Else's

This place is truly a hidden gem in Montreal, tucked away on one of the city’s cutest and most charming streets. We stumbled upon it on Halloween night, and it turned out to be one of the best spontaneous decisions we made that evening. The atmosphere was warm, cozy, and full of life — the kind of place that immediately makes you feel welcome. Despite showing up as a group of eight without a reservation, the staff went out of their way to find us a table, which was honestly impressive on such a busy night. The service was excellent — friendly, attentive, and relaxed in the best way. We ordered a mix of dishes, including the chicken teriyaki, mac and cheese, salad, and mini burgers. The mac and cheese definitely stood out as the highlight: creamy, flavorful, and perfectly comforting for a chilly night. The mini burgers were also tasty, though they were quite small and better suited as individual portions rather than for sharing. Overall, this spot strikes a perfect balance between cozy and lively. It’s the kind of place that works equally well for a casual night out with friends or a laid-back dinner date. I’d definitely recommend giving it a try — especially if you love finding those lesser-known Montreal spots with great vibes and solid food.

Service was truly excellent, and the staff was very welcoming & accommodating. As for the food, it’s genuinely among the best in town. We didn’t book ahead, but the wait time was very reasonable. It’s a fantastic place to spend quality social time with friends. It can get a bit loud, but in the best way, perfect for laughing your lungs out and enjoying the atmosphere. We got : Chicken curry rice - 8/10 Chicken dumplings - 10/10 Quesadilla - 10/10 Mini Bison Burgers - 8.5/10

Came back twice in the past 12 hours (dinner & drinks, and then lunch & drinks), and it hit both times. Friendly staff (who, by the way, will be very accommodating to you speaking French so that you can practice, and won’t immediately default to English when they sense an Anglo trying to improve their French), amazing food, and their house (white) wine might just be the best drink in the entire establishment. Else, girl, you did your big one and your staff carries on your legacy.

Yummy hot drink for an arctic day . Delicious carrot cake . Incredible service . Beautiful atmosphere . It’s the type of place you could easily come back to many many times and never get bored

Else’s in Montreal is the kind of date spot you hope to stumble upon—cozy, charming, and effortlessly full of character. Tucked into a quiet corner of the Plateau, it exudes a warm, lived-in atmosphere that makes you feel instantly at home. We settled at a round table nestled among lush plants and vintage artwork, the perfect setting for an unhurried evening. Sharing shrimp tacos and pulled pork mac and cheese, paired with beers that hit all the right notes, we found comfort not just in the food but in the entire experience. The service was genuinely kind, the vibe easygoing, and the space seemed to invite good conversation. It’s the sort of place that stays with you.

The vibe is awesome here. Feels very authentically unique and not contrived like many big city watering holes tend to be. I only had the quesadilla and it was just so so for the price, the rest of the menu did look very good so I am excited to try more food here in the future. Drink selection was exceptional. Definitely a great place to end up on a night out!

Just got the salad for myself and it was perfectly filling with so many flavors in one place!! Loved the roasted pecans, goat cheese and crispy prosciutto... with so many tables packed into one spot you can only expect service to be so quick. Go for the vibes and community, didn't feel rushed to leave even though the place was packed!!

Customer service is great the food quality and prices are reasonable, definitely coming again:)

Very cool local spot in Mile End neighborhood. My airbnb host took me here (lol) and told me about the history his this bar -- how it's evolved over time from a punk bar to now. Very lovely green and sophisticated atmosphere. The waiters are no frills and they don't bother you but they are still attentive. Orange wine was good! Probably the best local hot-spot I've been too. It was bumpin on a Wednesday night. Would highly recommend for a first date!

Else has a funny story on the back of the menu. Read my photo! Lol we enjoyed the wings and beers here. Good, weird ambiance and vibes. Friendly service. Highly recommend a visit if you're in the neighborhood!

