The city’s top spots to watch the game
With the World Cup kicking off Thursday, there is but one question on Montrealers’ lips. Well, two, actually.
The first is how does a city like Montreal get excited about the world’s biggest soccer tournament when Italy isn’t even competing? Not to mention no Holland.
But let’s face it. Of course we are still going to get into this World Cup. So the more practical question is this: Where is the best place to watch the World Cup games?
Here’s my Top 10:
1
Café Club Social
180 St-Viateur St. W. 514-495-0114 This is an Italian café, but you can be assured it will still be hopping for the World Cup even without the Azzurri in the hunt, and it remains one of the best places in town to watch soccer or hockey. They already have a message on their answering machine saying there will be absolutely no reservations.
2
Café Olimpico
124 St-Viateur St. W. 514-495-0746 Another Italian coffee spot on the hippest street in Mile End, it is more hipster than Club Social, so the perfect place to watch the game if you also get a kick out of being in the holy ground where Arcade Fire hung out in the early days.
3
Burgundy Lion
2496 Notre-Dame St. W. 514-934-0888 Burgundy co-owner Paul Desbaillets isn’t shy about calling his StHenri establishment the official headquarters for England fans in town, and when it’s mentioned that England usually crashes and burns, he says “maybe this young team won’t fall apart.”
4
Pub Bishop & Bagg
52 St-Viateur St. W. 514-277-4400 This sister pub to the Lion also has an England focus, but they tone it down there because it’s in the heart of Mile End, a place bursting at the seams with Italian, Portuguese and Latin American soccer fans. 5
Ye Olde Orchard
5563 Monkland Ave. 514-484-1569
If you’re looking for a place to watch in N.D.G., the original Olde Orchard is a great choice to catch the games while drinking brews and scoffing pub grub.
6
Next Door Pub & Grill
5175A Sherbrooke St. W. 514-481-1596 This is also a good option for those in the N.D.G./Westmount area and it is a magnet for sports fans (and garage-league hockey players) in the west end.
7
Bruno Sports Bar
313 Beaubien Ave. E. 514-271-8364 Bruno Verrillo, co-owner of this popular bar, says the fact Italy is not in the tournament will only hurt a little bit “because people come for every game.” In fact, the big team at Bruno’s in recent years has been France because of the big French population in the Plateau, so there will be loads of folks there cheering for les Bleus.
8
Club Espagnol de Québec
4388 St-Laurent Blvd. 514-842-6301
I have seen a few Spanish games here during previous World Cups and Euros and it’s an absolute blast. But if Spain is playing, come early, and you will also need to buy a $25 annual membership to get in for the games involving Spain (and you need to buy the membership at the latest the day before the game). They’ll be serving traditional Spanish fare like chorizo and tortillas. 9
Le Bayou Bar
4134 St-Laurent Blvd. 514-284-2804 This is one of many places in the Portuguese heart of the Plateau that’s the place to be to watch the Portuguese games. But it also fills up for the Brazilian matches. 10
Bier Markt
1221 René-Lévesque Blvd. W. 514-864-7575
This Belgian-themed resto also happens to have a wide selection of German beers, and so it’s a hot place for both Belgian and German games. It’s a bar-restaurant, so you can watch the games and sip a drink without having a meal.