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- Hours:
Mon 11 am - 10:30 pm
Tue-Wed 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
Thu 11:30 am - 11 pm
Fri 11:30 am - 12 am
Sat 10 am - 12 am
Sun 10 am - 10:30 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Thu
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
17 reviews for Le Saloon Bistro Bar
16 reviews in English
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Review from Mike S.
Great place! There's a fun hip vibe around the room.
The service was attentive and friendly. The pitcher of sangria was really tasty. The menu offers something for everyone. I wanted to try a few things and settled for the club sandwich.
If I have to complain it will be about the genius cook who decided it was ok to use stale rye bread to hold a giant sandwich together. Within a minute my first piece disintegrated in my hand. The bottom fell right out and I was left with a handful of chicken, tomato, bacon, and mayo in my hand. Bread all over my pants. The waiter was nice enough to have the remainder rebuilt with a hamburger bread.
Despite this I gave it 4 stars and will certainly go back. -
Review from Carolina M.
Montréal, QC
5/5/2012
Only had dinner once here and i friggin' died over the Iceberg Salad with blue cheese. It's seriously so good. Once of the best salads i've ever had.
Ambiance is cool, loud house music, amazing sangrias. In the summer there's an outdoor patio where i've had drinks before. Fun spot. -
Review from Elleni T.
4/8/2012 2 Check-ins Here
I had brunch here with 2 friends. The service was very fast and friendly. I greatly appreciated my coffee always being filled.
I had the Western Saloon omelet. It was huge! The ingredients were fresh and they definitely were very liberal with them! The potatoes were very good as well as the jam that accompanies the toast. My one suggestion would be the freshen up the fruits. They seemed as if they had been sitting out all morning. Other than that, I was very pleased! -
Review from K N.
5/23/2012
THEY DO NOT LIKE TOURISTS HERE, APPARENTLY.
The food here was good. The drink(!) we each had was good. But we will never go here again.
I came here with 5 friends for brunch while on vacation from the states last Sunday, it was highly recommended by a local friend with excellent taste. We were seated at a table upstairs with no other patrons (we did not think this was odd, given the size of our group, but the place was not that busy).
We each ordered a drink (2 bloody marys, 3 mimosas) and received them about a half hour later. We gave our food orders at this point - it took awhile as they said they had no English menus and did not offer help, so we spent much time googling French/English translations. This is likely what set the waiter off (sorry to exist, you xenophobe...). An hour and a half later, we got our food, spare our second drink orders, and my order was wrong (I am a vegetarian and asked for my meal without ham, no problem he said in perfect english...). 20 minutes later while my friends eat, they come back and I tell him the issue, but by now it's been too long to wait for another order so I just order toast. He brings the toast with the bills, but brings no knife to spread the jam. We tensely paid the bills with him there, and left the majority of our meals behind. We could not wait to get out.
I ALWAYS tip 20 percent or higher, and this was the first time I did not tip at all. None of us did, and we are all normally heavy tippers. Absolutely infuriating.
Maybe it's great for the locals, but this was total bulls**t. We never did get our second order of drinks, and it wasted over 2 hours of our time. Ridiculous. There is some irony in a western-themed place that is anti-US/English, isn't there? -
Review from Matthew P.
Montréal, QC
3/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
Don't Be Fooled By The Name, This Is Not A Saloon
If you are looking for player pianos, poker games and a good ole' fashioned time, this is not the place...though you may find some chaps and a spittoon in the bathroom(oh, common;).
My girlfriend and I were invited to The Saloon for her cousins birthday. We arrived late and they had already been seated so we had the pleasure of shuffling through the crowded maze that is the 'dining area', up a flight of stairs then another split level to the worst seats in the house. A table at the top of the restaurant, practically in the bathroom and up against a mirror...I might be a tad narcissistic but that is just ridiculous.
The Menu:
I don't like where things are going in the burger world and The Saloon are some of the food assassins that are ruining a good honest burger(Buns, What What). Don't get me wrong, a drizzle of black truffle oil or a slice of Jarlsberg is nice every now and again but where does it stop. And if you are going to go to that extent, have it make sense. What the fuck is arugula pesto mayo??? Someone call the redundancy department of redundancy.
The Food:
I did the Table d'hote which was pretty dang good and simple because I did not want to have to deal with reading all my possible burger toppings. My waitress told me it consisted of a risotto, tilapia and veg and a blackberry confit thingy for $19...not a bad deal. My first course arrived...and for a minute I though that they had my order wrong but no, my waitress omitted the fact that the 'risotto' is actually clumps of mushy rice balls that are breaded and fried. Saloon, calling that a risotto would make every Venetian cook, who has devoted their lives to making smooth creamy risottos, throw up all over themselves in disgust. Not that they tasted bad but risotto, it is not... I advise you update the menu...'Fried Rice Balls'
My fish and veg were cook to absolute perfection but the menu promised fleur de sel on my fish and I did not have a speck of the beautiful stuff anywhere, for shame.