I always love stopping by this gem in the plateau! The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, with people of all ages sharing the space for after-work drinks. The lighting is moody and the music is fun but not too loud. A perfect date spot! While all the food and beers taste fantastic, I do wish there was a larger selection of local beers on tap and that the food portions were slightly larger. Although... the in-house blonde lager might be all you need! Note that this space is best for small, intimate gatherings and it's best to get there early to snag a table. There isn't too much space for large groups!

The soup was rly good and big it was chili I labeled it wrong but my friend got the pork sliders and they were so small only two and expensive drinks were good except I got charged for an extra and didn't notice till after I left and I was too scared to say ambiance was nice too I wish I got the quesadilla the people beside me had it and it looked so good

A nice, casual neighborhood place. We came here looking for a decently hearty lunch and were not disappointed. I got a flammand rose cocktail which had gin, sparkling wine, cassis and grapefruit juice. It was perfect and light for me. Not super sweet which I enjoy. My husband got a pint that he liked and our friend got a cream ale that he did not like, but who really likes cream ales anyway. I had the butter chicken which was made with chicken breast pieces and came with rice and naan. It was simple, but good for a non-Indian restaurant. My husband had the quesadilla with sausage which was great. Very large portion and the tortilla was almost flaky like roti. I would order that again. Our friend had bbq pork slideres which he enjoyed (although he wished they were a bit bigger.) Service was very nice and quick!

Amazing find! We were getting heavily rained on & luckily came across this place, so we popped inside. We wanted a nice snack & a beer. Else's did not disappoint. Great, intimate coffee shop vibe, friendly staff & good food. We loved their vegan tacos, brussel sprout salad and especially the homemade hot sauce!

After a little exploring of our Montreal neighborhood, we discovered this small gem of a restaurant nearby. It's essentially a hole in the wall, but one with so much personality and charm that it feels like a classic bistro. We snagged a comfortable table right in the center of the restaurant, and began perusing the promising menu. We decided to share a few things: Shrimp Tacos ("with jalapenos, shallots, cabbage, pickled red onions, avocado sauce and chipotle"), Mini Bison Burgers ("with beets, blue cheese and chipotle sauce"), and Mac N' Cheese. While nothing we ate blew us away, the food was all quite tasty and fresh, and we certainly ate every last bite that was in front of us. Else's is more about the comfortable vibe than anything else, and on that level, it's definitely the kind of place I wish I had in my neighborhood.

wonderful service, staff was super friendly and Nice ! food was delicious and cocktails were even better!! I highly recommend for anyone!

Went for late night casual drinks. Nice atmosphere and vibe. Nice neighbourhood with other small and interesting little bars. Fairly standard drink list (good enough for me). Had a very pleasant - low key - time. Late night bar menu: only tried one thing w my group... quesadillas. Definitely wouldn't try that again fpoor quality recipe and execution). Not sure if their regular menu is better. Thus, my overall 3 stars rating reflects 4 stars on late night drink experience and 2 stars on food experience.

Else's feels like that coffee shop we all loved in college, but grown up and with a French flair. You can come and enjoy a book by yourself or hang out and chat with friends for hours. The staff is friendly and chill. Sit by the windows for good people watching. If you're lucky you can snag a seat at their tiny bar. I used to come here because it was down the street. Now it's a bit of a trek, but I still do it.

Else's- Montreal. Nice place out style. The shrimp tacos were good. It can get crowded.

I wish I would've found out about this place earlier! It's a very interesting bar, not a lot of young people frequent this space which makes it a lot less rowdy than the bars on St. Laurent. I love to come here for an intimate date night, or an afternoon drink with a friend, especially during the summer. The drinks are CHEAP (most expensive cocktail is $10.50 WOW), and they have an extensive list of domestic and international brews of beer. My only complaint about this place is that the waitress/ bartender that served my friend and I did not tell us about their happy hour specials listed on the wall. Given the extensive decorations on the wall it's pretty easy to miss the board with the price lists, and it's not listed on the menu. They have two simple cocktails for $11, $27 for a large sangria, and other specials that I can't remember off the top of my head. I personally do not think the food looked amazing; the portion sizes are very small and pretty expensive. There's no way I'm ever going to pay $11 for two pulled pork BBQ sliders... Overall it's a great bar to hang out at, and I can only hope that the rowdy St. Laurent crowd never finds out about this hidden gem.

