Montreal, Quebec
Montreal to me, is a little glimpse of Europe, with its mix of historic and modern architecture, cathedrals and cobblestones. What I appreciate and believe makes the city lively are the people. Montréalers know how to truly enjoy life. This reminds me of the time when I told my friend Daisy I was visiting her hometown. She told me her people know how to work hard and play harder. I experienced it on our first night as we stumbled upon an outdoor music event. The massive crowd were in attendance for the 2023 Francos de Montréal which celebrates francophone music. The event showcases French music, hip-hop, electro, folk, pop and slam which lasts for 9 days in the heart of downtown Montreal. It was incredible to see on a weeknight, a sea of people enjoying live music, with not a care in the world if the next day is a working day.
Not only that, the city was preparing for Formula 1 racing which drew in many tourists from around the world. We weren’t there for the weekend of the actual race but our Airbnb was situated in the heart of all the events leading up to the big race. Fun fact! Lewis Hamilton took his first Formula One win at the 2007 Montreal Grand Prix. Now that’s someone I would love to see in-person. LEWIS HAMILTON. Does he have incredible style or what?!
The highlight for me during this trip had to be when we rented BIXI bikes and made our way from downtown Montreal to Old Montreal. I highly recommend renting BIXI bikes as they are very affordable to get around the city and it makes for a memorable experience. Now those uphill roads nearly killed me! I was very sore the next day. And let me tell you, I’ve never been that sore while travelling.
This is my second time in Montreal and I truly love it here. There’s plenty of things to see and do and I highly recommend visiting in the summer months. I’m so happy we were able to experience many festivals and events such as the 2023 Francos de Montréal, Mural Festival; CHO DEM MTL (Vietnamese Night Market) and the events leading up to Formula 1.
Restaurants To Visit
Joe Beef
Address: 2491 Notre-Dame St W, Montreal, Quebec H3J 1N6
Website: www.joebeef.com
We all agreed, Joe Beef was our #1 restaurant experience in Montreal. The restaurant had a relaxed, old-fashion and country feel with vintage-inspired decor, furnitures and dish-wares. I really appreciate the attention to detail from our server and grateful for the chef being present at our table as he guided us through the daily menu. We excitedly settled on plates to share amongst the three of us. For appetizers, we ordered the real burgundy snails and bone marrow royale. For the mains, we ordered the famous lobster spaghetti and hangar steak with asparagus with a generous amount of truffle shavings. My sister wanted to be lavish! She was the one who ordered the truffles. Her rationale was when will we ever get the opportunity to eat truffles?! I agree with you sis!!!
Utterly incredible and top-notch dishes at Joe Beef. I love the truffle shavings on our tender and juicy hangar steak. Now the lobster spaghetti, I can’t put into words how amazing the dish was. How can the lobster meat be removed with such ease?!!! The chef perfectly cooked our lobster. I have never eaten lobster like the one I had at Joe Beef. SPECTACULAR! Dining at Joe Beef was an expensive one for us but I don’t regret it at all.
What we ordered: Real Burgundy Snails, Bone Marrow Royale “Verte-Pre”, Lobster Spaghetti and Hangar Steak & Bearnaise Asparagus with Truffles
Mae Sri Comptoir Thai
Address: 224 Rue Milton, Montréal, QC H2X 1V6
Website: www.maesrithai.com
There’s something about Thai cuisine which I truly love. Thai dishes hits all the right notes of sweet, sour, spicy and you can’t forget the umami flavours. We are always in search for amazing Thai restaurant and Mae Sri Comptoir Thai restaurant is a great find! On our first visit for dinner service, our friendly server mentioned the restaurant is known for their noodle soups. We did not order any noodle soups as we wanted to order a bunch of things to share, so we had to come back on our last day for lunch. A good tip is to order what the restaurant is known for!
The portion size is well suited for one person than sharing plates amongst a group so keep that in mind when ordering. The top dishes for me had to be the Pad Thai Mae Sri and the Boat Noodle Ayuthaya. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you the Pad Thai at Mae Sri is the most incredible Pad Thai I had so far in my entire life! The noodles were chewy, the sauce had great flavours and it was not too sweet. It tasted how a perfect Pad Thai dish should taste like. I don’t know why we ordered one to share. I should’ve ordered one for myself!
What we ordered: Boat Noodle Ayuthaya, Thai Braised Beef Soup, Seafood Set, Papaya Salad, Pad Thai Mae Sri and Thai Ice Coffee with Condensed Milk
Sammi & Soupe Dumpling - (Ste-Catherine St. O)
Address: 1909 Saint-Catherine St W, Montreal, Quebec H3H 2E8
Website: www.sammisoupedumpling.ca
When my sister says the soup dumplings at Sammi & Soupe Dumpling are comparable to the soup dumplings at Din Tai Fung that says ALOT. She really knows what she likes and I’ll give it to her, she has great taste in food for someone who doesn’t cook!
