{{Short description|Restaurant and pub in Montreal, Quebec}}
{{Infobox restaurant | name = Peel Pub | image = | image_caption = | established = 1962 | street_address = 1196 Peel Street | city = Montreal | province = Quebec | country = Canada | food_type = Pub food, pizza }}
'''Peel Pub''' is a restaurant, pub, and performance venue in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Located on Peel Street across from Dorchester Square, the establishment is considered a long-standing institution of Montreal's downtown nightlife and student culture.<ref name="auto">{{cite news |title=End of an era as downtown Montreal's Peel Pub closes after 60 years |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-peel-pub-montreal-1.7568964 |work=CBC News |date=23 June 2025}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite news |last=North |first=Harry |title=It's Taps for Montreal's iconic Peel Pub after more than 60 years |url=https://www.montrealgazette.com/news/article1003297.html |work=Montreal Gazette |date=24 June 2025}}</ref>
Founded in 1962, Peel Pub became widely known for its inexpensive food and drink specials, late-night operating hours, oversized pizzas, and popularity among university students, downtown office workers, tourists, and attendees of events at the nearby Bell Centre.<ref name="auto2">{{cite news |last=Greenway |first=Kathryn |title=Downtown crowd finds way to Peel Pub |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |location=Montreal |page=E13 |date=19 August 2006 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-gazette-downtown-crowd-finds-way-to/193365010/}}</ref> The pub was particularly associated with Montreal's anglophone downtown bar scene and developed a reputation as a casual gathering place frequented by generations of residents and visitors.<ref name="auto"/>
==History==
Peel Pub opened in 1962 at 1105 Saint Catherine Street.<ref name="auto3">{{cite web |title=Montreal street directory (1962) |url=https://diffusion2.banq.qc.ca/pdfjs-3.10.111-dist_banq/web/pdf.php/ttOef_1OO0DXYwYJP1dw6Q.pdf#page=135 |publisher=Lovell's |page=532}}</ref> Despite being located on Saint Catherine Street, the business operated under the name ''Peel Pub'' from its opening onward and was located at the corner of Peel Street.<ref name="auto3"/>
Over the following decades, Peel Pub became a recognizable fixture of downtown Montreal nightlife because of its central location near McGill University, Concordia University, major hotels, office towers, and entertainment venues.<ref name="auto2"/>
On 21 May 2006, Peel Pub relocated to 1196 Peel Street after more than four decades at its original location.<ref name="auto2"/><ref>{{cite news |title=canada.com Auction Mart advertisement page |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |location=Montreal |page=L8 |date=11 March 2006 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-gazette-canadacom-auction-mart-adve/193479558}}</ref> Located across from Dorchester Square, the establishment became widely frequented by students, downtown workers, tourists, and attendees of events at the nearby Bell Centre.<ref name="auto2"/>
On 13 February 2010, a late-night fire caused approximately $100,000 in damage to the establishment.<ref>{{cite news |title=Un Peel Pub ravagé par les flammes |url=https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/463500/peel-pub-incendie |work=Radio-Canada |date=13 February 2010 |language=fr-ca}}</ref>
In June 2025, Peel Pub closed unexpectedly after more than 60 years of operation, prompting significant media coverage and public nostalgia in Montreal.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/> In March 2026, the ''Montreal Gazette'' reported that the establishment was expected to reopen under new ownership by St. Patrick's Day 2026.<ref>{{cite news |title=Brownstein: From belly up to bottoms up, Peel Pub gets another shot |url=https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/brownstein-from-belly-up-to-bottoms-up-peel-pub-gets-another-shot |work=Montreal Gazette |date=6 March 2026 |language=en-ca}}</ref>
==Reputation and cultural significance==
Peel Pub became known in Montreal for its inexpensive pitchers of beer, oversized pizzas, long operating hours, and informal atmosphere.<ref name="auto"/> During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it was frequently associated with Montreal student nightlife and downtown pub culture.<ref name="auto2"/>
The establishment also became known as a gathering point before and after concerts, hockey games, and events at the nearby Bell Centre.<ref name="auto"/>
Following its 2025 closure, numerous Montreal media outlets and social media users described Peel Pub as a nostalgic landmark of the city's downtown social life.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:1962 establishments in Quebec Category:Restaurants established in 1962 Category:Restaurants in Montreal Category:Pubs in Canada Category:Drinking establishments in Canada Category:Downtown Montreal