Absolutely best bar to visit in little Portugal. This bar has so much heart and flavor. It's a magic portal into a different more magical world. The service was amazing and the people who work here were above and beyond kind to me despite me being American. lol The owner is a sweetheart of a gentleman with plenty of Montreal street cred. Absolutely love this place. read more

North Star - Pickle Beer! - Bars Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

So much fun. After dinner on Friday I suggest this place to a mixed age group. Everyone loved it. So basically a bar on one side and an arcade on the other. They are usually open real late, so you can get that pinball/arcade fix whenever that late night urge happens. So you pay at the token machine, pick an arcade machine and away you go. You can easily spend hours in here. It's a must do if you like the combination. read more

Found shelter from the rain and stayed all night at the North Star! Shannon, the co-owner, was working and was the absolute best. She made us feel like a regular and we could have stayed all night - even though I am not a big barcade person! Great selection of local beers, great drinks, fabulous music. I wish I lived in Montreal just for this bay. read more

North Star - Bubble hockey - Bars Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

A fantastic spread of pinball machines here, spanning seven decades, very much right down my alley. And, really, very nicely prepped and maintained compared to some other venues. Gold star for both variety and playability. The out of the way upstairs location, great beer selection, and friendly proprietors make this feel like the neighborhood bar you always wished for. Montréal has come a long way in pinball since I played in the 80's and 90's, when the only places with machines were the peep show places on St. Catherine. So glad y'all are here and I wish you every success. I'll be back. read more

Great pin selection. Machines were in great shape, they are all well maintained. Excellent beer selection and nice crowd. It was a Sunday night, so I don't know how packed it gets on a busy night. Had a great night. read more

Highly Recommend!! I have wanted to go to this place for a really long time but finally got around to it last week. They have about 10 or 12 vintage pinball machines in very good condition. You get a free token with your first drink, and there's a machine you can feed cash into and get a whole bunch of tokens. Personally I wanted to try every single game. Super cute atmosphere, fun reasonably priced drinks. Really adorable vintage neon signs on the walls, with a rather large jukebox in the corner. I Absolutely adore this place and I can't wait to go back read more

See all

Not going to lie, when North Star opened I wasn't sold. My couple first visits were marked by over-priced beers (I'm talking real people prices, not St Laurent standards) and hipster nerd sausage fests. With time it seems like the drinks have remained consistent but the crowd has evolved to be a bit more inclusive which is a relief. Obviously the big deal here is the pinball machines. The machines featured change regularly and often include classics. Particularly, my obsessively competitive pals love coming here with a handful of tokens and going hard on the really old baseball game. I myself get jazzed that these guys have one of the only analogue photobooths in the city. Nerd alert: the original company that made the chemicals to process the photos for these machines is no longer in business so the implication here is that either North Star is doing their own maintenance or probably paying pretty big bucks to have someone come in and DIY that sh*t. This is probably the biggest selling point to the place for me. You will still be hard-pressed to find me here on a Saturday night: the crowd picks up and if you ain't hardcore about pinball then step out of the way. Definitely go for a visit on a quieter night and enjoy the machines. read more

My friend and I were visiting Montreal from the US and wanted to do something on a Friday night that wasn't full on going out etc., so we went to North Star. We had a great time here! The ambiance was relaxed but happy. They have a good selection of most drinks that you could want and a variety of music. It was fun to try out all of the different machines and see which ones were harder/easier etc. They also have a little area where you can sit down and talk that's separate from the games. It would be fun if they also had some board games/jenga/cards etc when you want to take a break from the arcade games- just a thought. Come prepared with some cash to exchange for tokens. I will also say that it is easy to run through tokens quickly and spend a fair amount of money- worth it though. read more

At a dollar a game, it gets a little expensive. But, the atmosphere is very chill and the Moscow Mules are legit. I also love that here's an OG photo booth here! A really nice little place for an evening o read more

See all

Decent place for a drink or two. I appreciate that it's something different in the mix of things in the area, and I also appreciate that they had some unique craft beers available. Unfortunately the novelty wears thin for me on the pinball front. Perhaps a larger variety of games including arcade games or skeeball or something would make me ramp up my review scoring. EDIT - my girlfriend has informed me that they had skeeball, there was just a group of people playing it so we didn't end up using it by the time we tired of pinball. read more