There are several locations in Montreal but we visited the one on St. Catherine Street which was walking distance from our Airbnb. We were fortunate enough to find seating on their patio. We tried two types of soup dumplings and other items found on their menu. You can’t go wrong with the classic pork xiao long baos. As well, I really enjoyed the cold noodles and the hot and sour soup. The prices are very affordable and most importantly, the dishes were tasty to share.
What we ordered: Classy Juicy Pork Xiao Long Bao, Pork Shrimp & Scallop Xiao Long Bao, Pork & Cabbage Dumpling Frits, Cold Noodles with Peanut Butter and Hot & Sour Soup
Pho Nguyen
Address: 1452A St Mathieu St, Montreal, Quebec H3H 2H9
What we ordered: Dac Biet Nguyen, Tai Sach and Cafe Sua Da
Schwartz's Deli
Address: 3895 St Laurent Blvd, Montreal, Quebec H2W 1X9
Website: www.schwartzsdeli.com
A Montreal landmark known for its world famous original smoke meat serving to the great population since 1928.
As we were making our way, I was dreading to see a massive line-up at Schwartz’s Deli. It’s a must-try restaurant so you should always prepare for the worst. We got there around 11:00 am and there was no line-up for indoor dining. The wait was more for outdoor dining as many customers wanted to enjoy the beautiful weather while devouring delicious smoke meat sandwiches. Which I don’t blame them! All three of us ordered the smoked meat sandwiches. It was stacked with delicious meats and I generously added more mustard to my sandwich which made it that much better.
What we ordered: 3 Smoked Meat Sandwiches and Pickles
St-Viateur Bagel & Café Mont-Royal
Address: 1127, av. Mont-Royal E. Montréal, QC, H2J 1X9
Website: www.stviateurbagel.com
St-Viateur Bagel has been baking its famous bagels for over 65 years and is proud to be the longest running bagel shop in Montréal. We ordered two bagels to share and sat on their outdoor patio. The bagels at St. Viateur Bagel had a nice blistered, and crackly crust appearance. A nice and chewy texture lathered with a generous amount of freshly made cream cheese. A very enjoyable snack and must try when you are in Montreal!
What we ordered: All Dressed Bagel with Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese and Plain Bagel with Plain Cream Cheese
I couldn’t leave Montreal without trying a La Banquise’s classic poutine. This all-night diner is open 24 hours!!! You can satisfy your poutine and breakfast cravings at anytime!
It felt like we literally walked a mile to make our way to the stable restaurant serving an extensive selection of poutine variations and Québécois grub. There are no less than 30 types of poutine served today at La Banquise. You name it and they probably have a poutine to suit your taste! Poutine toppings such as sliced hot dog sausages to smoked meat, pogo, spicy sausages and pepperoni. We shared a classic poutine as we were already full. I looked around the restaurant and it was amazing to see everyone ordering a poutine for one.
A condiment you will see on the table besides ketchup is white vinegar, as it is a common thing to add to your poutine. I wanted to eat like the locals so I had to try it even though my preference is to smother my poutine with a generous amount of ketchup. I’m glad I didn’t skip La Banquise. The poutine hits the spot! A must try and you don’t have to take my word for it. There are more than 15,000 Google Reviews!!!
What we ordered: The Classic
Ganadara (Mackay)
Address: 1417 Mackay St, Montreal, Quebec H3G 2H6
Website: www.ganadara.ca/en
What we ordered: Tteokbokki with Mandu and Ramen with Pork Galbi
Coffee Spots
Shaughnessy Café
Address: 1455 Rue Lambert-Closse, Montreal, Quebec H3H 1Z5
OSMO X MARUSAN Café-Terrasse
Address: 51 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, Quebec H2X 1X2
Cafe Myriade
Address: 1432 Mackay St, Montreal, Quebec H3G 2H7
Le Petit Dep - Café et épicerie fine
Address: 179 Saint-Paul St W, Montreal, Quebec H2Y 1Z5
Café Replika
Address: 252 Rue Rachel E, Montréal, QC H2W 1E5
Attractions & Festivals
Le Vieux Montréal - Old Montreal
2023 Francos de Montréal - June 9th - 17th
Mural Festival
Website: www.muralfestival.com
CHO DEM MTL
Website: www.chodem-mtl.com
Cho dem which translates to night market in Vietnamese is a celebration of Vietnamese culture showcasing an array of Vietnamese cuisine, retail and cultural activities. Just a few minutes away from Old Montreal, we came here in the evening for some late night eats. I went with the longest line-up because I know good things come to those who wait. I ordered a delicious banh mi from one tent and made my way to the adjacent tent to purchase bo ba lot which is grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves. Not only that, I couldn’t leave the night market without ordering a cà phê sữa dá (Vietnamese ice coffee). Everything I ordered were tasty. I truly enjoyed the celebration of Vietnamese culture and hope to see CHO DEM MTL again in the upcoming years.
Formula 1 Montreal
