10 great places to eat and drink before Montreal Canadiens games

If you’re heading out to watch the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre, it’s important to get your pre-game warms up in too.

Before spending $12 dollars on a beer in a plastic cup, it’s important to have a solid place to go to “stretch” before the game. Luckily, there are a bunch of gems around the city that are only a puck toss away from the Bell Centre.

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Those days of chugging Four Loko in the parking lot before the game are over. Here are 10 great spots to eat and/or drink before a Habs game, all within walking distance from the Bell Centre.

Mckibbin’s Irish Pub

Mckibbin’s is a cozy pub with a fun atmosphere. They boast over 20 imported beers on tap and have solid happy hour deals every day from 4 to 8 pm, perfectly timed for your pre-game. Their food menu is big and tasty – you can’t go wrong with their Irish nachos, fish n’ chips, or the bison burger.

Chase that down with a $5 happy hour pint and you’ll have a couple bucks to spare on that Bell Centre pretzel during intermission.

Hold on to your ticket after the game and they’ll exchange it for a free shot of Jameson.

Address: 1426 Bishop Street (nine-minute walk to the Bell Centre)

Burger Bar Crescent

Located in the heart of the ever-busy Crescent Street, Burger Bar is the perfect spot to head to before the game if you’re hungry and don’t want to eat again for the foreseeable future.

BB offers fantastic, majestic burgers at a reasonable price. Their “Hangover Burger” is an award winner but Burger Bar’s mac n’ cheese is good enough to consider changing their name.

Their full bar menu is also impressive, but not as much as their homemade cheese sticks.

Address: 1465 Crescent Street (eight-minute walk to the Bell Centre)

Ye Olde Orchard Pub & Grill

With their beautiful exposed brick, birch tables, and kilt-wearing staff, Olde Orchard is your traditional Celtic-Irish pub. Its proximity to the Bell Centre makes it very busy during Habs games, but not overwhelming like the Bell Centre’s restaurant neighbours.

They offer all the conventional Irish beers and their food menu is classic tasty pub grub.

They’re popular for their wings, fish, curry, and bangers. If you’re looking for a similar vibe to what the Bell Centre will be for a Habs game, Ye Olde Orchard is for you.

Address: 1189 de la Montagne (three-minute walk to the Bell Centre)

McLean’s Pub

McLean’s is an English pub fused with a sports bar. Its various TVs showcase a variety of sports while the oak beamed ceilings and hand-carved fireplace make for a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Head upstairs to shoot some pool, order food off their flavourful menu, or gather your friends to try and finish the 10-litre tower of beer. Yes, you read that right.

Address: 1210 Peel Street (six-minute walk to the Bell Centre)

8. Station des Sports

Station des Sports is massive diner that boasts an equally vast food menu, all for relatively cheap.

Their beer and spirit list won’t impress you but the number of televisions will. They have over 150 TVs in the restaurant and yes, that’s included the ones in the restrooms as well. If you’re looking to get into a real sporty state of mind before the game, grab a club sandwich, and get lost in all the sports at Station des Sports.

Address: 2051 Saint-Catherine Ouest (13-minute walk to the Bell Centre)

Hurley’s Irish Pub

Hurley’s is a maze of a pub; it has two floors both of which have different rooms that never seem to end.

It’s an authentic Irish pub, perfect for exploring the three different bars packed into one. Hurley’s is dark and cozy and it’d be tough to find a bar that pours a better pint of Guinness than here. They offer traditional pub food at a good price and always have live music playing somewhere, you just have to trek around to find it.

Address: 1225 Crescent Street (five-minute walk to the Bell Centre)

Brass Door Pub & Grill

Brass Door may be quiet and small but if you’re looking for classy décor and a delicious food menu, it’s your go-to spot.

Some of their food items venture away from pub classic (such as the tacos or scallops) but everything is still scrumptious. They offer a small beer and spirit list but favour quality over quantity.

You can’t go wrong with their 25 cent wing deal, especially before the inflated prices of the Bell Centre.

A candle-lit table with cheap, scrumptious wings, should be your go-to spot if the Habs play on a Wednesday.

Address: 2171 Crescent Street (10-minute walk to the Bell Centre)

La Belle & La Boeuf Burger Bar

La Belle & La Boeuf is a bar fused into a library and it’s absolutely gorgeous — just like their burgers.

LB&LB offers gourmet burgers and an impressive array of signature cocktails served in giant mason jars. The bar is completely devoted to the Habs and offer solid deals on pitchers and cocktails before games.

Don’t come here if you’re hoping for a regular pint, you have to try their signature drinks. You’ll get lost in the bar’s décor and the walk to the Bell Centre will do you good after devouring one of their hefty burgers.

Address: 1620 Saint-Catherine Street (12-minute walk to the Bell Centre)

Pizza Dany

What Pizza Dany lacks in size, they make up for in delicious pizzas.

If you’re strapped for time before puck drop, head over to Pizza Dany, which takes up a small space inside what feels like an entrance, and scarf down a few slices while you walk down the street to the Bell Centre.

Or, give them a 15-minute heads up and order a large pie for you and the gang which will surely get devoured before the Bell Centre’s doors.

Their spinach and garlic pizza is good enough to make you forget about the game, entirely.

Address: 1237 Rue de la Montagne (5-minute walk to the Bell Centre)

Joes Panini 24h

If you’re hoping to hold on to a few extra bucks for the big game, consider some tasty sandwich options at Joes Panini.

Their famous chicken, steak and cheese, sausage, tuna, bbq ribs, ham and cheese, BLT, meatball, veggie, and roast beef panini all go for a smooth $6.75.

Toss in a drink and you’ll be full for game time for just under $10.

Address: 1404 Rue Drummond (seven-minute walk to the Bell Centre)