Bar Leonor’s reinjecting high-energy nightlife & high-end cocktails into Chinatown

The address, electric bar service, and dancing into the night of Le Mal Nécessaire—before it moved into its present-day digs on the southern edge of downtown—lives again with Leonor.

It's steered by co-owners Mickey Rizk, Tino Rizk, and Gregoire Merlot—all of whom have earned stripes from Bar Pamplemousse, and brothers Mickey and Tino worked at Mal Nécessaire as well—but with a new direction.

All that remains, it seems, is walking down into its depths.

“We’re focusing on creating a proper cocktail bar experience during the day and early evening, but on Friday and Saturday nights, it shifts into a high-energy party vibe with DJs,” says Mickey. 

“We’re aiming for a space where you can enjoy both great cocktails and a lively atmosphere—something that’s not easy to find in the neighbourhood,” he adds.

It’s far from a hot take: Chinatown hasn’t been looked to for nightlife until recent years with openings like Poincaré or Fleurs et Cadeaux, let alone the latter’s underground bar Sans Soleil.

“Chinatown is definitely seeing a resurgence in nightlife,” Tino says. “Mal Nécessaire was one of the first places to bring that energy to the area, and we’re excited to contribute to that ecosystem. It’s great for the neighbourhood and local businesses.”

Bringing back its predecessor’s combination of nightlife and cocktails bodes well, especially when looking more deeply into what Leonor is up to.

New look, new vibes

As opposed to taking over one side of the space, the bar is now the focal point of the space Leonor occupies.

DJs perform off to the side where one might’ve found a coat check. Fridays feature house music, and Saturdays have throwback R&B, full stop: All to create consistent vibes so people know what to expect depending on the night. 

“We’ve all worked in nightlife for years, in all kinds of places—from nightclubs to pubs to high-end cocktail bars,” Mickey says. “We’re bringing that experience here to create something accessible, yet high-energy.”

“It’s still going to be a cocktail bar, but we’ve completely redesigned the look and feel. The idea is that it looks so different people might not even recognize it as the same space. We’ve also reorganized the floor plan—the center bar makes it much more functional." 

On that note: Leonor’s new look and feel, part mid-century modern and Japanese, comes from its designer Phil Nadeau of Artitalia Group (who actually worked at Le Mal Nécessaire for about five years as an employee before entering the world of design).

“It’s a mid-century plywood construction wrapped in a sensory mosaic of glossy black tile, lime wash ceilings, and distorted glass bricks,” Nadeau says.

“The glistening materials reflect the dim, warm lighting which surrounds the central terrazzo bar as the core pillar of the space,” he continues. “Original terracotta flooring and stone walls ground the interior to the history of its underground Chinatown presence.”

“Phil had recently returned from a trip to Spain, where he found a Japanese design book that inspired the color palette,” Mickey adds. “There are slate-black subway tiles, glass blocks, and a lot of custom woodwork. It’s functional but warm and stylish.”

Dance, design, and drinks

“The goal is elevated cocktails without the pretension. We’re keeping the menu accessible but playful, with creative twists on classic cocktails,” Mickey says.

Six central signature cocktails are up for grabs alongside classics, designed to appeal to both the more adventurous drinker and discerning tastes. Each has its own personality, flavours and ingredients to it that push the boundaries from a little to a lot:

While the ‘Sem Sem’ fuses Angel’s Envy bourbon, Averna, and a splash of cold brew that’s balanced with orgeat and walnut and lightened with soda for both a bittersweet complexity and bubbly edge, the ‘Soy Good’ mixes Old Grand Dad bourbon, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, and soy with apricot, lemon, and a crisp tonic finish.

There’s also the ‘“B” Movie’ where tequila meets botanical notes of pino mugo and floral pollen, honey, and aquafaba with a rosemary and lime finish; the tropical-inspired 'Saturn' where gin takes the lead on passion fruit, orgeat, and lemon with a dash of Angostura bitters; the ‘Wooden Ships’ for rum fans that’s accentuated by Bénédictine, bittersweet Aperol, and lime; and the ‘Rice A Roni’ where pisco is joined with Campari, Montenegro, and a twist of a rice wash, chocolate, and orange finish.

“We want bartenders to engage with guests. That said, we’re also working to speed up service. For example, we’re exploring a clip system to display drink orders visually, which could streamline things without sacrificing the performance,” explains Mickey. 

“The space is small,” Mickey says, as the bar can either seat 60 or 100 standing, “and we want to focus on what we do best—cocktails.”

Leonor is located at 1106B Saint-Laurent Boulevard.