Wine, Vegetarian Small Plates and a Hidden Bar Under One Roof in St. Henri

4005 Notre-Dame St W, Montreal, QC H4C 1R3

Magdalena has been opened for about 3 months now and I finally checked it out last week. It is owned by the same people behind its neighbour, Ludger.

This is one of my favourite wine bars in the city right now for more reasons than one (and I’ve only been once!). Firstly, the space is beautiful. I went after work to have some wine with friends and it was still bright out, so we grabbed a table in the adorable nook by the window to enjoy some of the rare Montreal sun seeping in. The red leather benches, white table tops, gold accents and greenery create a casual, yet elegant atmosphere. Our waiter informed us that the owner designed and decorated much of the space on her own – right down to putting the paint on the walls. You could feel the love that was put into it.

The next reason I loved this place was because of the vegetarian menu. Though I am not a vegetarian, I could appreciate a well-thought out and well-executed vegetarian menu – plus there are not many vegetarian wine bars in Montreal at the moment.

We had the mozzarella with roasted red pepper and herbs, the crispy brussels sprouts, and the focaccia with roasted mushrooms, feta, and a poached egg. Favourites included the zingy brussels sprouts – sweet, spicy and completely addictive and the foccacia with mushrooms – earthy mushrooms on a soft and buttery focaccia topped with a perfectly poached egg. The full-bodied red wine (Renato Buganza Gerbole Nebbiolo d’Alba 2008) recommended by our waiter complemented the dishes well.

A final reason to visit Magdalena is for their speakeasy. Head to the back of the restaurant and go downstairs to check it out. The vibe is completely different from the upstairs and of course it will be more cocktail-driven. Start with some small plates and wine upstairs and finish off your night with a night cap downstairs. You could seriously have it all under one roof (which is particularly useful on a rainy day like today).

So if you haven’t made plans yet, I highly recommend stopping by Magdalena for wine, beautiful vegetarian dishes, or a cocktail at their speakeasy.