Blizzarts: the perfect place to begin a night out. It has a prime location on St. Laurent, Montreal’s nightlife hotspot, and is situated between Duluth Street and Pine Avenue. It is a small bar with a very casual and almost cozy atmosphere. The inside is dark, but comfortably dark due to the dim lights and candles, which give it an aura of intimacy. However, the constant chatter, laughter, and hip-hop music in the background fill the open space, making Blizzart’s lively. Although the bar is small, it is not overly cramped or crowded: the size is actually just right. There’s enough space to freely walk around the bar, through the intimate booths, and carouse the dance floor, but there’s not so much space that you feel like the bar is empty.
Blizzart’s is very simply decorated with retro-like paintings on the semi-exposed, semi-painted brick walls. Towards the back by the dancing area is an eye-catching, flashy sign reading “Get Nice,” in reference to the bar’s “Get Nice Fridays,” along with a very artistic drawing of a black-and-white face on the back door of the ladies room (pictured below), which all add to the overall artsy and distinctive vibe of the bar. It’s one of those places you go and never forget.
The hip-hop music takes you back to the early 2000s with songs like 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop,” Beyonce’s “Naughty Girl” and B2K’s “Bump Bump Bump,” that will keep you on the dance floor and more recent songs like Jeremih’s “Don’t Tell ‘Em” that will have you singing along as you dance. The DJ is very accessible and takes requests, which is a nice contrast to most clubs where the DJ is making all the decisions.
If you can pull yourself away from the dance floor, you can explore the bar which serves a variety of beers and cocktails such as the spicy, yet sweet (pictured below) “Dark and Stormy” and the spicy, but delicious “Bloody Caesar.” Blizzarts has a 2-for-1 cocktails deal before 11PM, so you could even try both. Overall, Blizzarts is a good night starter. You can sit and drink with your friends, have a pre-clubbing or house party dance and then head off to the main destination of the night.
For more information, visit the Blizzarts website.
Images provided by the author and HC McGill writer Gabrielle Lee Gabauer.