These days it’s hard to imagine a Montreal bar or a restaurant lasting more than a few years, let alone a decade or more. Thursday’s is a staple in Montreal and has been riding the ebbs and flows of our city’s nightlife scene since May of 1973. The establishment, a combination of bistro, bar and nightclub, is a testament of durability in one of the most rapidly changing nightlife scenes in North America. Forget your previous perceptions of whatever this place once was, this isn’t your parents Thursday’s.
Thursday’s recently underwent a massive overhaul and three floors of renovations before reopening to the public over the past summer. The end result was well worth the pain of being closed for months on one of Montreal’s busiest streets. The new look has elevated the top floor bistro to one the most beautiful restaurant spaces in Montreal. Led by Chef Jean-François Vachon, the bistro boasts an excellent new menu and features a must-try brunch. At a recent media launch we sampled a few bites of the menu including braised beef, salmon and beef tartare, foie gras and some refreshing desserts. You can’t compare Thursday’s to any other bar or restaurant on Crescent Street between de Maisonneuve and St-Catherine. You can, however, go and see for yourself that the restaurant doesn’t have any competition on the street. With both substance and style, they are sitting at the top.
On the main floor, the bar has been freshened with a refined new look that’s both dark and modern. Perfect for a centrally located 5à7, a quick meal to catch a hockey game or just a couple of afternoon or afterwork cocktails, the bar is a great setting for any type of gathering. It’s open from 11:30am to 3:00am daily and features a DJ on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. While you’re at the bar, ask for a “Blair’s Mistake”. It’s available until the end of October 2015 and for that story, you have to click the link at the bottom of this article.
At the club level, Thursday’s stripped the place down, removing all vestiges of the past (including the revolving dance floor) and concentrated on providing a sleek environment for party people to dance the night away. There’s central bar, a lounge of to the side with comfortable leather benches, full renovated bathrooms and a killer sound system. During our media tour, we descended into the club to get a taste of what people see from Thursday to Saturday night starting at 10:00. Though I’m more of a bistro person, it was cool to be in a place that has seen so many years go by and still feel new and fresh.
The latest iteration of Thursday’s is run by the three sons of the original owner. He passed the torch much like we do to the next generation who will spend their nights drinking, dancing and having a good time. The new Thursday’s is living proof that a classic never goes out of style.
Image credit: David Major-Lapierre and Thursday’s
Read the story about Blair’s Mistake here!