Clandestino — Restaurant in Montreal

During our research os speakeasy's in Montréal, Clandestino popped up.Gee,a tequila bar, it's automatically on the list.

Night 1was Monday. Found some comfy seating and let's look at the menu. Shelby came over and walked us through it, explaining it in detail and answering all our questions. We choose a Cocolada, Passion Amarga and Maestro. They looked amazing and tasted even better. Next round we up'd his expertise. Wanted a sipping extra anejo and Blanco. He brought over 3 of each. He talked about them and let us sniff them. The Blanco's we have had before so he brought over another one - Fortaleza Still Strength. Never heard of it, let's give it a try. My friend got the EA and me the Blanco. Both were excellent!! We got another round just to make sure we really liked them - and we did.

Night 2 was Thursday and got there after 11. Placed was packed but service was spot on. Got 2 seats and a Passion Amarga and a Vaso Caliente. The Vaso is a marg but no marg I have ever had. Refreshing, light and smooth. Shelby recognized us ftom Monday and welcomed back. Only 1 drink tonight.

Night 3 (YES it is that good!) was Saturday night. Sat at the bar (only 5 seats) and got our regular order. Got the drinks and William came over to check on us. I said "3rd time is just as good as the other 2". He gave a big smile and welcomed us back. Next to me with his back to us was Shelby. With our next round, William offered some suggestions and Shelby jumped in. I love hearing why people love a brand and they LOVE tequila. Next round I tried the Cafe Borracho which has beets in it - say what?? Another fantastic work of art. William talked about their method of making their marg mix using centrifuging and chemistry to make it crystal clear and have a clean, bright taste. My mind is blown, incredible. Wish I could get some at my house.

Such a GREAT experience with Shelby and William. You have fans in CT and will.pass on your place to our friends. We rarely visit a place more than once on vacation but this...

Beautiful place, very nice bouncer and what seemed like friendly staff but was very disappointed at my experience. My friend and I were trying to decide what to order but weren't sure what to get. I mentioned to the waiter that my friend had dietary restrictions which is why it was taking her long to choose what to order. She asked for a Sour Amoretto and I asked if the drink I chose was sweet and fruity (waiter said it was). The waiter said that they didnt serve Amoretto Sour at this bar but that he could suggest her something close to it. The waiter then mentioned that he could make a Sour Amoretto with white tequila (which was the ONLY type of tequila she could have). He came back with our drinks. The drink that I had anticipated to be sweet and fruity was so sour. But that wasn't the worst part. My friend tried her drink and said it was disgusting. I didnt believe her until I smelled it and tried it myself. I can't even describe the drink because it was so nasty and couldn't be farther from Amoretto Sour (it had what tasted like pepper around the cup of the drink and was served in like a bowl). My friend returned the drink to the waiter. He apologized and then told us that this drink contained BLENDED AUNT EGGS. We completely thought he was joking when he said that but he wasnt. I was shocked that after specifically mentioning that she had dietary restrictions that he would offer such a drink, bring something that taste so completely different than an Amoretto Sour and NOT mention that there were AUNT EGGS in the drink.

Be careful what you order because apparently they not only serve AUNT EGGS but also GRASSHOPPERS in their DRINKS!!! So gross. I am writing this review so that this doesnt happen to anyone else and that people are aware of what is being served...

I was pretty excited about visiting the speakeasy bar but ended up experiencing some of the worst service ever.

Our server came and spoke to us about the different offerings, willing to share recommendations,etc. I chose to go with a dessert cocktail but mentioned that I’d like them to go very light on the ice since I felt a little itchy in my throat and didn’t want to irritate it further. 5 minutes later I get my drink with the glass half full of ice cubes and expected my quite cold. I had to request to get the ice removed once again after which my drink still had a quarter of the glass full of ice. And when I requested them to remove that as well, I basically got an alcohol free version of just the mixers tasting nothing like tequila and everything like sugar syrup. Not to mention that my glass was only half full since ice did make up 50% of the drink I was initially offered. To top it off I had to pay 20 bucks for this horrid drink.

I would’ve happily gotten another drink if I was informed in advance that making my drink with light ice wouldn’t be an option. It almost felt like I was being pushed to drink something they wanted to serve me than what I specifically requested for myself.

Overall I ended up leaving pretty disappointed with my experience and wouldn’t recommend this...