The dessert was pretty good.
To summarize, thanks but no thanks. I don't understand why people enjoy eating with terrible music blaring in the background and screaming at their table mates but hey, to each their own.If you do like this place, I recommend Globe.
Waka Waka -
Review from John Paul T.
Montréal, QC
2/20/2012
I must admit I LOVE LOVE LOVE Saloon. Ok, I might be a very gay man with a very gay boyfriend but I just LOVE Saloon Bistro! Nestled in between Priape (gay man's superstore), UNITY (gay hotspot), and other cute little restaurants (most of which are independent non-chainy operations) Saloon caters to the gay men and lesbians of Montreal, and their fabulous friends. This is probably the 'gayest' restaurant in Montreal--although the Village Diner down the street gives it a run for its money. The decor is really on point and trendy, perfect for a design conscious gay man like myself (ha!). The food is also scrumptious, best described as 'Canadian comfort food,' with a healthy selection of unique burger creations and other filling options like pasta with a Montreal twist. My boyfriend had the Chicken tempura burger which was so delicious! The chicken breast itself was actually tempura-ed! How fun! I had the 'mec' burger--for all you non-francophones mec means like 'dude' or 'guy' in French--so I felt a little manly eating this burger... only a little, lets not get carried away... as it had a nice big helping of 1/4 pound of beef topped with caramelized onions, lettuce, cheese, and 'secret sauce' which I think was a mix between spicy mayo and 1000 Islands salad dressing. Nonetheless it was really tasty. Like most places in Montreal the fries were great. I love Montreal fries, they're all 'frites'-style which I love.
I mean the real reason people go here is not for the food--even though it is good--but rather because its surrounded by other fab gay guys. I saw perhaps one of the hunkiest guys I've seen in a long time sitting next to me (and my boyfriend, woops! shouldn't be looking ;)). And its clear that many people come here for the people-watching and eye-candy. But it is definitely not a pick-up joint if thats what you're thinking. There is no 'tunnel' downstairs or 'black room' in back, keep it clean people. Le Parking is down the street for that sort of thing! But there is nothing better than a 'gay' restaurant that gets it right. Too often all these gay restaurants just hope the patrons will flock to it because its in the Village. But as other restaurants in Toronto's 'Church and Wellesley' neighbourhood has shown, just because your gay doesn't mean your fabulous. Good job to Saloon who have been able to make it work for nearly a decade.
American gays: come here to experience Montreal's gay scene. Straights: fear not we do not bite ... hard. -
Review from Jihye S.
Montréal, QC
10/23/2011
Had a great Sunday brunch as a heterosexual couple, at the bar. The bar server was such an eye candy, and also very efficient waiter.
Breakfast hamburger has a very pretty presentation.
Nice atmosphere -
Review from Erik M.
11/21/2011
Cool restaurant in the heart of "The Village". I had a great experience, and would recommend it to adults. You can have great fun especially during the summer.
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Review from Sara G.
2/19/2011 1 photo
We went to brunch at this restaurant, nestled in the "Village" distinct of Montreal. I'd read up a little on this district so you aren't too surprised by passing some store fronts featuring S&M activities. Tip: the restaurant is just called "Saloon" on the door, but written in letters and numbers, so we walked by it a few times before we actually decided it was where we intended to dine.
I was impressed with the service (very speedy and very nice) and the decor. who doesn't want to have breakfast with a disco ball and a cowboy theme?
My dining companion and I both had versions of Eggs Benedict. the Italian version was tasty and served with crispy potatoes (potentially deep fried) and berries. the other version that we ordered was salmon and caper Benedict, also tasty.
The only thing I would suggest is perhaps removing some of the tables, maybe every other table. It was a little snug and as the table next to us got up to leave i swear the guy's little tush was inches from the rest of my breakfast. -
Review from Christopher M.
1/5/2009
I hate to pigeon-hole an establishment by saying they cater to a certain demographic. But Le Saloon Bistro Bar is without a doubt, gay. How gay, you ask? My first visit to Saloon, I was the only heterosexual male in the entire (full) restaurant. My friend was the only girl. We sat down, and the guy sitting next to us leaned over and asked, "Did you kids get lost?"
That being sad, Le Saloon is hands down my favorite brunch in Montreal. It's lively, friendly, trendy and chic. The food is French influenced cuisine with American sized portions.
The menu is impressive. A page of exotic juices and smoothies. Crepes and salads. An entire page dedicated to Eggs Benedict. And of course, the typical eggs and omelets.
I'd highly recommend the Parisian Eggs Benedict, but be sure to order the hollandaise sauce on the side - it can be a bit overwhelming.