We stopped for a quick drink at Else's around noon. As such, there weren't many people there, and we didn't grab any food, so my opinion will be brief. The bartenders were cool guys, with good conversation. The bar itself has a traditional vibe, with a sparing number of old ball decorations. I grabbed myself a Brume Suisse (i.e. Swiss Fog), which is a delightfully warm Goldschlager and cinnamon drink. If you're walking by the bar on a cold day, with a hankering for a bit of a buzz, this drink is perfection. It's the sort of thing an irresponsible parent would give to their kid to put them to sleep. Cool bar. Try it out.

This quaint place is off the beaten track - St. Laurent and Roy. It's a really great place, dimly lit with bar specials from 5 - 8h. You can get 2 drinks for $10, I opted for rye and ginger. They also have some great food offerings I chose the bison burgers with beets and blue cheese. It wasn't bad, fair enough for $10. My boyfriend got the large vegetarian quesadillas, this was huge, served with a side salad and generous amounts of salsa and sour cream. There were lots of other options, including vegetarian dishes such as butter tofu and an asparagus salad. This place has a really great vibe and a super cool story of it's conception. Be sure to read the story of Else on the back of the menu, it's pretty interesting!

Else's is one of those small neighbourhood gems, tucked in on roy, slightly off St. Laurent. The vibe is of a quieter bar, dimly lit with candles on each table - another great date place. The food is great for the price you are paying and is definitely a notch higher than your average bar food. They have great tacos on real taco shells (corn based soft taco shells) and their serving of wings is very very generous. We had their mulled cider (with cinnamon and lemon), not quite as good as ones you get in Europe but paired with the cozy environment, it was definitely beyond pleasant.

Many pubs have good food, fewer have good deals (Happy Hour pints 5.75), even fewer have a story and charm such as Else's. It feels like a cosy hole-in-the-wall with charm and friendly staff that are sure to delight. Great selection of beers and devour inside is unique and eccentric

Else's has a great atmosphere and was a very enjoyable experience. I ordered the vegetarian tacos which were delicious, and finished things off with the chocolate brownie ice cream sandwich. Not to be missed! The staff were very courteous, friendly, and helpful. I really enjoyed the experience and I look forward to coming back!

Great neighbourhood pub. Reasonable prices. Perfect for lunch, a 5a7, or a quiet date. Else's has gone through a lot of changes over the last decade because they only have a restaurant license and periodically re-invent the menu. The current menu, however, is at the best of its been in years. Serving sizes and presentation range anywhere from a solid, comfort food lunch to perfect for sharing. A few of things worth trying include: - the Bison Sliders (2 per serving) - the Shrimp or Pibil Tacos (4 per serving) - or the Philly Cheese Steak (comes with side salad The place is also a solid bet for a quiet sunday afternoon or pints and cocktails late into the night. The music is never too loud, and even when it's busy, it doesn't seem to crowded (despite its size). If you're in the 'hood and looking for a satisfying bite or just to catch up with friends or that book you've been working through, you should definitely consider Else's.

Cozy bar, attentive service, delicious food! We shared the bison burger and the salad and both were exceptional. The roasted veggies in the salad resembled kimchi and I could not get enough of them. Great variety of beers on draft!

A chill atmosphere, full of creatives. In the afternoon, definitely a place where it's okay to fly solo, have a coffee or scotch and food, and focus on your writing, design, or other work. In the evening, it fills with interesting people. Reasonable prices, friendly staff, artsy ambiance.

