Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill

Love this place! Went to Upstairs with a large group of girls visiting Montréal for a Bachelorette Party on the first night of our trip. Our reservation was for 7:30P, so just enough time to get settled in and order a cocktail before the show started at 8:00P. We did order dinner there, which honestly wasn’t the best meal ever (I ordered the seafood dish and it was sort of bland), but the music made up for that, and more. The pianist, drummer, and singer were insanely talented and played songs in both English and French. So happy we went there!

Cool cool cool, great place for local live jazz and tasty food! Great spot for a fun night out while listening to live music. Good variety on menu suiting all tastes.

This is a fantastic Jazz Bar and Restaurant. When we arrived, the owner, Joel, greeted us at the door to escort us to our table. We were then greeted by staff members as they brought us table settings, menus, water. Our waiter, Octavian, stepped in and took our orders, brought wine and regaled us with tales of the city. The food was outstanding. The menu was adventuresome, yet had familiar overtones. All four of us ordered something a bit different and we all exclaimed how wonderful it was. As we were reaching the dessert stage, the entertainment started. That evening, we heard a Brazilian style jazz quartet. And they were awesome. Familiar sounds, but new songs. Classic but fresh. WOW! Next return to the city and we will be back there, for the food and the music. No chattering while the group played. It was truly a concert rather than bar music. Overall, a perfect evening out.

The place is great, nice atmosphere, quick and nice service. The place is a down to business jazz bar. Different lineups all the time, lots of nice (and expensive) drinks. Didn’t try any food as we came at 9:30 for the second set after dinner. We saw quite the experimental group, don’t know if that’s how most of the groups are. Overall very enjoyable. Only downside is when you come in they tell you how much the ticket price is and ask if that’s ok, but they don’t tell you that right as you sit down you have to order either a drink or food. The fries are great (and $ 3.50) if you’re just looking to come and listen to some jazz music and not spend $ 30 on a meal as well.

Such a positive experience and very pleasantly surprised with the quality of everything. Busy spot, but service was great. The show was better than anticipated and well-​produced with an effective audience set-​up and volume control that made it possible to focus on the show and still hear when your table companion speaks. Good food and drink menu with tasty options. Food presentation was average, but that wasn’t really the point at this great live jazz venue.

This place is totally under-​rated, its small, a bit cramped inside, and unlike most nightlife establishments in the city you almost always have to pay cover. But they have great musicians come through here and I’ve seen all kinds of great acts, some with star power and others just local students or nobody artists just passing through. Last time I was here saw Bharath and his Rhythm Four and was blown away by these guys, fantastic blues band and would see them again if they hit Toronto.
The food is half decent, just be careful with what you order — if you stick to the appys or standard «pubfare» mains you can’t really go wrong. I like their steak frites, portion is decent sized, meat is a decent cut not too dry, and the fries are piping hot and salted just right. Close to Bell Centre and Crescent street so good spot to hit after a game or before heading out for a late one.

Monday — Open Stage night @ Upstairs. Pretty cool lineup of singers, saxes, & other jazz players, backed by excellent house band. The place to chill!

We had bar seating; enjoyed St. Ambroise draft and a boy in while enjoying a Chet Baker tribute by local skilled musicians.
Very relaxed setting and $ 10 cover seemed fair.

My favorite no-​nonsense jazz club. Intimate seating close to the stage, cheap pints of St-​Ambroise, and a varied lineup of live music every night. Iconic bands and local music student jam sessions share the stage. The cover charge is variable and indeed quite a bargain (3^rd set is always free). You can hear the music from outside and there are often curious people who enter.
Don’t go to jazz clubs for the food, but the Cajun bacon burger here was surprisingly decent.
I love how the atmosphere at Upstairs makes the music experience so authentic and approachable.

Great atmosphere, solid music, and a bargain! Like stepping back in time 25 years but lots of young people.

This review is only of the food, as I did not see the jazz.
Do not come just for the food, as what I experienced was that it was okay. But the ambiance and staff were quite lovely, and I would have loved to come back to watch the show and have cocktails (if I drank alcohol).
In fact, I wish I had come back for the Jazz, as I hear it is one of the top spots in Montréal for it :)

Great mule! Overall very nice intimate jazz club. Really liked sitting at the bar. Pappardelle was REALLY good. My concierge recommended this place and I am so glad I ventured out to this place.

Great night of jazz in Montréal. We got there early for the second show and got front row seats. We got a bottle of wine and enjoyed music from the Ally Cats. I appreciate the club politely asks guests to be quiet during the set, that way the music doesn’t have to compete with any table conversations. We ordered an appetizer and it was satisfactory but nothing special. Definitely recommend for a fun night of drinks and music, I would just eat somewhere else.

So glad we checked this place out. Went here to enjoy some live jazz music. When we arrived we had to wait only a few minutes until a spot opened up right in front of the stage. We ordered a bottle of wine which was great and the prawns. The prawns were nothing special. Very plain. The music was excellent. Most of the crowd dressed to the nines for the show. It was so much fun! Recommend going there for drinks and music maybe not for dinner.

