Zama Is Not a Restaurant, It’s a Portal

There are places that you enter with your body, and others that you enter with your entire perception. Zama is both.

The excuse? A friend’s birthday.

The perfect reason to cross the door at 3709 St Laurent Blvd and immerse myself in one of Montreal’s most sensorial experiences.

Initiation

Zama doesn’t open — it reveals itself.

It begins with a staircase: black-and-white checkered walls, linear neon lights tracing the ceiling, and a subtle tilt that confuses your sense of balance. You look up, and the world slightly slips sideways. This isn’t just a staircase; it’s a portal.

Once past the coat check, a curved concrete hallway hugs you into the unknown. At its threshold, a single glass case holds a mask — ritualistic, perhaps Mesoamerican — a symbolic guardian of the space’s transition from mundane to mythic.

The Guardians of Zama

Inside, Zama opens like a cenote redesigned by a scenographer. Stone walls, soft curves, dim light. A bar, tables, and at the far end: the DJ booth, quietly waiting to take over the night. That evening, the theme was Lost in Tulum, and everything felt lightly touched by dream.

The menu is a visual and tactile journey. We tried the mango shrimp gobernador tacos and the mango ceviche roll — a playful fusion of Mexican and Japanese flavors, both surprising and elegant.

Zama calls itself

“funktion one sound × latin-japanese flavors.”

But that’s just the beginning.

The drinks menu reads like sensory theatre.

The Mojito 3709 — Altos tequila, grapefruit syrup, lavender, prosecco — felt like a citrus breeze through concrete.

The Zamargarita — with Tajín-rimmed glass, Altos, Capari, cucumber, lime — evoked a spicy botanical garden at golden hour.

Then came the Spicy Classic Margarita: Volcan tequila, jalapeño, lime — fire and freshness in perfect tension.

The Espresso Martini closed the ritual: smooth, electric, unforgettable.

Zama doesn’t just serve drinks — it performs them. Every element, from glassware to garnish, seems choreographed to heighten sensation.

We didn’t stay for the late-night party, but I already know: the space transforms. The Funktion-One sound system and light design are rumored to alter the architecture itself.

I’ll return for that part of the story.

Because at Zama, the ritual doesn’t begin with the food.

It begins the moment you cross the stairs.