Diese Onze

A rare case of a room that not only presents the best music around, but supports those musicians AND cultivates the community around the scene. Highly recommended!

Forget the jazz, go there for the food! Steak was absolutely amazing. Quite possibly the best steak I’ve had in my life. I’m pretty cheap but i’d go back every week and pay the $40 to eat it again…also go there for the jazz.

Fantastic bar. Excellent service, wonderful live music, cozy atmosphere and food to die for. We had poke bowls, scallops and the best rib of beef ever with amazing crispy potatoes. We came for the live jazz but were blown away by the unexpected high end cuisine.

One of Montréal's few Legendary Jazz Bars that are still in business after the Golden Years have passed (ended approx. late 90's), where you can regularly go watch the "Crème de la Crème" of Jazz Musicians, mostly Local (Montreal) and visiting artists (from around the Province and Abroad). Besides the Upstairs, the Dièse Onze (french for sharp eleven/ #11 for you musicians out there) is the "other" great Jazz Bar. Technically, it's a Resto/Bar, and you can eat decently to relatively well there, but be warned: the Food is seriously overpriced. Not to a ridiculous point, but still, you'll want to stick with the cheapest items on the Menu (like their Burger) if you don't want to end up paying 50$/person, UNLESS you don't mind and/or want to treat yourself, maybe to celebrate a special occasion. But still, if your goal is to eat amazing food, you can find absolutely mindblowing food at other places for the same price or less. I want to emphasize that I am in no way saying that the quality of the food is sub-par, or not to eat there! No! I just wanted to let you know what to expect in terms of pricing. It's pretty solid food! As for the Bar side of things... there, you're in for a treat: they've got a rock solid selection of great Beers, Wines (including various Champagne), Liquors and Drinks. You can pick your poison of choice and you'll be satisfied, at any price range! Lastly, I wanted to talk about the Hosting and Service. The Dièze Onze already has so many strengths, but one of the best part of the experience (besides the music, of course), is the way you're treated by all staff members. They are all genuinely happy to be there, to serve you, they're EXTREMELY polite, classy, knowledgeable and always smiling. If you're having a really bad day, are depressed, interacting with the staff/waiters is bound to lift your spirits! There's also the decor, which is fitting for a small Jazz joint located in a basement. To help you better visualize what comes next, I'll briefly give you the layout of the place. It's pretty much a rectangular room (although the dimensions make it close to a square), and the room's width is a bit less than its depth. Except for a small reception area in front, the center of the room is occupied by the bar, running along the depth in such a way that it separates the room in a left and right side. The scene is located at the back of the left side, in such a way that the view is completely blocked by the bar for anyone who's sitting on the right side space. This is my only gripe about the place, as it's already pretty small, and if you come for a show, I STRONGLY ADVISE you to make reservations well in advance and ask for a table as close to the scene as possible, because if you end up on the other side of the room, you're pretty much screwed... The owners are obviously well aware of this problem since they've installed a TV there to stream a view of the scene... This might be ok for some, but for any music aficionado, that's unacceptable and a total deal breaker! When you go out (and pay the ticket) to go watch a live music concert, it sure as hell isn't to watch it on TV while the Guys are playing right next to you! So. All in all, especially since it's one of the best Jazz venues in town, I find Le Dièze Onze to be a truly magical place, well worth going to! As long as you're aware of its 2 setbacks ($$$ Food & Blocked view of the scene) and take the appropriate measures to sidestep the 2nd issue by making sure that you get a table on the left side, you'll be more than fine with all this venue's other great features, especially the impeccable service from the staff! With the proper precaution/prep, you'll be guaranteed to be in for an amazing experience!