Oh Else's, how much have I missed you...Now that I see you again, lots!! Haven't been in over a year, until last night. What a cool place! Love the energy, we could have stayed for another 3 hours just talking away, sipping our beers, enjoying our table surrounded by a crowd of tightly packed tables of diverse fauna. A microcosm of Montreal, that was it. Yes, that is what it was. E.G. Montreal at its best. Yup, we also ordered food with our Asahi and Czechvar beers. Tacos Pibil (delish); Grilled Polenta (very surprisingly good. One does not expect it so good from a pub, but this is no ordinary pub!!); Butter Chicken (fair. More British style butter chicken than Indian). Please keep this place friendly, with good staff and service. It is paramount. We shall be back in a few weeks for certain. Never again shall we be apart for so long.

This place is so adorable! We were nearby and my friend suggested this place for dinner, so off we went. It's in a quiet neighborhood but I feel it fits perfectly. Apparently Else was a kick ass Scandiavian who opened up this restaurant years ago. Sadly she has passed away, but her memory lives out in the food. I was a bit hesitant in trying the chicken tacos but they came out perfectly. My friend had the quesadilla and felt the same way. The staff is really friendly, case in point I nearly walked out without my sunglasses and they stopped me right in time. :) This is a cozy little joint where you can relax with friends or take a date out for an intimate night. Highly recomended!

In short: Noisy, Repellently packed, Slightly expensive food, Just normal drinks, . . . Sorry to say it was just a two-star place!

Went for dinner with a party of 6 and were seated immediately. We ordered the pulled pork sliders, shrimp tacos, roasted veggie salad, and bison sliders. All were outstanding! This was not your typical bar food. The space was snug, but provided a cozy, warm environment. The service was exceptionally attentive and they had a fine selection of drinks and draft beers. We would definitely go back!

I've been here twice and it always seems like my friends are more impressed by Else's than I am. This by no means lessens my affection for this place (There is this cured fish and cucumber salad dish that makes me feel like I got punched in the mouth with a pack full of flavour! Though I do wish the portion size was MUCH bigger...), but my friends always seem to pick the dish that's a decent portion and delicious (Fish&Chips, Calamari). This one friend said the calamari at their place was the BEST calamari he's ever tasted. Quite the praise if you ask me. Nonetheless, if you're in Montreal and you want to bring your friends to a chill and cozy place with great ambiance, I think Else's would be a great choice. They have quite a selection of drinks and great food. I'm the type of person where if I happen to recommend a restaurant that my friends like, I always feel like I take full responsibility of the meal as though I'm the chef. Therefore, Else's would probably be my best bet for a great recommendation.

Nice, dark, slightly dive-y room, with warm, almost Christmaslike light. Good selection of whiskies. Topnotch chocolate cheesecake. Decent espresso. A hint of street life visible from the bar. Talkative, happy, grown-up crowd, all seemingly there to converse with their friends rather than to bang tequila slammers down their hatches. Well-mannered, easygoing staff who'll treat you kindly. They've got a restaurant licence only and they'll ask you to order food with your glass of Bushmills, but what's a drink without a nosh? The only real problem I have with this place is getting a decent chair on a cold autumn or winter afternoon. Usable restroom. I always peek in when I'm in the area on an errand, just to see if there's anywhere I'd want to sit for a quick drink. It's too cozy a place to walk past without checking.

I went there yesterday with my cousin, the decor is great, the food is great(although the wings were a bit too salty for my liking), the drinks were good as well. I asked the waitress what drink she would recommend and she said the Kir Royal but my cousin's Mojito was by far better than that. The prices are cheap, and the atmosphere is very friendly and not too loud. Would definitely go back!

Plateau essential! Great vibes - candlelit date at night, and green edgy lunch spot at day. The food is really good too. My go to is to always split the vegetarian sliders and shrimp tacos with someone, although I've also tried the salad and it's very rich and delicious. Don't go for the cocktails, they're nothing special, except maybe for their bourbon lemonade (I don't like bourbon but my bf loves it). It's all about their beers.

