Bar Le Ritz PDB
Concert hall · Parc-Jarry ·
Vintage bar with colorful back area hosting live bands
Vintage bar with colorful back area hosting live bands
"Formerly Il Motore, this bar/performance venue has been renovated by it's new owners - the band Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The beer on tap is some of Quebec's finest, Ghost Farm and Trou du Diable. The concert calendar is incredible as well, featuring the likes of Health, Sinkane, Low, Jenny Hval and The Soft Moon to name a few." - Dynamo
"After seven months of pandemic closure, the Mile-Ex concert venue Bar Le Ritz PDB is still facing noise-complaint court hearings stemming from a 2019 complaint that produced a $985 fine; the owners’ request to postpone the November 4 hearing until they could reopen was denied, and there is a second identical $985 fine with a November 19 court date. Co-owner Meyer Billurcu posted that the business has $0.00 in revenue right now and that the city said the trial will proceed whether they show up or not, which effectively hands a guilty verdict if they cannot attend; he says they only asked to delay the trial until they were operational, not to have the fine dropped. The venue closed in March due to COVID-19 and chose not to reopen in the summer because public-health distancing rules made operations unviable, leaving them seven months without income and relying on the federal rent relief program that can reduce rent to 25% with landlord buy-in. The fines predate the pandemic and, Billurcu notes, also predate thousands of dollars the Ritz invested in renovations and soundproofing—measures that, he says, eliminated complaints after the work was done. Opened in 2008 as Il Motore and renamed in 2014, the venue reports having had no noise complaints for roughly its first decade, only beginning to receive them around 2017 as the neighbourhood changed; management says it has tried to be respectful by going door-to-door with notices and making modifications, and is asking the city to dismiss the case because the closure and financial strain have already been punishment enough." - Valerie Silva
"During Nuit Blanche I learned that at Bar Le Ritz PDB several people destroyed part of the venue’s colourful wooden wall, but after owner Meyer Billurcu posted about it the culprits came forward." - Tim Forster
"The sheer variety of entertainment at this bar makes it a perfect place to cry for just about anyone—just make sure you’ve pre-planned. On any given night you’ll find metal bands, cult classic movie screenings, drag shows, or Britney Spears-themed DJ and dance nights. Pick a mood, show up, and break down! (Note that Le Ritz only opens on evenings where it has scheduled events.)" - Megan Jones
"I note that Jean-Talon Street haunt Bar Le Ritz PDB will no longer open as a bar except for specific events — concerts, dance parties, movie screenings, comedy nights and the like — and has effectively shifted into functioning more as an events space while remaining open to a wide range of events." - Tim Forster
