Mike’s Resto Notes: Geez Resto Bar Café may be the best kept secret in NDG

After attracting a steady clientele on Somerled Ave. in NDG for many years. Geez Resto Bar Café relocated to St. Jacques Street in NDG after the pandemic. This quaint little bar can seat 88 people indoors and on a seasonal terrasse. Owners Steve Towell and Mark Fraser offer a locale with great burgers, beer on tap, live music, comedy and even a dart league.

Needless to say, I was impressed during my recent visit. I thoroughly enjoyed the double bacon cheeseburger, served with their special hot sauce, lettuce, tomato and onion. The sauce represents their own private and secret recipe and yes, it is quite tasty. They could do well for themselves by bottling and selling it in local supermarkets. I also had some crispy fries on the side, dipping them in their homemade gravy. My friend opted for their crispy chicken burger and gave it a big thumbs up. You can also get poutine, chicken wings, coffee, espresso, latte/cappuccino, ice coffee and hot chocolate. They did offer steaks at a certain point, “but since we never freeze our meat and that was not a big seller we decided to remove it from the menu.”

Geez Resto Bar Café is located at 6710 St. Jacques. Log on to www.geezrestobarcafe.com or call 514-419-2033. Opening hours are 10am to midnight weekdays and 8am to midnight on weekends; for the kitchen it is 11am to 9pm.

HELLO 123: I am not someone who considers himself either a proponent of plant-based products nor have I ever described myself as “vegan.”  Enter Hello 123 (hello123forever.com), a plant-based restaurant and bar on Monkland Avenue in NDG. The owners had invited me to give it a try some time ago. Recently, I took them up on the invitation and indeed I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed some messy wedges, the shiitake shawarma wrap, the La-La-La-Lasagna to go and the mocha chocolate cheesecake. The latter is made with cashew nuts, but when the final product came to the table there was no sign of them. This tasted like the chocolate cakes I have grown to love over the years. It did not last long on my plate.

Follow Mike Cohen’s restaurant travels at www.MtlRestoRap.com.  He can be reached at [email protected]