The (Hi)Story Continues

The Pitch

While some parts of our downtown core are still under a never-ending wave of construction, others have been finally revealed, making way for new, wider sidewalks in lieu of the orange eyesores that have plagued us for several summers.

With circulation and fluidity no longer an issue, it was high time to (re)discover an old haunt of mine in the area: Bar Dominion.  The name Dominion has been kept alive since 1927, going through several permutations, the last of which was the acclaimed Dominion Square Tavern (reviewed here in 2013).

The latter folded and succumbed to the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020, but its historic venue has been reimagined by a solid duo of Montreal restaurateurs, unveiling Bar Dominion in October of 2023.  After a miserly week of bad weather tainted by flash rain and forest fires, today my friend and I decided to enjoy the bar's patio on this beautiful Monday evening.

tagged:  CATCH SOME SUN OPEN ON MONDAY

The Mood

The old-world tavern's interior was largely preserved.  Still present are the ceiling beams, dangling chandeliers, tiled floors and wall mirrors.  Gone are the tables, all replaced with bar-height versions both inside and on the patio.

Also making an appearance is a hanging Canadiens jersey, which goes hand-in-hand with the joint's overall casualification.  The evening was quiet during our entire dinner from 7 to 10 PM; the interior counted a handful of occupied tables and a couple patrons at the bar while the outside space was nearly but not all-the-way full.

The turnout is not so bad for a Monday night, which pales in comparison to the rowdy Thursday-to-Saturday nights I have witnessed, where the full room's chatter may be louder than the guest DJ set's decibel level.

The Food

Although officially billed a gastropub, Bar Dominion complements its succinct drinks menu – margaritas, pitchers, cocktails, beers and wines – with a decent food offering.  This is, after all, a joint project between mixologist Andrew Whibley and chef Pablo Rojas.

The latter, from Provisions, was not going to limit himself to charcuterie boards and mixed nuts.  Instead, one can enjoy American/brasserie staples such as beef tartare, baby back ribs, a cheeseburger and steak-frites, with a raw seafood bar sandwiched in between starters and mains.

Amid a couple rounds of classic cocktails such as dirty martinis and palomas, we treated ourselves to a simple, not-creamy-enough burrata/tomato salad and a surprisingly spicy beef tartare full of textures.  Those were followed by a half dozen oysters – Lovey Dovey and Valley Pearl, both from P.E.I. – and toasted rustic country bread served with a sauce vierge.

The bizarre ordering notwithstanding (the oysters should have come first), these were mildly briny with a gentle sweetness and beautifully served next to two kinds of mignonette, lemon wedges and a hot sauce pipette.  Finally (no room for dessert), we ended with two main dishes: a nicely-loaded lobster roll and a steak-frites of hanger meat in jus.

Both were delicious and served with soft-ish fries, but the steak did suffer from some chewiness.  It's important to note that the bill can quickly add up here.  With some starters pushing the high $20s and mains in the $30-40 range, the only thing that kept our tally below $300 for two were the $1 oysters (offered on Sundays and Mondays).

The Service

Although our evening went generally well, there was a pileup of small shortcomings which, when taken as a whole, are hard to ignore.  For starters, I am normally accustomed to beginning with oysters; for some reason yet unknown to me, we received them after our other appetizers.

Our second dirty martini was also forgotten for a while.  Although I commend our waiter for picking up on this on his own and offering to put it on the house, it still made an appearance on our bill.

Next, I can accept serving condiments in small paper cups at a fast-food joint, but at a bar of this caliber?  Come on!  On our way out, I could not help but think if service was this spotty on a quiet Monday night, what would it be like during a full house?

The Verdict

Despite my remarks here and there with some of the food items and the service, Bar Dominion is a gorgeous spot with a great ambiance and good offering.  It evokes a bygone era with its grand establishments; and is an ode to what Montreal used to be and what the downtown core was missing.

After all, there's a reason it landed the 37th spot on Canada's 100 Best bar list in 2026.  Cheers to that!

tagged:  PLAN B.

3

Price per person:  $62.50