My heart is at Else's! What a fun, funky, original Franco-Norwegian creation, brought to us by a lady who left us way too soon but whose spirit lives on in this artsy, mischievous bar. The beer is good, the decor whimsical, the music Americana, and the waitstaff friendly and knowledgable. Huge windows and vines and flowers produce an open feeling, as if you're half in nature and half in a service establishment. The food looked terrific and is veg-friendly. We'd be back all the time if we lived in the area.

If I lived in Montréal, I could see myself visiting this bar regularly. It feels like a bar you might find in Ireland, rather than the US. Either way, I ordered the shrimp tacos and Portuguese sausage quesadillas and both were delicious. My favorite thing about the bar was the endless alcoholic beverage options. I ordered a Caipirinha (traditional Brazilian cocktail) and OMG, I'm still thinking about it.

Came across Else's after we we had smoked meat sandwiches. What an awesome place. Lots of character. Very relaxed and great history. I will be coming back when I come to Montreal.

I loooooove bars like these. It's a place where, as Johnson said, anyone can be here. I visited after work, I visited after school. I can look like a bum wearing my puffy winter jacket and eating, because it was so cold. It really doesn't matter. Other customers of this bar are fantastic. I see all sorts of people. Everyone is friendly. The troublemakers and the clumsy patrons are friendly. The staff are friendly. Love the beers and only $6-7 for a pint! I couldn't help but stay 2 hours longer than expected, even though a long night of assignments awaited me. Food was delicious. $10 for 2 sliders. The lights at the back of the bar is extremely bright. Way too bright!! Sitting near the front is ideal for me. Else's is like a dive bar, but very clean. It's almost undiscoverable if it wasn't for Yelp.

No review could capture just how special Else's is! This place is packed with character and I could spend hours chatting here. The wings are amazing and the service is super friendly. Else's plays great music and the funky decor mixed with the plethora of greenery makes for a great time. I sat at a table with a Wonder Woman print all over it which was just so fun! The wings are tasty and unique too! Else's is The Hang!

Else's is amazing...the beer they have for any reason I like it very much...I regularly go there and their snacks keep their good quality... Always happy about what I eat there and more importantly people there are awesome... always helpful and try to make it comfortable for you and your group of friends.

Little piece of France. Food and drinks were awesome with open window view of a little park!

What a great simple place. Friendly staff, laid back vibe make for a great place to hang off of Roy street. I really loved the story of Else the owner. Only had drinks, though you need to order food. The menu is really reasonable in terms of pricing. Checkout my pictures to see options and cost for food and drinks. Will update my review the next time I eat there.

Very nice place to hang drink and eat. The prices are reasonable and the portions are on the small side. Tried the pulled pork and bison burgers. Both were good and homey. The service is great. Attentive and quick.

I've been to Else's multiple times and it never disappoints. Affordable, decent food and drink, this is a great spot for a date or a meet-up with a few friends. It's cozy, dark and candlelit (so everyone looks good), low key atmosphere, and the music isn't too loud so you can have a conversation over your meal (the establishment requires you to order food if you are drinking alcohol). My favorite dish would be the fish tacos or the veggie tacos. I also like their simple beer selection and I've never had a cocktail I didn't like here. The wait staff are all very polite and knowledgable. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a cute, local place to grab a few drinks and have a bite to eat.

One of my favourite bars in Montreal. It's cozy, dark, friendly, and just plain gives me the warm fuzzies. As everyone notes, they have a restaurant license so you are requested to order food so that you can also order drinks. It used to be that they had super cheap options like olives or samosas for less than $5. That's increased in the last several years and now most of the options are around $10 or more. In my personal experience, we've always been able to share dishes. In the dozens of times I've been here, we have not been asked to order individual plates. But other people's experience differs, so I don't really know of it's something we say or do or just luck. Beer menu is not huge, but sufficient for most tastes. They've also got cocktails, cider, hot drinks. If you sit near the back of the bar, there are large notebooks leaning on the piano. They are filled with the notes and doodles of past patrons over the years. They're good for a browse when you're a few drinks in. I don't really come here for the food, Else's is just that special that I'm willing to put up with this little inconvenient charade of ordering food just so I can keep drinking here. Sometimes, I think this charade is part of the charm.

