Bar Just North of the Border

Finding a great bar in Canada doesn't mean driving to Montreal

Story and photos by Jarrett Borrie

Many local bars can be found without having to drive an hour north into the city of Montreal, some are close as ten minutes after crossing the border.

One such bar is the Brasserie du Mail located in Lacolle, Quebec, approximately eight kilometers north past the Champlain, NY border.

The Brasserie du Mail is known to many in the community who are under the age of twenty-one, to be a fairly cheap bar, when compared to the bars in Montreal. 

This bar is definitely unique when it comes to other bars in the local area.  When first entering the bar, there is a nice and cozy restaurant directly to the left at the top of the stairs.  After passing the restaurant that is connected to the bar itself, the room opens up and is filled with many tables and chairs for lots of people to enjoy themselves.  The walls are made out of solid wood and are stained with a dark mahogany wood stain.  The bar is alsomade of solid wood, and shows up nicely with the lighting in the room, which centralizes the bar's counter as the main area of attraction.  Two LCD high-definition televisions are also present to the left and right of the bars counter, displaying current news and topics that are happening throughout Canada.  Directly to the right of the bars countertop is a relatively small slot machine area that offers electronic touch-screen machines, with approximately twenty machines total.  This gaming room appears much larger to the naked eye because of the glass walls, which create a sense of a wide open space.

The service at the bar is very good, and the waitresses and bartenders are very quick at tending to the customers needs approximately two to three minutes after entering the bar.

The bar offers a wide variety of beer, such as Labatt Blue and Molson Canadian, which can range in price from three dollars to five dollars Canadian.  They also offer specials on pitchers of beer, which are equivalent to four beers for ten dollars Canadian.

The great thing about this bar is that it can accommodate and entertain a very large crowd of people who are out for a night of fun.  The bar also has karaoke for those who are brave enough or drunk enough to take the challenge as well as a pool table, for those who feel competitive.

The Brasserie du Mail is a very good bar overall, with a great atmosphere and lots of seating to accommodate many people, which gets this bar a 5 out of 5 recommendation.

What are some bars in Canada that you think are great?