With summer just around the corner, we’ve got you covered for the latest in nightlife. One of our favorite summer spots for a night on the town is Kampai Garden. Kampai, which means “Cheers” in Japanese, is downtown Montreal’s latest beer garden to hit up for your next fun night out with friends.
Kampai Garden is located on Sainte-Catherine’s street at the corner of Saint-Mathieu. Right next to Concordia University, it’s the perfect place for students to head after class for some delicious food and drinks. The bar is also a great place for corporate Christmas parties and after work cocktails. The DJ plays a thumping mix of hip hop songs (mood: Drake and Rihanna) that always gets the crowd going.
So what exactly is a beer garden? A beer garden is an outdoor place where people can meet up to share beer and food. With our Montreal winters, Kampai Garden takes the outdoor beer garden vibe inside. The bar has plants and leaves covering the walls and ceiling, giving the place a fresh, outdoorsy vibe.
Pool tables are strewn across the bar as well. Kampai Garden is famous for its lit-up, charming quotes up on the walls. That neon pink “non, rien de rien, non, je ne regrette rien” sign you’ve been seeing all over Instagram lately? It’s one of Kampai’s many quotable backdrops to pose in front of #ForTheInsta.
Of course, a beer garden wouldn’t be complete without a wide selection of beers to choose from. The bar also has a wine list with a choice of reds, whites, and rosés by the glass or bottle, as well as a champagne menu and different types of Sake to indulge in.
They also have a variety of tasty cocktail pitchers. Offered in small, medium, and large formats that range from $20 to $30, the cocktail pitchers are perfect to share with friends. They have the cutest names too, like the “Baby Girl What’s Your Name” and the “Starboy”. Our favorite was the “Pikachu”, a tropical mix of rum, passion fruit purée, citronella, guava juice, lime, soda, and bits of rhubarb.
Kampai Garden is also an awesome place to go for a post-work or school bite to eat or a pre-night-out snack. At Kampai, sharing is caring, and the menu boasts an assortment of Japanese-inspired delectable dishes to share. Starting at only $9 per dish, they’re the perfect size and price to get a few for the table to try, and believe us, you’ll want to try them all.
With Chef Antonio Park at the helm, the food is sure to impress. To name a few of the options, they have braised beef tacos, shrimp pogos, tuna tataki, and the famous Kampai Hotdog with kimchi and crispy potato chips.
The beer garden is open from 5pm to 3am Tuesday to Saturday. The lineups are already substantial, so make reservations and head over there early! No harm in a 5 à 7 trickling into the (late) evening… We definitely recommend Kampai Garden for your next night on the town this summer – you will not be disappointed!
1616 Saint-Catherine St W, Montreal, QC H3H 1L9
(514) 379-6161
Photos courtesy of Kampai Garden.