Wow. What a great hidden gem!! Amazing service!! Fabulous food. Very lively atmosphere. So closely to everything. So happy we tried this place out

Pleasant ambience with good food. Love the fact they attempt international dishes, the butter chicken and butter tofu were good. Not the same flavor as you'd get at an authentic Indian restaurant but the naan (bread) was almost better.

The best neighbourhood bar in the plateau. Best in the early afternoon when the windows are open. All the food is good but I find they do light dishes better than heavy.

Great service and excellent food! Place has a really nice vibe with lots of light and fresh air. Clutch spot for vegetarians - highly recommend the butter tofu, so tasty.

Great neighborhood spot. We came for a late dinner our last evening in the city and regretted not finding it sooner! Pibil tacos are SO good

This bar is really cute and has a great atmosphere. I agree with one of the reviewers that this bar is probably at its best during winter snow storms. There are many advantages to this bar as other reviewers pointed out - the music is not too loud, nice selection of beers, wine and cocktail. Surely, everyone in your crowd will find something to enjoy. However, we didn't drink any beer or cocktail that was really really good but maybe we didn't try enough. I was just much more impressed by the beer at Dieu du Ciel. While Else's offers a range of food options, our food didn't amaze us (but it's definitely ok!). Basically, I would come here if I was in the area but I don't think it's worth an extended trip down. Also, I would definitely come here if members of your group like different things.

Decent bar, music was chill, not too loud, they make you buy food to drink here, their liquor license is for a pub/restaurant if you know the laws in Quebec then you understand,. We only drank, bought a snack for the table, quesadillas, menh. Beer cold, service good, chill time. Go here.

Else's is always chill and cozy, dark, yummy and badass in a punk mamma full of community love kind of way. It's at its best in the winter right after a big snow. The small corner it sits on is the perfect place to watch the coordinated massive machine ballet of Montreal snow removal. Nice scotch collection and beers on tap, tasty samosas and nachos and other little snacks - you have to order the eats to get the booze so they are not crazy spectacular but they are delicious, unpretentious and cool just like everyone who works and drinks and writes tucked into this friendly local institution.

Had the tacos here and thought it was pretty good. Was with some friends who tried other things on the menu, and they seemed to enjoy it as well. The prices are also pretty good for what it is. The service was a bit slow besides drinks, likely because it's a bar. The ambiance is nice, they have dim lighting around the place which can be nice depending on what vibe you're going for but I thought it was a little too dark (reason why this review doesn't have pictures posted).

Anyone who's ever had a crush on someone else in Montreal has suggested that they go for drinks at Else's. It's cozy, unpretentious and at the comfortable intersection of St Denis East Plateau franco cool, St Laurent hipsterdom and a quick saunter away from the McGill student ghetto. That means that Else's is pure Montreal where you can switch back and forth between eng and fr. It's kindova jam-packed place with the tables tucked in pretty close so if you're bilingual, you can get in some choice eavesdropping while you're having yourself a nice drink. They've got cider on tap as well as a pretty respectable selection of Quebec microbrews and hard liker. Food-wise, I like: the samosas. They're nice and greasy though the Indian platter feels a bit sparse. The chilli's where the money's at, in my book. You get a nice full bowl of thick red-bean tomato stew with some nice cumin and chili highlights and a plate full of corn chips to go with it. Cheese and no cheese options are available.

I love it here! The atmosphere is chill, the staff is amazing, and the food is to die for! You won't get food this good at such great prices anywhere else. In particular, the shepard's pie is next level! I actually don't even like shepard's pie, but this is like nothing I've ever had. Cheesy, bacon-y, and oh so yummy! My boyfriend and I have literally tried every single thing on the menu with only one thumbs down, the nachos. They were just ok. Everything else about this place is great though! And they have an awesome extended 5-7.