If you're the kind of person who likes playing pool, great drinks and great food for cheap Mad Hatters is where you should go. It’s located at the center of Crescent Street, but curtained off from St. Catherine. Even though the décor is rustic, the vibe here is still relaxed (at least until the late hours, when a DJ often appears and things become more clubby).
Mad Hatter Pub is described as a lively dive bar with pool, ample seating, and cheap drinks that attract a big weekend crowd and a city vibe. The vibe is often praised as fun and authentic with friendly staff and good service when things run smoothly. Some reviews warn of long waits to be served, crowded nights, and inconsistent or unprofessional service, and a few patrons mention feeling unsafe or uncomfortable due to other guests. Cleanliness issues are noted, including a persistent odor and sticky surfaces in the bathrooms, and at times there is no food offered or heating in cold weather. Overall it remains a popular spot for drinks and games, though guests advise caution about crowding, cleanliness, and safety.
Great spot, ask for raven! So many specials , very busy bar on weekends, they've got pool & a couple other games which are nice, people aren't competitive & just wanna have a good time!
Jan 27, 2026
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Excellent service, bar tender was chill. Drinks are reasonable priced with large variety. Has 3 pool tables, & lots of seating. No food served. No heating even in January, so had to stay in a hat. Cool spot though
This bar is AMAZING! We went in for a few drinks. Ended up meeting the owner who was bartending, talking about the bar life. Met some young kids who ended up adopting us. Thanks for the great time Mad Hatter!!!
Disappointed & disrespected
I came here expecting a good night out, but instead got served a pitcher that tasted like plain water. I went to the barman to mention it, thinking maybe there was a mistake, but he literally laughed at me & acted like I was crazy. Super unprofessional & disrespectful. Whether the drink was watered down or just made wrong, the attitude was the worst part. I usually have no problem when I go to mad hatter but this time , it was so crowded & how the barman replied to me was so unprofessional & mean. Also the bar smelled like puke & piss, & everything was sticky - the floor, the tables, even the chairs. It honestly felt dirty & unhygienic. Between the gross environment & the rude service, I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. Definitely not worth your time or money.
Wasn't bad but wasn't the cleanest place either. Came & left after 15 minutes as there was a strange smell & overall just didn't look like a place I'd want to eat. The service was great & I'm sure a lot of people would enjoy coming for some pool & a drink! Just an average bar overall in my opinion
Mad Hatter's is still one of the best dive bar in town, if you are looking to feel the vibe of the city get a few drinks, shooters & speak with the locals, this is one of the perfect place & it has been for more than 30 years (even though it move quite a few times, it remained its authenticity & charm).
I would think twice if you want to bring a first date here, but I would personally do it, I just love dive bars.
(Staff is always super friendly)
Sep 30, 2025
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went there on a bar crawl on Tuesday 22nd March in 2005. I remember meeting a really tall 6ft 4 inch tall handsome french man who had really dark hair who was staying at Auberge Montreal Hostel at the time where I was also staying & he was on the bar crawl. I regret not getting to know him because I really liked him at the time & I can't stop thinking about him. If you know anyone who was there on the pub crawl that night, please let me know. Apart from that, I really like the pub, the atmosphere, the food & the drinks. It's a really good, fun place to go to
Perfect dive bar. Popping with people. Great crowd with soooooo many beautiful women. This spot was the ideal after dinner night spot to visit. The bartender was really cool & was on the spot every time.
The one con is the bathroom. It is pretty gross. But hey, it is a dive bar.
Just an awesome bar all around from great atmosphere to great dinks & people there always something fun going on at hatters the owner is a great stand up guy that's always there when you need him the bouncers & staff are awesome & super friendly as well
Jul 25, 2025
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the bartender was really nice & courteous but there was this awful smell in the place, my friends ran away as soon as we sat down but I stayed for two shots. I'm sure it was just a mishap & it don't usually smells bad. will probably come back for a drink & a pool game.
Typical dive bar, has 3 pool tables & ping pong, & a variety of beer on tap. The real turn off is the persistent smell, which I see has been mentioned in other reviews. Place needs a deep clean!
Mar 4, 2025
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I've been frequenting this bar for the last three years, & it has definitely lost most of its vibe & atmosphere. The bathrooms are often times broken or dirty (smells of vomit even during early opening hours 6-7pm) The floor in the pub is sticky & smelly
Nous cherchions un bar où jouer au billard, & nous avons trouvé l'endroit parfait. Les parties sont presque données pour Montréal : seulement 2 dollars ! Même chose pour le ping-pong : pour 5 dollars, vous pouvez louer des raquettes & jouer toute la soirée. Les boissons, alcoolisées ou non, restent très abordables. L'ambiance est conviviale, avec un éclairage tamisé & des banquettes moelleuses, parfaites pour se remettre de l'intensité des matchs. Je recommande chaudement ce bar, on y a passé une bonne soirée !
Okay so we've been to this bar a lot. A while ago they used to have food, we haven't been able to acquire food at this bar for a while now, which is so unfortunate because the food is CRAZYYY good. The service is typically quite good too! Waiters lovely, but once again we have not had a waiter for a while (they're honestly probably understaffed). We went on a Friday night. The 1L drinks are our favorite drinks to get (I personally love the 1L raspberry lemonade, the peach Julep too goes crazzzyy). The bar is unfortunately typically sticky & the bathrooms in rarely good condition BUT LOOK everything works, the people are nice & it's a great place to go with friends for drinks & food.
Decent set up with the pool tables & reasonable drink prices. Has potential to be a really good bar but some of the staff appear to treat the place as a hangout with friends as opposed to work & the standard of service can suffer as a result. The cubicle in the male bathroom is used for storage so is inaccessible, which is quite odd to say the least.
