The FIFA World Cup is well underway now, and Canada’s soccer team is flying high.
Montreal is not hosting matches, but from Portuguese cafés and Spanish social clubs to British pubs and neighbourhood sports bars, there is no shortage of places to watch the world’s most viewed sporting event unfold.
Here are some of the best spots across the city.
Sports bars
Bruno Sport Bar looks the part. A few blocks from Little Italy, it has spent four decades pouring beer and pulling espresso shots. The televisions glow, the regulars come and settle in their usual spots and the room carries the worn-in-feeling that it has seen several World Cups before.
Where: 313 Beaubien St. E.
A World Cup afternoon at Bar St-Laurent Frappé has a habit of escaping the building. Giant screens draw dozens of supporters inside, but the noise and atmosphere usually spills onto the sidewalk. Inside, dozens can pack in.
Where: 3900 St-Laurent Blvd.
European headquarters
The Burgundy Lion likes to describe itself as Montreal’s World Cup headquarters, and it has a reasonable claim. Founded by Paul Desbaillets, Toby Lyle, Jean-Michel Creusot and Will Allen, the British-style pub has served everyone from prime ministers to rowdy England supporters. Pull up and expect a boisterous atmosphere, classic drinks, like its Burgundy Lion Ale (and good food). Fans have also been known to queue before breakfast for major matches.
Where: 2496 Notre-Dame St. O.
Canada fans cheer while watching a World Cup match in 2022 at the Burgundy Lion in Montreal. Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette
For Montreal’s Portuguese community, it has to be Café Central Portugais. The cash-only, old-school restaurant will see supporters spilling from the terrace onto the sidewalk whenever Portugal play. It’s been said the entire community turns out.
Where: 4051 St-Dominique St.
Spain supporters tend to drift toward Club Espagnol de Québec, a social club above St-Laurent Blvd. that has served Montreal’s Spanish community since 1969. Spanish-language broadcasts, cold drinks and a terrace packed with supporters make it a popular gathering place during tournaments.
Where: 4388 St-Laurent Blvd.
The cosy pub
If Pub Burgundy Lion is where the tournament comes to roar, its sibling across town in the Mile End, Bishop & Bagg, is where it comes to settle in. All dark wood, low light and snug corners. You can find the group’s classic Burgundy Lion Ale, as well as cider, but the polished bar area also doubles as a gin house. The menu itself is also reassuringly pub-like, with fish and chips and even apple crumble. Despite the Union Jack credentials, match days draw plenty of French supporters, too.
Where: 52 St-Viateur St. O.
The Italian corner
Italy may not be at this World Cup, but Café Club Social remains one of the city’s Italian soccer institutions. During the day, it is as much café as sports bar, a place for an espresso, a Peroni and whatever match happens to be on.
Where: 180 St-Viateur St. O.
The beer hall
Wünderbar, in Rosemont, has all the subtlety of an Oktoberfest parade: litre steins of Erdinger and Krombacher, waiters weaving through packed benches and a room that moves with the happy chaos of people settling in for a long afternoon. Of course, there is also food and it’s as equally as Teutonic: giant pretzels, currywurst and sausage platters.
Where: 6529 St-Hubert St.
For Guinness
Hurley’s, on Crescent St. in the heart of downtown, has been pouring pints since the 1990s and remains one of the city’s most dependable places to watch almost anything. But the Guinness is the thing. They pour it they way it’s meant to be poured.
Where: 1225 Crescent St.
Latin America quarters
Think Montrealers are passionate about hockey? Try watching futbol with Latin Americans.
For Argentina supporters, Café Conca d’Oro is the main gathering spot. The café itself is unassuming with a few tables and neon signs glowing in the window. Fans will almost certainly spill onto the street.
Where: 184 Dante St.
Bocadillo Bistro attracts a broader mix and shows most, if not all, World Cup matches. The Venezuelan restaurant in Little Italy promotes itself as a destination for supporters of Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico.
Where: 6918 St-Laurent Blvd.
The Scandinavian outpost
Bar Judinström draws Danish, Swedish and Norwegian supporters alongside the merely curious. The St-Denis venue pairs Nordic beers with dishes inspired by the region, all served in a clean, understated room. Happy hour runs from 5 to 7 p.m., when a beer and a meal will set you back $18.
Where: 3922 St-Denis St.
For the best food
Most World Cup venues are built around beer or nationality. Bar Vivar, on Duluth Ave., is built around Spanish tapas and wine. It just so happens chef Georges Greiche is into his footy.
Greiche founded the restaurant with Patrick Oakes, who takes care of the front house. The room itself revolves around a homey counter, an open kitchen and a television quietly perched behind the bar. So take a stool and you can enjoy a rare treble: an ever-changing array of tapas and wine, a conversation about the game with Greiche as he prepares your meal, and the match itself unfolding over his shoulder. Plus: glasses of beer are half-price during the games.
Where: 533 Duluth Ave. E.
Chef Georges Greiche keeps an eye on the World Cup match between the U.S. and Australia on the television in the kitchen of Bar Vivar in Montreal. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
A cheap pint
Bar Bifteck on St-Laurent remains one of Montreal’s sporting bargains. The pitchers are cheap, it’s cash only and there is also a pool table at the back. The décor has spent years ignoring trends, which is why it works.
Where: 3702 St-Laurent Blvd.
Around the city
Outside of bars and pubs, some of the tournament’s most passionate gatherings take place in community halls, churches and cultural centres.
Croatian community: Supporters traditionally gather around St-Nicholas-Tavelich Parish in Côte-des-Neiges for Croatia matches.
Scotland supporters: The St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal is hosting watch parties throughout the tournament, including a June 24 doubleheader at McLean’s Public House, 1420 Peel St.
France: Maison France-Montréal is screening several World Cup matches, including games involving France and Haiti’s first-ever men’s World Cup campaign. One coming event is France vs. Iraq at Maison France-Montréal, 429 Viger Ave. E.
Haiti: Supporters are also gathering at LakayZoe Express, 11810 Langelier Blvd. in Montréal-Nord, for Haiti matches throughout the tournament.
I’ve been writing for the Montreal Gazette since 2023. My favourite stories are ones that make you think and I’m always looking for new ways to tell them. At McGill, I studied economics and computer science. Now I live in the city’s Plateau, where I wear Doc Martens to try and blend in among the hipsters. Got a story? Email me.
hnorth@postmedia.com