I've been to many bars in my lifetime all over the world and Else's ranks amongst my ultimate top 5. There are 'fun' bars and there are 'cheap' bars - but for my overall favourites, Else's is part of an elite circle in my rankings. My criteria:
1) Good selection of whisk(e)y and draft beer
2) Unpretentious without being collegiate/divey/hipster - I should be equally comfortable going there in shorts and flip-flops or in a suit - it should be cozy and dark with a relaxed vibe.
3) Good for all occasions - suitable for any celebration that entails copious consumption of alcohol or drowning your sorrows by the bar by yourself or drinking for a wake
3) Friendly, eclectic and interesting regulars and patrons
4) Knowledgeable bartender and staff that clearly love their jobs
5) No TVs - NONE. I don't like sports in my bars. And music should be in the background and never intrude on conversation.
6) Classless and appropriate for all (drinking) ages
Else's has all this in spades. And it's definitely a locals bar being off the Ste-Laurent drag and it was one of the few places in Montreal that allowed me to start a tab (seriously Montrealers - paying per round is lame). Yes, they are officially licensed as a restaurant (check out the history of licensing struggles on the menu) so you may be asked to order some food to drink here. But there's a $4 vegetarian pizza on the menu... you know what to do.
In a word - this place is comfortable. I walked in timidly at 10PM expecting to grab a quick pint before calling it a night. I stumbled out at 3AM with an invite to a rock show, hand-rolled cigarettes, toasting to East Vancouver to someone that lived 3 blocks from me and a few solid recommendations on good hip-hop joints in the city and armed with the knowledge of how to fake a (male) orgasm. This place is that good - slink in for a bit and you'll comfortably lose a few hours here drinking and bullshitting. It didn't take long to figure out that no patron here works a 9-5 job - "everyone here is either an artist or has a story" as one of the regulars told me. So yup, I came back for another visit.
If I was living in Montreal, you can call me 'Norm' here. I'm already homesick for this place.