If you want a relaxing, chill, yet fun evening, Philemon Bar in Vieux Montreal is the place to be. It is one of those unique places that are trendy, but not too pretentious. As others have said you find find all sorts of people partying here on any given night.
I've only been here on the weekends and late at night, so can't speak for 5 a 7.
But, the place starts to get packed starting around 10-10:30 pm. I know I have walked by a few times with the intention of going, but it was too cold to wait outside in the long line. For drinks they have a few special cocktails, but the standard drinks are what I stuck to.
Service was good, we had a roving waitress take our orders and she was quick and efficient. We had to stand by the DJ booth because there really wasn't much else space left.
As far as the music, it is an eclectic mix that doesn't drown out conversations.
My only concerns stem from the fact that the bar in the center is oddly shaped, thus creating areas that have a lot of room and some areas that are tight. Makes for a hard time to walk around.