A special little fun place that (especially) folks born before the early 80's would appreciate. They have maybe 20? pinball machines with a couple of baseball ones the kind I've never seen before. Some more retro looking than others. My favorite is the Old Chicago, but the Dolly Parton was especially popular with both guys and girls. At $1 per game (you get 5 balls) it's not too bad, unless you truly suck. Besides the machines, what's unexpectedly great about the place is their drinks selection, where they offer a mix of commercial and craft beers, as well as cocktails and non alcoholic beverages. There was something for everyone. Happy to have discovered this! read more

North Star - Bars Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

If pinball and drinks are your dream combo, make sure to hit this spot. The staff was friendly and even gave us a couple tokens to try out a game or two! Really stellar combo of older, classic pinball games and even the newest Jersey Jack one! read more

This place is amazing. The drinks are delicious (and reasonable), the staff is friendly, and pinball + drinking is way too much fun. They make their own ginger beer, which makes for quite the dark and stormy. This place is a must visit if you're looking for an exciting and different night out! read more

North Star - So many machines to choose from - Bars Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

See all

What a great idea. A simple down to earth place to hang out with friends. Listen to some vinyl or choose your own music on a vintage jukebox all with the backdrop of pinball machines. There are around 10 pinball machine, pure analog pleasure. Some older machines to more modern all well maintained and lots of fun. 1$ buys you a token and every token get you five balls. Drinks are reasonably priced and the atmosphere is laid back, they'll even let you bring in food (like Schwartz from across the street). Everyone I have brought to this place has loved it. read more

See all

Amazing selection of pinball! The world needs more pinball. Great looking venue! Would go everyday if I could! read more

North Star - So glad there is pinball in Montreal! - Bars Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

I love love love this place. It was a cheap menu and an expensive menu. Pinball games are a dollar and they even have a picture booth. The whole retro vibe is beyond adorable, a great place to go for a fun night out! read more

North Star - Ginger beer and Matilda beer on a pinball table - Bars Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

Love the pin ball and the retro aesthetic; I'm visiting from NY and wanted to find a place to have a drink for my 30th birthday. The reason for the 1-star is simply that, in all my years of being a bar patron, I have never encountered such a rude bartender. My friend and I had just received our two beers when another patron came up to ask a question. Out of ABSOLUTELY no where, she says "Just so you know, here in Quebec, we TIP when we get served." She went on to make several other blatantly passive aggressive statements about receiving tips. My friend and I were so shocked we ended up giving one, but shortly left once we ran out of our game tokens. I did not get her name, but she had waist length platinum blonde hair. It's a shame because the atmosphere seems really chill and fun, but I would not recommend this place to others with a staff member so nasty. read more

Thought this place was so cute and what a fun idea! I went on a Thursday night and they had a special where you pay a flat $5 and could pay most games unlimited. The games were fun and drinks were pretty good, my group didn't seem as interested as I was so we didn't stay for too long but I highly recommend this place for a drink or two. Photo booth and retro-looking inside. read more

Went on a busy Saturday night. The place was full but there's enough machines that everybody gets to play regularly. The tokens are 1$ which seems a lot but the machines give you 5 balls per game, which can last a really long time if you're 2 or 3 friends taking turns. The music was great, from an old jukebox that has an amazing selection. And, it's not too loud so you can still have a conversation. The selection of machines is very nice, from very vintage, classic designs, to crazy, late 80's machines with more than one level in them. I will go again regularly. read more

I am happy to update my review from 3 stars to 5 stars. My issue was with the music volume. I got a very nice note from the owner who took my problem to heart and admitted the system was not the best and they are replacing it. In addition they are reducing the volume to allow for a more social atmosphere. You gotta love a place that is this responsive. I will be back. read more

If you're a old school pinballer like me it's nice to have a joint to go to en ville. They spin vinyl too! read more

Tons of pinball machines, skee ball, an instant (albeit slow) photo booth... what's not to like? The drinks were cheap; the bartenders were friendly; and the place was full but not crowded. We stopped by North Star while waiting for Tokyo Bar to open. We enjoyed our time here, but the music wasn't really our taste (a plethora of jukebox hits). Other than the music, I have no complaints, and I think this is a solid place to grab a drink and mingle. read more

