Step through the glass doors and let the elevator whisk you back to another, more gracious time. Welcome to Le 9e, a perfectly restored Art Deco masterpiece on the ninth floor of the Eaton Building in downtown Montreal. 

Back in 1927, Lady Flora Eaton, whose family owned the Eaton’s department stores, commissioned the French architect Jacque Carlu to design a restaurant inspired by the dining room in the Île-de-France transatlantic ocean liner. It became one of the finest examples of Art Deco design in Canada, and the place for ladies to lunch after their shopping sprees. But in 1999 the company filed for bankruptcy and the restaurant closed, a bagpiper mournfully playing Amazing Grace to mark its passing.

It stayed closed for 25 long years.

Now it has been lovingly and flawlessly refurbished, with some of Montreal’s top food and drink people dishing out the goods: Celebrated chefs Liam Hopkins and Derek Damman are behind the English-inspired food in the Ile de France dining room and rock star bartender Andrew Whibley (of Cloakroom, No. 3 on Canada’s Best Bars) has crafted the bar list of updated classics.

Few things can beat sitting at the bar in the centre of the dining room, sipping a cocktail and looking out at that spectacular view. Well, maybe ducking into the petit French Line bar off to the side. This intimate space, with its striking black-and-white décor, gorgeous deco mural, live music and an oyster program led by master shucker Daniel Notkin, is among the most elegant cocktail experiences in the country.

—by Joanne Sasvari