Bring your own wine restaurants-Montreal
 

I've never been to a restaurant where you bring your own wine.Can someone tell me the protocol? Do you bring it in a grocery bag? hand it over to the waiter? if you want white wine, i guess it would have to be cold. Also anyone recommend a restaurant like this in old Montreal?

Montreal has many good byob restaurants, most of them are on or near Duluth street off St. Denis, and on Prince Arthur St.I don't know of any in the old city, but maybe someone else does. Some of my favorites are Le Jardin de Panos, Lombardi's , Eduardos, and Khybler Pass; there are all on Duluth. As for protocol, just bring in your wine (or beer), set it on the table, and the waiter will do the rest. If it's white wine, they will bring out a wine bucket. One bit of advice: there are many places to by wines near restaurants. Most of the small grocery stores have a good selection of beers, and some (usually mediocre) wines. By far the best place to get your wine is in a government liquor store. Montreallers are serious about their wines, and the choices in the government stores is mind boggling.

If you plan to have alcohol with your dinner why not to choose a place which serves it? Isn't it a bit tacky? You don't go to the movies with your own pop-corn. If you want to save isn't it better to have a drink after dinner back in your hotel room?

Faina,<BR>I guess you dont understand the Quebec restaurant situation. There are many restaurants that choose not to get liquor licences and are byob. This is not tacky, as you rudely suggest, it is the norm at many, and it is not a comparison to bringing your own popcorn!<BR>It's a part of the eclectic restaurant selections that Quebec has to offer.

Faine, in most cities, they only allow so many liquor licenses. In Montreal, with so many restaurants, not all of them can obtain a liquor license. Some don't care, some are waiting. <BR>To have BYOB is neither tacky or cheap, there are some really expensive and popular restaurants in NYC that do the same. It is common in most cities.

Tacky? Doesn't it make more sense to go into a big, well stocked wine shop (there are many in Montreal), pick out something you really like for about 1/3 what you'd pay in the restaurant, and enjoy a great dinner without having to worry about the steep wine tab? BYOB's are very popular in Montreal(especially with the locals) and some other cities, I wish there were some in my part of the country!

Is wine made in Canada? And if you are in a well stocked shop, which areas of the world are represented? I would assume the prices are sky high.

We usually go to a wine shop wherever we are, my husband being a wine lover.<BR>Montreal has some excellent wine shops and they carry wines from all over the world, just as any other large city. They have an excellent selection of French wines, which are favorites of ours. We came home with some lovely Cotes de Rhone and Cabernets. I think the prices were reasonable. At least I didn't notice my husband choking when he paid the bill.

Actually, it is not tacky at all to bring your own wine. If the restaurant does not have a liquor license, they encourage it. If, however, the restaurant DOES serve wine, and you choose to bring your own, there will be a corkage fee. Here in NYC we frequently bring our own wine, even to Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Cafe. With a corkage of $20, it is still less expensive. For example, I have a few bottles of bordeaux that I purchased 6 years ago for $18 per bottle. With corkage, $38. The restaurant sells it for $64. Hurts to pay that much. You should also enquire as to the limit. Some places have a corkage fee, but also limit you to one bottle per table.

We found that asking for the house red was a great way of discovering some new wines. We would jot down the name and buy it the next day. <BR>

Well you learn something new everyday, I had no idea that so many places allowed you to bring in your own liquor.

Canuck - yes many places do. But, always call ahead for the details on fees and limits. Are you the same canuck who was going to Andalusia this past year? If so, how did that work out for you? We went in June and I remember there were several discussion threads that we were both a part of.

Thank you for explanations! I guess I should start drinking :) Never heard of such a thing as BYOB - took a while to de-abbreviate :) <BR><BR>If a restaurant doesn't have a liquor license is it still legal to drink in it openly????? And how would they limit you - count how many glasses our empty? <BR>Can I bring my own coke as it's cheaper then what they sell in the restaurants? Can I pour red wine in a coke bottle not to get limited to how many wine bottles I am allowed to bring? <BR>

Its interesting we can't tote bottle aboard airlines, because its cehaper than buying, and you can drink what you say your limit is, not some stew's interpretation.<BR>House wine can easily come in a box, and if youve never drunk box wine, you are in for a treat.

Hi Ellen-yes I am the same! (although the post immediately above yours isn't from me??) Unfortunately we're not going until next year but I have started to make some plans -have our itinerary in place. Although this is Canadian forum, would love to get any info you could share about your experiences in Andalusia. Did you stay just there or other places? We have a timeshare there so don't need accomodations but are looking for accommodations in Seville and Barcelona. Also any sightseeing in Andalucia you would recommend. Many thanks.

To clear up a few things: Limit on number of bottles is not your limit of inebriation. They are hoping that you will bring one bottle of your own, finish it, &amp; then purchase another one from the restaurant. People bring their own wines a few reasons, usually it is because they don't want to rely on the restaurant pickings, not because of the cost, or they got a new case &amp; are dying to try it with some great foie gras. The corkage fee is usually set between $15 to $25 which would discourage anyone that is really not serious about their wines and would normally be chosing a wine in that price range anyway. When you are drinking a $50+ bottle of wine, that is when it pays. The coke theory is funny, but obviously wouldn't be practical. As for counting glasses consumed-the corkage fee includes them opening and preparing the bottle for you. It would be sort of difficult to open another one yourself and hide the first empty. Sorry.

Just for Canuck. I have a lot of info for you. I am going to Montreal tomorrow, but next week when I return I will post a trip report for you on the Euro board. I will title it Andalusia for Canuck so you can find it. Look for it on Tuesday or Wednesday. I will tell you this--we took a private guide to Tangier in Morocco and it was the highlight of our trip. Absolutely the best. Not the grimy side of Tangier that people boo and hiss about. Really!

One last comment before heading to Montreal! I don't think it read well when I wrote that a corkage fee of $15 to $25 would discourage those who are not serious about wine. Sounds insulting, but not meant to be. You can get many amazing wines in the $15 to $25 range, and we frequently do. We bring our own and pay the fee for special dinners. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

A little clarification - none of the byob restaurants that I am familiar with in Montreal have any kind of fee if you bring your own wine. None of them have alcohol to sell; and just about everyone brings their own wine or beer, and these establishments are some of the most enjoyable places in the city.

You don't need to bring your own coke as all restaurants in Montreal are licensed to sell coca cola.<BR>Faina, where are you from? There are BYOBs all over the US!