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.
Great time at happy hours (5-7pm) on Sunday. Much quieter than usual, staff is also more available, & the 1$ oyster deal is soooooo worth it. I'll def come back at that time!
Mar 15, 2026
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Really enjoyed the Sunday night jazz + $1 oysters. Great venue, show, & the staff was top notch. Thanks to Remus for teaching me more about absinthe as he was expertly serving it to me. The host really went above & beyond as well, though I don't believe I caught his name. Highly recommend!
Really good oysters & the cocktail selection is impressive. A bit pricey & the portions are a bit small but the seafood tastes so fresh & the dishes are really tasty. Wouldn't recommend for a date because it's kind of noisy. Service was great & bathrooms were really clean.
Feb 1, 2026
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I rarely write bad reviews but im writing this for the safety of consumers. I ordered oysters. I immediately noticed that they smelled sort of like a dirty bathroom. I'm from the coast of maine. I know oysters should not smell. Especially like that. I knew they were bad & sent them back. Politely I may add. & they STILL CHARGED ME for them. Plus, they need to learn how to better shuck an oyster as well. Then, my friends & I ordered a pour of cask strength whiskey. Being part of a whisky club & having tried many whiskies, that was not cask strength. & not only was it not cask strength, it tasted like a gold rum. We Politely asked to see the bottle that he poured from & he wouldn't show us. Then he reluctantly told us he did not pour the cask strength whiskey we ordered. So, naturally we asked the tender to pour us what we ordered, & he had the scruples to ask us if we were going to pay for both. Technically he had already committed theft & fraud. So, no we were not going to pay for something we did not order. It's one thing to just have a one off or a bad night at a restaurant/bar, but this was just unsafe, unacceptable, & bad for business as a consumer. Unfortunately this will not be a business I will tell others in the industry or in my community to visit. Although my friends see it as a funny story, I'd prefer to stay alive & know what im eating & or drinking at all times.
In town for 3 nights. Bootlegger was a choice for night #3 as we were on the hunt for an establishment with live music, some cocktails & food after shopping both Down town & more curated vintage shops on Saint Laurent. My expectations of Bootlegger after reading some reviews online & reading their bio was that I was going to have some great cocktails, Oysters & some snack type food. Everything on that realm was great, Service was great. The only short fall from our opinion for what's it worth. Is the interior finishings was budget, I was anticipating a much more lavish swanky interior with more premium finishings & materials used. Not the 5/8's stained plywood found on a house under construction on most carpentry & fence deck board partition wall. The finishings seem to be consistent through out. If you are planning to empress with some swank while on a date or business function I would consider somewhere else. Booze selection was expanse + fantastic & cocktail presentation was decent but, you can find a better elevated product at other establishments. Montreal brings tough competition in the culinary world of things with lots of options.
Excellent service & the oysters were such a great deal & very yummy! Drinks are exquisite & the staff truly goes above & beyond! Make your reservation in advance & thank yourself later.
We were visiting Montreal for the first time & my wife discovered Bootleggers through her online prowess. Being a bourbon lover I was all in. This place does not disappoint! The selection is beyond amazing. Possibly one of the best I have ever experienced & the craft cocktails are outstanding to boot The staff could not have been more welcoming (Tony was a star - I explained what I liked in bourbon & scotch & he conjured up a custom flight that was spot on), the food was great (hard to beat $1CN oysters) in addition we ordered the cheese plate & the salmon tartare. The vibe is straight up awesome. Not too loud but quite lively. The host (I can't recall I his name but he is from France) was a really nice guy as well. We went back the next night for a quick round before continuing our exploration of Montreal. DO NOT SKIP BOOTLEGGERS IF YOU ARE A WHISKY LOVER OR A FAN OF THE SPEAKEASY VIBE'
Our server, Tony was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Loved the ambience of live jazz music & fresh oysters from PEI for just a dollor/oyster! 10/10 would recommend! :)
I'm so happy I chose to go here. Felix really helped out with convincing me to try oysters for the first time. Also he suggested the perfect absinthe. Love it & will come again
