The holiday season is a time for celebrating not only with family but also with colleagues – and for potentially making a fool of ourselves. Here are some restaurants and private rooms in Montreal that welcome your group to host that famous Christmas party that will be talked about long afterwards.
Located on Park Avenue, this wine bar receives groups of 12 or more with a menu prepared in advance, with the option to include alcohol. Located in the mezzanine, the bar area seats up to 25 people while the lounge can serve up to 30; in total, the bar and lounge can combine to host 60 guests. Allow plenty of time to browse the wine list.
"Have a party, we will do the rest." This is what bodes well for Clébard on Saint-Denis Street, in the Mont-Royal area. Here, the evening receptions are first-rate. A private room can accommodate up to 100 people seated, and twice as many when in cocktail mode. The complete location can host a group of up to 400 guests, with a dance floor, DJ and the whole nine yards. The holiday menu offers a hot buffet (pot-au-feu, grilled vegetable lasagna, salads and mini-cakes) and a cold buffet (pizza, chicken rillettes, and wraps with grilled vegetables and brie).
The restaurant-brewery on Drummond Street, located a stone's throw (or puck) from the Centre Bell (Bell Centre), has everything you need to accommodate your group's needs. They’re even willing to "reconfigure the restaurant" to please you and up to 275 people. The mezzanine can accommodate up to 75 people looking to dine, and the semi-private lounge bar can accommodate up to 50 guests.
Groups receive a warm welcome at this establishment opened in 1972 by Pierre Lévêque. About 80 guests can be seated on the second floor to enjoy a menu that could include smoked herring, duck terrine with hazelnuts, beef or salmon tartare, coq au vin, duck parmentier, lamb shank or bouillabaisse.
At Taverne Gaspar, a special menu allows you to choose four starters, four main courses and two desserts. Groups of 20 to 40 people are encouraged to make their own menu. If you’re celebrating with a group of over 50 people, you can rent the entire place altogether. Otherwise, a reception room (at the hotel next door) is available to welcome you.
Open since 1997, this bistro and wine bar is the perfect place to enjoy jazz seven nights a week. The St. Paul Street establishment in Old Montreal has a second floor that can accommodate private events with its 80 available seats. That's not counting the 42 seats at the bar and the 80 at the coffee bar. In addition, a VIP room with skylights can hold 40 people. Menus for groups ranging from $35 to $65 per person are available.
The friendly Mont-Royal Avenue bistro welcomes groups with a three-course menu for $40, four courses for $55 and five courses for $70. If you’re celebrating with a large group, consider the private room for up to 55 guests, including a bar, audio-visual system, space for a DJ and personalized menus designed by you.
A plump sow is festive, don't you think? So why not come to a place of the same name to celebrate the New Year? The main dining area of this restaurant located at the corner of Papineau and Ontario can accommodate up to 120 people. The menus that are especially prepared for groups range between $35 and $45, including appetizers for a warm welcome. Vegetarians and those who follow gluten-free diets will find there are select dishes designed especially for them.
The Papineau Avenue establishment, located in the Plateau Mont-Royal, offers two private rooms - including a lounge-style room. The latter can accommodate 50 people seated. For more space, we turn to the main room, which holds up to 120 people. Giant screens, WiFi, a dance floor, a private bar...everything is provided. The catering service is offered by the Sandhu restaurant, which serves Indian and Italian cuisine.
If you prefer to avoid impersonal large halls, follow your heart (but do it quickly!) to this well-known tapas bar, of Marie-Fleur St. Pierre, a veritable jewel of the Villeray neighbourhood. The staff is very polite, the atmosphere is extremely warm, and the dishes will make you cry with happiness.