The fresh fruit can be hit or miss. Sometimes the grapes and melon look a little old. But another time I found my plate garnished with exotic Golden Berries (from Marche Atwater) - awesome!
And the potatoes are hands down the best I've ever had.
I'd highly recommend Le Saloon - you'll definitely find me back! -
Review from Joseph W.
3/8/2009 1 photo
I went at night around 11pm on a Saturday, and it was by far one of the best bars I've ever been in. You simply cannot find something similar in NY. It was trendy, upbeat, chic, with an attractive crowd of people and affable waiters, all without being pretentious in the least.
My friends and I ordered exotic mixed drinks made with fresh fruits; they were moderately priced but got to the table quickly, even with it being completely packed.
The decor was artistic, chic, and modern. There was a live DJ in the back spinning some really great music, while a projector splashed avant-garde film clips across one of the walls, somehow meshing with the synthe-y music quite nicely. After we paid our bill, I chatted with the DJ to get the name of a song he played as well as some tips for good nightlife. Try finding that in New York. -
Review from Denver R.
9/9/2011
This was our first bar to visit during our stay in Montreal. The place looks small from the outside, but once inside, you see they have a bar in the back area and a second floor for dining.
We stopped in for a few drinks prior to exploring Rue St. Catherine. The bartender, Kevin, was excellent. The entire staff was very friendly. Hey, its Canada. We ordered a side of Poutine (French Fries, Gravy and Cheese - a Canadian favorite). The serving was huge for a side order and they were very good - 1 side order is enough for 2 people.
The experience at the Saloon for a late afternoon drink and a bite to eat was very good. People were actively talking amongst themselves and the atmosphere was lively. The bartender was talkative and eager to help with suggestions of what to see and do while we were in town.
The cocktails are poured with a measured pouring device, as it was at every bar we visited on Rue Catherine. So, the drinks were kind of weak to my liking, but I guess I could have order doubles. The Sangria was very tasty. Most patrons were drinking beers and wines. Every employee we encountered spoke French and English.
The service, food and atmosphere here was great, and that is what makes us go back to bars again and again. We will be back for sure on our next visit to Canada. -
Review from Eric M.
12/10/2010
The food was excellent, the drinks were strong, the waiters were all gay and gorgeous. My friend and I stumbled upon this place our first night in Montreal and our waiter was extremely friendly and suggested all the places to go. It was a great start to one of the best vacations I've been on. Every time I am back in Montreal I am sure to come here to eat.
It's really nice in the warm months too when outdoor seating is available. -
Review from Gabrielle J.
10/6/2009
Great place for 3 girls to get their night started on the right foot- techno beats, great drinks, and lots of cute boys to look but not touch. Why not touch? because most of them appead to not swing our way. (Catch my drift)
Extensive menu of yummy food and drinks and quick friendly service.
LOVE!Listed in: MONTREAL
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Review from Matt B.
Victoria, BC
6/5/2010
We were seated on the patio at Saloon, which gave us an opportunity to watch the diverse sidewalk traffic of Montreal's gay neighbourhood. The food was good. Jason and I shared calamari and shrimp appys. He had steak et frites for dinner and I had penne putanesca.
The serving staff were charming and attentive. -
Review from chris r.
Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, QC
10/24/2008
things i hate about brunch in nyc: long waits. loud crowds. slow service. depending where you go, it can be sceney when it's way too early for that garbage (yes, even 2:00pm is too early) the worst part for me overall is that it's almost like a competition where all of the competitors are hung over.
what i love about brunch in montreal: it exists in almost some kind of parallel universe where: there are short or no waits (even for the great spots, like this one). people talk but aren't all raising their voices to be heard over the next table. the service (well, that's still a little bit on the slow side.) not sceney in the least.
now, let's get on to more important matters: eggs benedict
le saloon has a page on their brunch menu DEVOTED ENTIRELY TO EGGS BENEDICT! if your ears just pricked up, then maybe you're an eggs benedict freak (like me!) there were about 15 different kinds to order from. fifteen different kinds of eggs benedict! i picked the one that sounded like it just wouldn't work because sometimes gambling with your food pays off.
i had the one named after the restaurant and it contained green onions, cream cheese, walnuts, goat cheese and fried mushrooms on a house made english muffin. sometimes gambling with your food REALLY pays off. this easily would be in my top three eggs benedict experiences (yes, i've thought about this..)
the fruit that they put on your plate isn't ripe (except for the grapes.) was this for decoration? who cares, i'm eating eggs benedict. the little squares of hash browns were better but who cares? i have EGGS BENEDICT!!
at night this is a bar / lounge / nightclub. i didn't check it out but heard from a local the cocktails are good. whatever, just keep feeding me breakfast.
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