10 New Montreal Venues for 2019 Winter Meetings and Events

Part of a $60 million renovation to upgrade the infrastructure at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in time for this summer’s Canadian Grand Prix, Espace Paddock is the race’s garage and control tower and also contains loges for race-day viewing and corporate entertaining. The rest of the year, the three-story building in Parc Jean-Drapeau is available as event space. Along with a multipurpose hall, the building offers three spacious terraces, including a green roof. The largest terrace seats as many as 3,000 banquet style or holds 5,000 for receptions. From the terraces, visitors can enjoy views of the Olympic Basin, the Casino of Montreal, and the iconic Expo 67 pavilions.

A nonprofit that aims to provide resources for creatives and start-ups, Zú opened a set of meeting spaces in downtown Montreal in September. Located in one of the Maison Alcan Complex heritage buildings, the venue offers rooms that range from shared workspaces to cutting-edge tech labs. On the main floor, the red-theme Grand Salon and Petit Salon have a total of 85 seats or accommodate 100 standing. On upper floors, more co-working space is available along with private meeting rooms equipped with conference phones, whiteboards, and televisions. The building also offers two production rooms and a lab for virtual, augmented, or mixed reality projects.

After a year of renovations, Le Germain in downtown Montreal reopened in October, showcasing its distinctive 1960s-theme redesign while maintaining a modern look. The soft, gray-brown palette rooms are decorated with curved edges, wooden furnishing, and the iconic plexiglass bubble chair. Other renovations include an oyster bar, a Parisian brasserie-inspired restaurant, and six glass stories added to the top of the building. The 136-room and five-suite hotel also provides multiple meeting rooms—the largest of which can accommodate as many as 110 people cocktail style—as well as a creative lounge.

The Outremont butcher shop Boucherie Provisions reopened in June after expanding its space to include a small wine bar—Bar à Vins Provisions. The over-the-counter meat and sandwich shop now has an elegant 35-seat attachment complete with brick walls and string lights. A terrace open in the summer can accommodate another 20 customers. Just three blocks from the more formal, tasting-menu-only Provisions Restaurant, this bar is a casual spot suited for after-work drinks, but also offers a seasonal menu of small plates and meat dishes supplied by the butcher shop itself.

Located on the second floor of the St-James Theatre, the newly renovated Princess Grace Mezzanine is a long, rectangular space with balconies that overlook either the Imperial Ballroom on one side, or Old Montreal’s Saint Jacques Street on the other. The mezzanine features restored hardwood floors, an original fireplace, and elegant chandeliers. It seats 150 for banquets or holds 200 for cocktails and can be rented independently or in conjunction with the other halls. The venue offers packages that include furniture, catering, bar services, audiovisual equipment, and more.

A new food hall, Time Out Market Montréal opened in the Eaton Centre in November. The 40,000-square-foot space encompasses 16 eateries, three bar counters, a demonstration kitchen, a cooking school, and a retail area all under one roof. The lineup of restaurants include chef Normand Laprise’s Burger T!, the avant-garde Montreal Plaza, and chef Paul Toussaint’s spicy Haitian cuisine. Complementing the food is a just-as-carefully selected craft cocktail list featuring recipes from ten of the city’s bars. Beer, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks are also served at the market’s bar counters. The food hall is part of the Time Out Market franchise, which currently boasts locations in Miami, New York, and Boston.

Opened in November, Uville Hotel in Old Montreal identifies as a hotel-museum that brings visitors back to the city in the ’60s and ’70s. The four-story building has 33 guest rooms and a small lounge that serves Quebecois cuisine, as well as cocktails and wine. Each room is decorated with archival photographs, period artifacts, and a film selection linked to the room’s theme. Although the retro-style hotel does not have meeting or event space, it is next door to the Pointe-à-Callière museum that has 11 multifunctional spaces suitable for meetings, presentations, banquets, or cocktail events.

A new brunch spot in the boutique Boxotel, Capsa serves Portuguese-inspired dishes until 3 p.m. daily. After that, the restaurant is available for private events and holds 75 for receptions. On the menu at the 48-seat restaurant, which has high ceilings and plenty of natural light, are dishes like “Inverted Poutine” poppers, a Portuguese take on the croque-monsieur called the Francesinha, and braised pork with fresh clams. Drinks include brunch-friendly cocktails, a selection of wines, and non-alcoholic options including a variety of kombuchas. It opened in June.

Attached to the bar supply store Alambika in Little Italy, Alkadémie is a new space that serves as both an ongoing pop-up bar for creative mixologists and a private room for groups of as many as 35 people. Opened this summer, the white-walled room has a low-key but lively vibe with its wooden bar, brass finishings, and bright pink tabletop and arm chairs. Available for private meetings and parties, the experimental space also offers educational programs such as classes on cocktails, natural wine, whiskey, and more.

A Moroccan-influenced bistro, Darna Bistroquet is a casual yet refined spot that opened in June in La Petite-Patrie. The interior contains a turquoise booth, vibrant pillows, and antique wooden arm chairs, and the walls are filled with an eclectic selection of vases, frames, and woven art. The restaurant serves striking plates like veal tartare with parsnip chips, multicolor carrots wrapped in cumin crust, and beet tarte Tatin. With about 30 seats indoors and a summer terrace, the new dining space also features cocktails such as the fig margarita and a range of natural wines.