This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
The Montreal metropolis is known for its festivals, its cultural and culinary scenes, but also for its nightlife. Festive bars, supper clubstrendy terraces; the places that make Montreal vibrate at night have evolved a lot over the last ten years, but they still make us dance and dream more and more.
Do you remember those dark and bare places where we stormed the dance floor until the early hours, before succumbing to an invigorating poutine in a delicatessen open 24 hours? “Nightclubs” have long been a reference in terms of vie de Nuit, here as elsewhere. But they have gradually been supplanted by new, more diversified and more flamboyant formulas. In London, Paris, Miami and even Dubai, groups specializing in festive concepts, such as Bagatelle, serve as inspiration to the rest of the world with establishments with breathtaking design, mixed offerings and spectacular entertainment.
The new nighttime hospitality
Nazim Tedjini, who has been working for around fifteen years in the world of vie de Nuit Montrealer, came to draw several ideas from the great party places of the planet to integrate them into La Voûte. This club was set up in 2017 in the superb vault of the former Royal Bank of Old Montreal.
Seven years later, the establishment is still transformed into a nightclub, but it has added a component supper club and a program combining cabaret numbers and circus feats. Why?
“We actually reinvented ourselves during the pandemic,” says the partner and experience promoter. We had to offer something more to our customers who couldn’t get up to dance. We therefore hired chefs to offer a carefully crafted menu, as well as an artistic director to put together a diverse program in our room. »
The health crisis is over, but the new formula presented by La Voûte has remained unchanged. Every evening, from Friday to Sunday, consumers can have a drink, a full meal or reserve a bench to share a bottle of strong alcohol. And all this while watching costumed women strip or move at strategic points, just like athletes perform acrobatic juggling, hoop or even tightrope walking acts above the tables.
According to Mr. Tedjini, “people are increasingly looking for the experiential side in the decor, the shows, the plate and the glasses. They come here to celebrate, to escape, to live magical moments. They want “wow” in every way, so we pull out all the stops to make sure that happens. Even the waiters are involved, for example by creating light parades when they bring bottles to the tables.”
Mixing genres
Aware of the success of this concept, the promoter, also associated with the Syrian and Lebanese-inspired restaurant Hayat, on rue de la Commune Ouest, and the Carla terrace, located at 6e floor of the Hampton Inn by Hilton hotel, also wanted to give it a festive feel. “The bar and restaurant sections are more present there, and the atmosphere is less torrid, but we also organize small outdoor shows there,” he says. “People can have fun for part of the evening on site, before, why not, going out to La Voûte.”
>Nazim Tedjini is not the only professional vie de Nuit Montrealers to have focused on the experiential. At Pangea, a huge establishment opened on rue Saint-Paul Est for a year, it has both a supper cluba bistro, a terrace and a café sandwich shop – it can accommodate up to 1100 people – we want to reach all kinds of customers who like to go out. Moreover, this place takes its name from Pangea, the unique continent of the primary era.
“I always joke that we’re the mall of hospitality!” says Morris Nader. Nader cut his teeth at Newtown (when Jacques Villeneuve was the owner) before going on to develop seven party venues. These include Terrasses Bonsecours and the famous (and beautiful) Bord’Elle, another Montreal nightlife hotspot.
At Pangea, whose Mediterranean-inspired decor is impressive, families, adults and party-goers are welcomed as much. “We want people to feel like they’re on vacation when they come here. As if they were in Miami or on the French Côte d’Azur,” continues the promoter, who has also added a show component to his evenings. Bouzouki players, tam-tam performances, belly dancers, everything is in place to take visitors away from it all and give them a memorable experience.
“We also create the buzz by inviting personalities and influencers. This was the case with the arrival of AJ McLean, of the Backstreet Boys, last fall, as well as with the stars of American reality TV Vanderpump Rules this winter, says Mr. Nader. It is these initiatives of all kinds that allow us to stand out and adapt to a clientele whose tastes evolve quickly, at the same pace as fashion and music.”
The fact remains that even if it is now more volatile, this festive clientele is still there. “You know, we are social animals. We need to meet, to have fun, to put aside our inhibitions from time to time. And that will not change!” concludes Nazim Tedjini.
New address on the South Shore
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