BAR - Big in Japan
Cocktail bar · Saint-Louis ·
Dimly lit speakeasy with unique cocktails and hanging whisky bottles
Dimly lit speakeasy with unique cocktails and hanging whisky bottles
"Blink and you might miss the entrance to this speakeasy-style cocktail bar in the Plateau where attentive and smartly-dressed servers pair drinks with highly attentive levels of hospitality. Unique cocktails and wine lists are the name of the game here, as are the hanging bottles of whisky available for rent that guests can return to throughout a year’s time." - JP Karwacki, Eater Staff
"Big In Japan Bar Not to be mistaken for the popular izakaya of the same name (and same owners) down the street, on Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Avenue des Pins, this Big In Japan is on the corner of Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Rue Rachel. You may not notice the sign, or even the door – it adds to the sense of mystery of this high-class drinking establishment (look for the black door near the fast-food restaurant Patati-Patata). From the vaporous curtains to the long shiny U-bar, the atmosphere here is distinctly speakeasy, and the classic cocktails maintain that illusion. The champagne cocktail will never go unwanted, and the Tom Collins is fizzy and tart, as it should be. Or you could dip into the house specialties: sakes, prune wines and Japanese whiskeys, used bottles of which serve as the basis for this stylish spot’s contemporary lamp fixtures."
"Big In Japan Bar Not to be mistaken for the popular izakaya of the same name (and same owners) down the street, on Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Avenue des Pins, this Big In Japan is on the corner of Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Rue Rachel. You may not notice the sign, or even the door – it adds to the sense of mystery of this high-class drinking establishment (look for the black door near the fast-food restaurant Patati-Patata). From the vaporous curtains to the long shiny U-bar, the atmosphere here is distinctly speakeasy, and the classic cocktails maintain that illusion. The champagne cocktail will never go unwanted, and the Tom Collins is fizzy and tart, as it should be. Or you could dip into the house specialties: sakes, prune wines and Japanese whiskeys, used bottles of which serve as the basis for this stylish spot’s contemporary lamp fixtures."
"Quietly tucked behind an unmarked door in the Plateau, this atmospheric speakeasy-style izakaya is the ideal spot for your most intimate tête-à-têtes. The sophisticated cocktail bar is quite small, with just fifty seats in the place, while the dimmed lighting and a stellar selection of sake make for a discreet hideaway from the bustle of St-Laurent Boulevard."
"At its St-Laurent premises I saw a sign on the door reading “de retour dans quelques jours” (back in a few days), suggesting the restaurant — the Big in Japan of 2018 closures (the restaurant, not the bar) — may be planning to reopen. Late in 2018 it closed after an initially short-term shutdown that became permanent around November: its social media was deleted and its phone disconnected. Despite the reopening sign, the restaurant’s social media remains non-existent, though this wouldn’t be the team’s first staged comeback." - Tim Forster