New City Gas stands out in Montreal nightlife with electric energy, impressive production, and top tier sound and lighting that set an instantly exciting mood. The venue draws big crowds, especially for sold-out shows, which can make dancing difficult and lead to long lines at coat check and at the bars. Drinks are on the expensive side, but VIP access is often worth it for easier entry and more space. Overall this venue is praised for its atmosphere, the quality of DJs, and the memorable experience, though crowd management and some service inconsistencies are repeatedly noted as areas for improvement.
Went to see Infected Mushroom with VIP tickets. No wait to get in, no wait for coat check entering & leaving the place. We asked a couple of questions to the staff not knowing where to go & everyone was very cordial with us. VIP area (2nd floor) was not crowded at all so it was extremely enjoyable. Show was insane! Only thing i would have appreciated is more flexibility on beer choices.
Habitué du New City Gas & du Bazart, je suis très déçu de mon expérience hier soir.
À notre arrivée au bar, le serveur en poste (un homme chauve noir en surpoids, avec une chin beard autour des 50 ans) nous a très mal accueillis lors de la prise de commande. L'attitude était froide, désagréable & clairement irrespectueuse, avec un ton inapproprié.
Nous sommes ensuite revenus plus tard vers 2h du matin & avons attendu plus de 5 minutes pour recommander. Malgré le fait que le bar n'était pas occupé, nous avons été volontairement ignorés. Le serveur semblait davantage occupé à socialiser avec un groupe de clients (visiblement ses amis) & à prendre des shots avec eux qu'à servir les autres clients.
Cette différence de traitement était très visible & donne une impression de manque total de respect & de professionalisme envers la clientèle.
Enfin, il a appliqué un pourboire de 18% automatiquement sans notre conscetement, ce qui est inacceptable selon moi ! Le pourboire devant rester lié à la qualité du service.
Pour un établissement de ce niveau & avec ces prix, ce type de service est inacceptable. Très mauvaise expérience au bar :(
Different strokes for different folks, but this place really attracts a certain type of crowd, & not in a good way. It's a too bad, because they consistently book great talent.
The sad part: so much of the venue is sectioned off for bottle service that it's actually hard to move around freely. It creates this sterile, elitist atmosphere that feels more about status than music, & honestly, it's off-putting.
Also, I paid for the vip ticket, but there wasn't any benefit to that purchase. Still a lot of restrictions to access.
We came all the way from Toronto to see our favorite DJ dou The Martinez Brothers, we pay extra for V.I.P. tickets to see them from close & more intimate area, but it was a completely FAIL! Who in the freaking world put the V.I.P. area all the way back far opposite to the stage? & on top of that the area didn't have anything of V.I.P. when can easily fit over 300 people. Someone really doesn't know what V.I.P. stands for. So I would like to have back the difference between the floor tickets & V.I.P., because it was a complete scam since the V.I.P. area didn't make any sense & was 10 times better to watch the show from the floor area.
Okay venue, but one staff member is a major liability.
I genuinely enjoyed the atmosphere of this venue & found most of the staff to be excellent, but my experience was completely derailed by a single bartender. The blonde woman in the questionable medium grey top displayed some of the most erratic & unprofessional behavior I've ever encountered in the service industry, coming from someone regularly went out in Toronto.
After struggling with a simple transaction & managing to overcharge me after multiple corrections, she appeared to have a total lapse in composure (like straight manic energy). When I questioned the price, she became visibly hostile & had the audacity to ask if I was'from here.' As a person of colour born in Canada, I find it embarrassing that this brand of bias still exists in 2026-especially from someone representing a'high-profile' venue, but then again we're talking about Montreal here, the bar was low to start....
To end the interaction, she actually shoved my drinks across the bar counter in a fit of frustration (like an actual child throwing a temper tantrum). It was a bizarre, super uncomfortable & unstable display of customer service. I was more than happy to tip her colleagues, who were professional & possessed actual social skills, but this individual is an absolute embarrassment to your brand.
I will not be returning to this venue, I will happily go out of my way to let anyone know to avoid this place, or anywhere that poor excuse of a'bartender'. I would honestly rather pay double the price anywhere else than subject myself to that level of disrespect again. If you're visiting from Toronto or elsewhere, save yourself the headache & go somewhere that values its patrons.
