You don't have to walk far in Montreal to end up at a great bar — but if you're lucky, you might just stumble into one of the best in the country.
Canada's 100 Best released its 2026 ranking of the top 50 bars in the country this week, and a hidden cocktail lounge on Rue de la Montagne took the #1 spot. Cloakroom, tucked behind Maison Cloakroom (a menswear shop in a century-old building in the Golden Square Mile) beat out bars from Toronto, Vancouver, and everywhere in between to claim the title.
If you've never been, the setup is worth knowing about. For starters, the 25-seat speakeasy has no menu. There's also a secret door that might confuse first-time visitors.
As for the drinks, co-owner and mixologist Andrew Whibley has spent years training his staff to feel out what a guest actually wants and build something around it. The bar keeps a deep inventory of house-made amari, liqueurs and tinctures produced through low-temperature distillation, plus a decade's worth of assembled vintage spirits.
Basically, you describe a mood or a flavour direction, and they take it from there.
This is the seventh edition of Canada's 100 Best bars ranking. Judges are drawn from a cross-Canada panel, each required to rank their five best in-person bar experiences over the prior 16 months, with at least one pick outside their home province. Anyone with a personal or financial stake in a bar can't vote for it.
Cloakroom wasn't the only Montreal bar that had a good week. Seven other local spots made the list, including Atwater Cocktail Club at #7. Both bars also ranked among North America's 50 best just last spring on the 2025 edition of the World's 50 Best list.
Meanwhile, Bar Numéro, the cocktail-forward spot on Saint-Laurent that opened less than a year ago, came in at #17. Bisou Bisou, the aperitivo bar in Old Montreal with one of the deepest fortified wine selections in eastern Canada, placed at #24. Bar Bello (#30), The Coldroom (#32), Bar Dominion (#37), and Le Majestique (#40) rounded out the city's presence on the list.
- Cloakroom — #1
- Atwater Cocktail Club — #7
- Bar Numéro — #17
- Bisou Bisou — #24
- Bar Bello — #30
- The Coldroom — #32
- Bar Dominion — #37
- Le Majestique — #40
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