Amanda H.
Yelp
I recently visited El Pequeno Bar on day 1 of a 5 day trip to Montreal. Being my first time in the city, I was adamant to try the city's absolute best bars so, of course, El Pequeno was a priority.
We arrived just minutes after they opened, at 6 pm on a Wednesday. The internet does not prepare you for just how small this place is - but I guess the name does. When we walked in, we were the only two people there (plus the bartender), so it was great to have the whole place to ourselves. I started off with the Cafecito which was one of the best cocktails I've ever had. I do not say that lightly - it was truly amazing. I grew up in Miami, drinking cafecito often, and this felt like an "adult" version of my childhood. To those who grew up differently, just know this is El Pequeno's response to the incredibly popular espresso martini. No wonder this was named one of the best bars in the world!
While I enjoyed my drink, we had a lovely conversation with our bartender. We told him we were visiting from NYC and he instantly took it upon himself to make us a mini "must visit" guide for Montreal. Me being me, I already had about 100 places on our itinerary, but his list certainly changed things. He could not have been more helpful nor kind - the first of many countless wonderful human interactions we had while visiting the city.
After my first drink, I rounded things out with a mojito. By this time, the bar was getting a bit more full, specifically with at least one regular nearby who reassured me that this would be the greatest mojito of my life. He was pretty dang spot on, as this drink was also fantastic. It seems everything on the menu is a winner, so it sounds like you can't really go wrong (though I still primarily endorse the cafecito...just wow).
After just two drinks, we were off to the next spot on my grand "see/drink/eat all of Montreal in 5 days" list. Looking back, while I did end up going to some truly outstanding bars while in Montreal, I'm pretty certain El Pequeno was the best one of all.