To the crazy blonde bartender, learn how to do your job & maybe you'll get a tip, it's not It's rocket science, LOL. I've never met someone with such a poor temper. Instead of telling your colleagues to not serve me (entirety due to your non-existent bartending & social skills), ask her why she got tipped instead of you. You have the emotional & social intelligence of a child, like genuinely.
I could care less for a canned/copy & paste response from this place, just deal with that pest of a bartender, maybe teach her basic counting (1 to 10) & sign up for anger management?? Don't overwhelm her too much of shell throw another childish temper tantrum.
To break it down in simple & basic words to the airhead bartender:
Charging wrong price + child like behaviour = no tip
Tldr; don't go here unless you want to deal with entitled people who expect participation trophies after failing to do the BASIC duties of their own job.
I love this venue so much. I haven't been in a while but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed being back. The vibe was amazing & the whole place just had great energy made me feel young again lol. Honestly, the staff were the highlight of the night. Danica served us all night & she was quick, friendly, & super attentive. She always made sure we had what we needed without having to ask. She really made my night. Definitely looking forward to coming back soon.
If you want to be treated terribly & spend a fortune on drinks, this is your place. Ordered two vodka cranberry drinks, total came to $44. The bartender girl handed me the machine & I selected 5% tip (it took her 10 seconds to make these…let's not normalize insane tips for someone just doing their job). She ripped the machine out of my hands, took the drinks off the counter, & said I MUST tip 18% & she will not give me my drinks if I don't tip 18%. I said tipping is voluntary isn't it? She said'no, if you don't tip 18% I need to pay for your drinks. If you aren't going to tip 18% I cannot give you these drinks'. Insanity.
To top it off, if you don't speak French, they'll overcharge you for everything & pretend it's the norm, including coat check!
Save your dignity & avoid this place.
Webt for a concert last weekend. The speakers were extremely poorly calibrated; the music was just loud. 95db average, & all the highs & mids were washed out & crushed. Will never return to this venue for concerts. The only good thing was that it was clean, well organized & large bathrooms.
Apr 8, 2026
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Worst venue ever, literally barred us from leaving then shoved a girl who was having a panic attack because she needed air, you're lucky the greasy cockroach scuttled off otherwise I can garuntee you would have had one less staff by the end of the night once that crowd got ahold of him
Nice place for the events, but a bad experience with the staff & security, bad behaviour & vibe. They can't answer you the questions kindly. My first time & the last
Went there yesterday & it was overly packed. The bouncers were nice & were doing their job properly. My issue was with the bartenders upstairs. Half of them barely pay attention to you & spend their time talking to each other while everyone is standing there waiting & watching them like it's a show.
My boyfriend & I waited a good five minutes for someone to serve us, while the bartender was just playing around & literally doing nothing. We then switched to another bartender, who added the tip herself without even giving us the option. Mind you, I always tip at least 18% at the bar, but having them add the tip themselves made me want to leave 0%. That is crazy.
When I asked her to give me the receipt from the machine, she then proceeded to hand me the wrong receipt so I would not see the tip she added. Overall, the experience was nice, but the bartenders were just awful & really made the night disappointing. We ended up spending a good $80 on shots for poor service & a horrible attitude. This place needs to review its staff.
Vraiment déçue. Nous sommes allés à un événement ce soir. Ça a pris plus d'une heure entre notre arrivée & le coat Check. En plus de ça, mis appart les serveurs, tous les autres employés sont rudes. On a consommé toute la nuit & une fois qu'on a pris nos manteaux on nous met à la porte. On voulait juste attendre notre uber à l'intérieur, au chaud, & un agent de sécurité passif-agressif nous force à sorti
I went there for the New Year's Eve event, & they clearly oversold it. The place was extremely crowded - I couldn't move or even dance. People were constantly squeezing past us. I eventually started feeling claustrophobic, had a panic attack, & had to leave.
When we went to get our coats, the crowd was so intense that I couldn't even reach the coat check or breathe properly. We decided to come back the next day to pick them up.
However, when we returned, the place was closed for the next two weeks. Their opening hours here were not updated, so we went there twice only to realize they were closed.
After two weeks, I finally went back with our coat check tickets & initials. They were only able to find one of our coats. They told me they would call me about the other one - but no one ever did. I called multiple times & sent emails, & no one responded. No one even apologized for losing my coat.
What is the point of paying for coat check if they're going to lose it? How was my coat given to someone else if they didn't have the ticket for it?