This is our 2^nd time to Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill. The first time we got in really late after we had dinner elsewhere so we only caught the end of a show. This time we made sure we made reservations for dinner so that we could relax with a couple of drinks for the show.
This is a very cozy place and great for listening to live jazz. The line up of artists are pretty extensive and the acoustics are good enough to drown out talking from the other tables. Even though there are signs on the tables and they remind the audience before each set to keep silent during the performance, it seems this is a concept some people can’t grasp! RUDE!
We made reservations for a Friday night at 7:30pm, hoping to get some snacks and drinks before the performance started at 8:30pm, at which time we would order dinner. By 8pm it was completely packed!
The food is pretty good. My wife had the zarzuela and I had the steak et frites. Hers was nicely flavoured and my steak was prepared perfectly; tender and juicy. We had a pitcher of white sangria which was tasty. The service was great! Our server came around often to check on us, our water was constantly filled, and table was cleaned after each dish. He was super nice, letting us know that because we paid for the early performance we could stay all night at no extra cost if we wanted to. We finished our drinks and decided to leave. I felt a little guilty about staying because there was a lineup of about 16 people waiting to get in for the 10pm show.
Overall, we had a good time. Your main reason for coming should be the jazz, but the food holds its own pretty well!

This is somewhere fun and different to do on a date night. We loved the cozy atmosphere, the host and the band. It cost $ 10 admission (added to your bill), which is definitely reasonable for the quality of live music.
Downsides were the price of drinks ($ 11 – 12 for a mixed drink), the length of the show (only an hour), and that not all seats are good (we were in a booth so the angle was awkward to see the band). These were small issues in an overall lovely experience.

This is such a cozy jazz bar. They have great artists come and the acoustics are good… maybe too good — it was a tad loud. I can hear quite well from the back, I’m quite certain the amplifiers were not necessary. The food is nothing special and the drinks are a bit watered down. The tables could be cleaner, but the service is quite alright. When coming here, be aware of when each session of music is. You don’t want to be paying for a whole session when you only came for the last song! If you have a large party, be sure to make a reservation.

Was at this place 3 nights ago. It is a legit jazz club: great musicians, dark, warm, cozy, great food and wine.
Beware though. I did get pick-​pocketed here. My coat hung in back of my chair and my iphone was stolen from pocket.

Overall if you are looking for a place to catch some jazz in Montréal that is within walking distance of most of the business hotels you can’t beat this place. With ample bar seating it is easy to go solo and not feel out of place at all. The drink prices were reasonable (well as reasonable as one can find in Montréal) and the good acoustics make this a club worth visiting for jazz.
Only had an appetizer, but what I had was better than I expected.
The only complaint I have and there isn’t much the ownership can do about it is there was one table near me that made me wish, well I knew how to say STFU SVP totally in French (instead of just SVP). They got the hint a left, so it wasn’t that much of a problem.

Upstairs is Montréal’s finest jazz venue and one of the city’s local gems. Its a small and intimate, a perfect spot for any date and a fun way to spend an evening sipping on drinks, grabbing a bite, and listening to some of the best live music in the area.
Joel Giberovitch opened this neat little jazz joint nearly 20 years ago, which has gained a notable amount of popularity, especially in the last decade. His inspirations from his past trips to legendary New York jazz are an obvious influence in the makeup of his décor, which include wooden panels, brick walls, a lengthy yet cozy bar, and classy linens draping each table. If that doesn’t establish the mood, I don’t know what does. Seating is tight of course, but group dining is very possible here; I would highly recommend reservations.
Though it’s been touted as a fun lunch spot, I’m more of a fan during their showcase nights which happen every Friday and Saturday. There is usually a cover charge before midnight, which was about $ 5 last time I checked. Groups of 4 or more are almost guaranteed a wait, but if you don’t listen to jazz often, then take it like a champ and wait it out.
If the music isn’t worth it (but of course it is), then consider the food and the drinks. Much of the menu is distinctly American, with quite few dishes named after notable states in the South, the birth place of jazz. Another portion of the menu is tapas, which is more bar food (nachos, quesadillas, fries, etc.) than they are classic Spanish small plates. I’ve enjoyed their food overall, as I’ve had good results with their pappardelle verona, their New Orleans filet mignon, and their array of tasty burgers. Try any of their martinis or get a wine to be paired with the food.
Then of course there’s the music. Live jazz doesn’t have to be during Montréal Jazz Festival, it can be had here on a much more casual level. The music has always taken precedence and has been a treat every time. I could probably not even eat anything and just sit to enjoy the performances, which vary from a wide range of local and visiting musicians.
I think very highly of this place and hope it continues to do well. I haven’t gone to Montréal as often lately and want Upstairs to keep the drinks flowing and the music going. If only I could write their name upside down (see pics for reference).