Isa Tousignant

It may be more than a century older than the country it calls home, but these days, Montreal crackles with new energy. It's no wonder that the city of less than two million saw more than 11 million visitors last year: In addition to its burgeoning culinary scene, the Québecois city seemingly has it all—cobblestoned colonial neighborhoods, hundreds of historic churches, one of the world's best jazz scenes, and even a small mountain in its city center. And don't even get us started on the piles...

When I was little, we had family friends who would always deliver a giant tin full of scrumptious home-baked holiday cookies around this time of year. Chocolate thumbprint cookies, snickerdoodles, lemon snowflakes, jam-jewelled coconut drops — I dream of them still, and every year I crave a home-baked cookie extravaganza. This year I had one, in the form of a cross-city hunt for the best of the best scratch-made cookies. Here are my top 12.

Open-fire grills have been the biggest trend in fancy new Montreal restaurants over the last couple of years, and for good reason: that wood-fire char is a hard taste to top. As the temperature drops, it feels like the right time to explore the best of the new — and also some of the great old standards that have long known the power of fire.

It's no wonder this city has the greatest number of restaurants per capita in North America. Montréal's reputation as a food town is founded on a love to eat that spans cultures and financial brackets. Some of our most iconic restaurants are takeout counters and smoked meat joints, and though they surely enjoy eating there, too, the city's most progressive chefs offer a whole range of options themselves—from rethought sushi to menu-less market cuisine to high-brow gastronomy. It's no wonder t...

Any dim sum meal is a celebratory meal, if you ask me. If you’re not a Christmas person — whether because of creed, culture or general holiday aversion — but are looking for somewhere to go on or around Dec. 25, get a gang together, sidestep the obvious choice of Chinatown and explore one of these outliers. Each is wonderful in its own way, and with plentiful parking guaranteed.
Restaurant Ping
Located among the factories and strip malls of LaSalle, this vast restaurant welcomes you with a fa...

Cheers to teetotallers, straight-edgers and designated drivers. The holiday season is awash with office parties and friendly get-togethers swimming in hooch, but what about the non-drinker? Bars and restaurants across town are increasing their efforts to offer non-alcoholic drinks that surpass the Shirley Temple. Here are five mocktails that raise the bar.
Brasserie T!
When I sidled up to the white stone bar for dinner in the vast and stylish Brasserie T! Dix30 a couple of months ago, I thoug...

Jerk chicken is one of those guaranteed feel-good dishes on a cold day, like stew or cottage pie. It’s got “Mama’s cooking” written all over it, partly because it requires hours of marinating, so it’s not something you can just rustle up. After absorbing the complex flavours of the rub (usually involving allspice, soy sauce and thyme), the chicken is charcoal-grilled to smoky perfection.
And then there are the usual sides: rice and peas, caramelized plantain and invariably a little green sala...

Throughout the Tourisme Montréal site we tell you all about Montréal’s greatest hits and amazing bits. But what about the city’s hidden gems? The ones even WE keep to ourselves? Here’s a growing list of our favourite small, neighbourhood, off-the-beaten-track spots, where we love to go hang, grab a meal, soak up the vibe and generally live like a local. Welcome to our best-kept secrets.

The dropping temperatures may be disheartening, but they’re also the harbinger of a beautiful time in nature. Let’s get out there and see some fall colours! Hop in the car and hit the road to soak up some country air on the way to one of these destination restaurants, all within an hour (or so) of Montreal.

Les Sucreries de l’Érable

This small bakery and café is in the centre of Frelighsburg, one of the Eastern Townships’ prettiest towns, and serves a breakfast and lunch of home-baked croissa...

You know those weeks when you just love your job? I’ve been crisscrossing the city tasting brownies — over a dozen of them, so I can report back to you on the best of the best. From nutty to not, square or round, big and small, Montréal’s brownies come in many shapes and sizes. Presenting: the leaders of the snack pack.
Myriade
You’ll know the original location of Myriade at 1432 Mackay St. for its stellar third-wave coffee, serving Concordia students by the thousands every year. Next time yo...

The barnwood-panelled music studio in Montreal’s Mile-Ex neighbourhood is filled with the sound of Laurel Sprengelmeyer (better known as Little Scream) workshopping live versions of songs from her third album, Speed Queen. The title may bring to mind frothing mouths and party highs, but it’s actually named after the washing machine brand, paying homage to the precious pleasures of self-sufficiency.

Montréal’s booming vegan scene is getting more and more famous, and there’s a festival that brings all that success to light: the Montréal Vegan Festival. On the weekend of September 21 and 22, 2019, the fest brings plant-based power to the Montréal Convention Centre, where 20,000 participants will congregate to meet the chefs, producers, activists, foodies and farmers that make vegan Montréal a true hub of excitement.

100 years already?! At Tourisme Montréal, we’ve been sharing our love for the city for a century now – and our pride is only growing. Montréal is unique in the world for its constant innovation, invention, creativity and joyful spirit – the city practically promotes itself. Here are 100 exciting creative things to do so you can start tapping into that famous Montréal energy.

It’s so nice to have things to remember a trip by, but is there anything cheesier than tourist-shop fare? Luckily there’s a crop of stores in Montréal that offer genuinely cool Montréal souvenirs you’ll actually want to take home not just for you, but for anyone on your gift list. And not a snow globe in sight.

Scotch eggs, bangers and mash, chips and curry sauce — these three gastropubs downtown and in Old Montreal are building on the legacy of Montreal mainstays Dominion Square Pub and Burgundy Lion with menus that hit all the pub classics but add their signature flair. Presenting nouveau British, done three ways.