This summer-only bar in Mile Ex (a ten-block area between Mile End and Parc Ex) is a festive place to end any warm-weather day. Basically a big concrete space with communal picnic tables, string lighting and a garage-door opening, the sum of those parts equates a mystical sort of feel-good feng shui. The terrasse on the sidewalk is particularly popular, as are the veggie dogs grilled fresh on the barbecue. The signature cocktails bring people in from far and wide. The Ginger Lime Sake marries biting fresh-ginger sake with tonic and fresh-squeezed lime juice – it’s the reason summer was invented. The bourbon lemonade is another top seller.
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The Stein Way
When the weather is warm, many Montreal residents flock to an off-the-beaten path bit of Berlin in the city’s Mile-Ex district (the current name for the industrial section of Little Italy). The atmosphere is decidedly unpretentious at the biergarten Alexandraplatz. There are just a few rows of communal picnic tables, some outside to take advantage of the long days of summer and others inside a converted garage adjacent to the Brasserie Vieux-Montréal. All the beer served here comes from the Brasserie, so it can’t possible get any fresher, while a short menu includes nachos and popular vegan hot dogs. Note that because the garage is not insulated, Alexandraplatz is only open from spring to late fall.