An absolute gem if you love anything retro like yours truly. They have the classic pinball game (apparently largest pinball arcade in Montreal) laid out in rows of giddy and flashy arcade lights across the middle of the bar. On one end, overlooking St Laurent, you have a few tables and chairs (mostly occupied with coats since its human owner is probably hoarding a pinball machine). There's a projector playing clips from 90s Hollywood cinema on a blank wall and you have North Star (the shoe brand) merchandise stamped across the place. If all of this isn't 90s tweens enough for you to throw up with nostalgia, there's also a jukebox in the corner with some hardcore Britney and backstreet boys. I had a cocktail and a few shots there and the price really varies, there's something for everyone regardless of whether you broke away from the genX cycle or not. My cocktail was called Golden Arrow (pineapple syrup) and I loved it! In short, this is a no nonsense solid place for a good night out with friends who also lived through the Y2K glitch without surrendering to the illuminati. Top recommendation if you want to pull off that "Rachel from FRIENDS" haircut with no judgment in 2016. P.S. They were playing Hillary and Haley Duff when I was there read more

North Star - Bars Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

We came here early on a Saturday night to find it relatively empty but the crowds (of mostly McGill students it seems) started to trickle in one we hit the 10pm mark. This place's popularity isn't exactly rocket science. Decent drinks and pinball are a fun mix and their menu accommodates every taste and budget. Beverage prices range anywhere from $6-15 and a 5-ball game of pinball will only set you back $1! Apparently they offer snacks but we didn't get a chance to try any. I would definitely consider coming back to for a homemade giant pickle! Overall it's got a fun and relaxed atmosphere. The music was decent (yaaaas there's jukebox!) and not sooo loud as to cancel conversation. And in the case that you wish there was a way to cancel conversation there are enough distractions around to rescue you ;) read more

Such an awesome bar, second floor looking out above St Laurent, serving strong affordable drinks with a super friendly vibe. Music is great, and the vintage pin ball collection is so fun and so rad. This is a great place for a fun night out with friends or coworkers or a crazy date when you're hitting it off and having so much fun. Not great for an intimate anything, or for the migraine-inclined or the epileptic- once there is a crowd the bar is full of random lights and bells and noises from all the games. It was a bit much for me after awhile the last time I was there, I think I was just not in the right mode for it, so that's my small caveat - go when your mojo is right and have allllll the fun. read more

Really nice staff, alway happy to help if a machine eats your token. Join the leagues for extra fun!

This bar was so cool! Our drinks were great, even though they were a bit on the expensive side. The bartender was very friendly and attentive. The ambience of the bar was very fun and trendy. The pinball machines were so cool, as was the lighting and old French movie playing from a projector on the wall. I got a Moscow mule that was made with their house ginger beer - delicious. read more

This place is nowhere as it should be. The pinball machines were a good touch and the beer selection was decent but the crowd was a mix of land of misfits and spillovers from the night. The ambiance ordinary and the fun limited. read more

Very disappointed, the price per game of pinball was $1 which may not seem like a lot but considering most places charge half that for games that are as old as the ones at this location. Additionally, the staff seemed incredibly uninterested in patrons and were grabby for money, and rude in general. Getting the attention of bar staff was unnecessarily difficult considering there was hardly anyone in the bar at all. I was hoping to find a good arcade bar but I will not be going back to this place. read more

My husband and I come to Mont Tremblant every year and always spend a day in Montreal. Cool little speakeasy style cocktail bar with old pinball machines. The bartender couldn't have been nicer. She was very attentive and explained the pinball playing process to us. She made us feel welcome and we had a good time. read more

Amazing homemade ginger beer that was worth the trip from the states in itself. I think this experience hooked me on pinball. North Star is a great place to hang out and order some pizza with some interesting personalities. Good for locals and out of towners alike. read more

North Star was my fiancé and I's absolute favorite bar in visiting Montreal. It is a pinball bar featuring a dozen pinball machines, a juke box, a projector, and a bar with very nice bartenders and a wide selection of drinks. The owners of the bar, Adam and Charolette, are extremely kind and spend time with the customers playing pinball and are also amazing at pinball, one of them winning championships. I had so much fun playing pinball there. It has a retro theme and they play vintage music which I love. They also have an ATM and coin machine so you can keep the pinball games rolling. It is right in the bar district too. This place is really a hidden gem and if your out on the town you have got to go! read more