't love the new additions as much as a few of the drinks that they removed. It's not an upgrade for me personally. Service was still as exceptional as my first experience however.
Jun 4, 2025
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First time visiting this bar. Rico made us great drinks & gave us recommendations for other bars & restaurants to visit. He was super welcoming & provided great service. Thank you Rico!
Service was good & the experience was excellent...
One of the must try speakeasy bar.
They had a Piano performance when I visited & also had an inhouse DJ performing most of the time.
This is my go to bar when i want to grab a few drinks with friends, or for a lovely date night. I love that the place is spacious & has room for big groups or just one on one. They have so many fun drinks to try.
