Bootlegger Cocktail Bar & Cuisine is described as a cozy, vintage speakeasy with warm lighting, tasteful decor, and live jazz that makes for a standout atmosphere; reviews praise creative, well balanced cocktails made with fresh ingredients, a strong whiskey selection, and an oyster focus that many find excellent, especially during happy hour; food earns praise for some dishes and vegetarian options, while a few entries note variability in quality and portion size and occasional kitchen misfires; the staff are repeatedly cited as friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable, with many guests appreciating personalized recommendations, though some experiences mention slow or uneven service and wait times or noise that can be a drawback for a quiet date; overall the venue is seen as a special spot for drinks, oysters, and live music, offering a memorable vibe and top tier cocktails that keep guests returning, while noting that prices can be high and consistency sometimes wavers.
After a full day of sightseeing, this spot was the perfect place to relax & recharge. The atmosphere was vibrant yet cozy, with live music adding a wonderful energy to the evening. Our server was attentive & knowledgeable, offering great recommendations-including a whiskey we truly enjoyed. The ambiance was charming, with Victorian-style picture frames adorning the walls & seating thoughtfully arranged for intimate conversations. Highly recommend for anyone looking to unwind in style & comfort.
Oct 9, 2025
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« Super belle découverte ! L'ambiance est chaleureuse, intime & parfaite pour passer une bonne soirée. Les cocktails sont originaux & vraiment bien travaillés, on sent la passion derrière chaque création. Le service est attentionné & sympathique, on se sent vite à l'aise. Je recommande ce bar sans hésiter à tous ceux qui veulent vivre une belle expérience à Montréal!
Wonderful experience, live jazz sessions on sundays, food was great. They have a variety of items to choose from for all of your cravings. Service was quick & efficient, the experience with the cocktails is a must! I would recommend this place 100%!
I visited Bootlegger tonight & overall had a great time with the food, drinks, & especially the service.
The Bootlegger burger was absolutely amazing-juicy, flavorful, & something I'd definitely order again. The pulled pork burger stood out as well, tender & satisfying. The side salad with sun-dried tomatoes was a refreshing touch & paired nicely with the mains. On the other side, the wagyu burger was a bit disappointing; it came out quite dry & there was no option to have it cooked more rare since that's left to the chef. Also, some condiments would've made it better & flavourful.
For sides, the potato wedges were tasty but a little plain. They really could've used more sauce what came with them was barely a spoonful, not enough to go around.
On the drinks side, I really enjoyed the Donkey King. The banana-vanilla flavor profile worked for me, though I can see why some people (like my friends) would find it unusual for a cocktail. The Agent Orange was good-nothing particularly special, but solid.
The service was fantastic. Our servers were professional, attentive, & funny, which made the whole experience more enjoyable.
The only other drawback was the table setup. The tables themselves are really small, & the plates are fairly large, so we ended up shifting things around constantly to make everything fit. If we had been a group of four instead of three, I don't think it would've worked at all-I'd recommend smaller plates to help with space.
All in all, Bootlegger has some good burgers, creative cocktails, & top-notch service that make it worth a visit, but a few tweaks (especially to the wagyu burger, sauce portions, & tableware) would really take the experience up a notch.
Sep 21, 2025
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Bootlegger was a very cool spot to grab cocktails! The cocktails are very unique, but they are able to make you something different if you don't see something that you like. I would strongly recommend making reservations as we didn't know we had to do that & got very lucky with being sat after about a 20 minute wait.
Went there for a special occasion & they did not disappoint. Great food, amazing cocktails, cozy atmosphere & friendly staff. The food was delicious with vegan choices which made all our guests have a good time. Highly recommended
I was that person at the bar asking a million questions about the drinks, & Felix answered every single one with patience & a smile. The service was top-notch, & the food & drinks were absolutely amazing. Highly recommend this place - I'll definitely be back!
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! :)
Jun 29, 2025
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Bootlegger Cocktail bar was highly recommended to my partner & I by our good friends who often visit Montreal. The decor is very cool, a total throwback to the prohibition era. The menu is vast, which can be intimidating but our server, Tyler, who was extremely attentive, friendly & knowledgeable, saved the day. Tyler made several excellent recommendations for tasty cocktails & we both loved our drinks. The food menu offers quite a variety. The East Coast oysters were delicious & the'piece de resistance' was the fabulous Vegge share platter. The tomato tapenade was mouthwateringly good! Bootlegger is a great destination for a great date night!
Great bar with an amazing selection of whiskey! Vincent, the bartender, was very knowledgeable & friendly. He recommended the Talisker whiskey flight, & it was very good. I think I've found a new favorite! The Shelby Lte was also very good. We really enjoyed our after dinner drinks here. Everyone was very friendly!
May 31, 2025
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Tony our server was absolutely splendid accomodating , the oysters are super fresh & exactly what we love . Host is wonderful, the place is fantastic overall highly recommend
My boyfriend & I had the most incredible time visiting Bootlegger this past Sunday. We didn't have a reservation but the host was accommodating in finding a table for us. They had live jazz going on which set a truly lively & fun atmosphere. The decorations & lighting were truly tasteful. My boyfriend & I were both impressed by our drinks which were very thoughtfully made! A lot of places don't put much care into their non-alcoholic cocktails but I felt that Bootlegger was a real exception. & to top it off, our server Tyler was so accommodating & wonderful.
We'd highly recommend Bootlegger for an amazing time with amazing drinks! We didn't get to try much of the food this time, but given how much thought they've put into every aspect of this bar, I imagine that'd be spectacular as well.
We ended up at The Bootlegger as the bar we were going to had a 45 min waiting list. We arrived there, the design was really nice & intimate. However, it was abnormally hot considering it was only spring. The drinks were alright but I could live without the constant & perpetual up-selling of our server Tony. When I asked which whiskey cocktail he would recommend, he snobbed us & said'I don't come here for cocktails that have egg whites & all that stuff. I hate cocktails'. Considering this place is called Bootlegger Cocktails Bar & Cuisine, that comment is absolutely unacceptable & misplaced. Cocktails were decent, however I would much rather have waited the 45 minutes at Le Mal Nécessaire. Shout out to Tony who asked us to leave to leave a great review, well here it is.
Espace incroyable, l'ambience jazz avec les lumières tamisée était très chaleureuse le staff était très aimable. la nourriture & les cocktails était délicieux je recommande d'essayer le blood & sand
