Bootlegger Cocktail Bar & Cuisine earns praise for its creative cocktails, an impressive whiskey selection, and a welcoming, knowledgeable staff that can turn a visit into a memorable experience; the venue combines a stylish speakeasy vibe with vintage decor, live jazz, and a focus on fresh ingredients and precise mixology, including oysters during happy hours. Across many reviews, the atmosphere and drinks are highlighted as consistently well balanced and thoughtfully crafted, while occasional notes of slower service, crowding, or higher prices appear, along with occasional menu quirks or dishes that miss the mark; overall the place is seen as unique and worth returning to for the drinks, the ambience, and the sense of discovery it provides.
Had high hopes for Bootlegger but they were dashed. Came for the Sunday night oyster special that they have every Sunday & they were out of oysters by 745pm. For a place that also sells oysters every day. Our server was lovely, but there were only 2 for the whole restaurant so service was extremely slow. Unfortunately that also meant our food was lukewarm when it hit our table.Not sure lf they had sick calls or this was their normal staffing levels on a day when they have an oyster special & Jazz music. If it was normal perhaps they need to rethink their business model.
An intimately cosy & atmospheric establishment which does an authentic job of feeling like it's been there for a century. The cocktail list is one of the most extensive I've ever seen, with the quality of drinks & food - a charcuterie board & burgers - all top-notch. We were warmly & professionally served throughout, although I felt maybe one extra waiter was required during the busiest time. The highlight was the live Sunday jazz band, which turned an already good time into a gem of Montreal's rich cultural life. A classy & memorable experience!
Apr 18, 2024
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
This was our second time here in the last two months or so, & we went on a Sunday night to catch some jazz & oysters. We were seated promptly, however it took about another 15 minutes for our waiter to come to our table. Eventually we ordered some cocktails & oysters, but it was than another 40 or so minutes to receive our drinks (essentially, an hour after being seated to get a round on the table) Halfway through the wait for drinks, we were informed that they were out of'regular oysters' & would only be serving'premium' for the rest of the night. I asked about the price difference &, instead of being 12 dollars for a dozen, it was closer to 48 dollars (I declined the upcharge). I was a little surprised they were completely out, as we only arrived about 15 minutes after the music started. Our server was a nice enough guy, although obviously new & inadequately trained for the amount of tables he had to juggle that evening. They were completely understaffed aside from behind the bar (where there seemed to be not one but 3 bartenders). When we did receive our drinks, they all were very well made, aside from a bruised orange peel in my Manhattan. The jazz was nice, & atmosphere was also nice. Just be warned that if you're going on a busy night, you'll be waiting quite a while for your drinks, food (if they have it in stock), & pretty much anything else that requires service. We brought a friend from our of town as we were pretty impressed the first evening (aside from the employee who had his night off or something & seated beside us. He was incredibly belligerent & was clearly overserving the two ladies seated with him).
Amazing service from Ghita Iraqi! Super friendly & polite! Will definitely come back for sunday jazz night :). Lovely vibes overall. Great choice of cocktails.
amazing atmosphere in this cozy bar with live jazz. Sunday nights when the live jazz band plays you can savor 1$ oysters & amazing cocktails or whiskey or absinthe tasting served by friendly & knowledgeable staff. Food is also delicious & plates are quite sizable.
We were 4 & went for the Apero Cocktail experience! The cocktails were amazing & so unique, the cheese board was great also! We didn't expect the Sunday Jazz night & it was a pleasant surprise. I recommend 100%. We will be back for sure!
Feb 5, 2024
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
I have been there 2 times , the first one the service was ok ,the food was bad , we ordered a breaded chicken & had no flavor & it was cold , we went for the jazz band but that night didn't appear .... Then I went last Sunday & we had a better experience with the jazz band & the waiter Gabriel was very friendly & gave us a great service, we had a wonderful time , this time we didn't take the risk to order food but beer was ok , also oysters are $1 each on Sundays
Came to Bootlegger because it was billed as one of best Jazz spots in Montreal. To find there was only a DJ on a Saturday night was very disappointing.
Food, cocktails, excellent, Nice variety of scotch & whiskeys. Music not suitable for scotch & whiskey lovers. The DJ was playing dance music & Techno. I would have liked to listen to jazz/lounge music while enjoying my bourbon. Only 2 servers on the floor. A member of the group was forgotten for his scotch selection. Seats NOT confortable (Hard wood church bench & wood chairs. This place has a lot of potential perfect decoration, beautiful bar, EXCELLENT FOOD, wonderful cocktails. Upgrade with seats & more service would make this place high top rate place to be.
Nice place with good service, we were there Sunday & enjoyed the live Jazz it was a real treat, oysters were fresh & delicious & even the Nachos were good, we also had beer which was also great. I wish they would add a nice beef hamburger or onion rings on the menu but it is after all a bar with a great selection of whiskeys & coktails.
Magnifique décor! Avec un band qui jouait du jazz le dimanche! Quelle belle soirée ! Merci à notre serveur Vincent pour sa gentillesse & sa patience! Je recommande vivement! On va revenir! Merci beaucoup!
Nov 13, 2022
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
Noth waitresses were excellent, drinks were delicious, food was good (portions a bit small) ambiance was nice (would suggest to have different music played by the dj not just house)
In general love our experience, will definitely recommend it & go back to try jazz night
Thank you
Super ambiance, très bons cocktails, bon service ! La musique est très forte en revanche. J'ai bien envie de tester les dimanche soir pour les jazz live
Fair service, nice ambiance with good jazz band. Food below average, nachos so soaky, zéro crunch. We also ordered the deli platter (plateau de charcuteries) thinking that it contains à variety of deli, there was only one type with 3 mini Pickles & 2 Pearl onions. So considering the good points, we would come back to try the drinks.
