Montréal

dear montreal,
imagine you had a show. and the premise of the show was that you drove around the country trying to find really good places to eat.

what are your favorite places to eat in montreal? favorite diners, dives, holes in the wall, sketchy places, etc. food types don't matter. definitely stay away from chain places, and wallet-friendly.

and, go!


thanks!

ps: can i just say that this community is probably the best city-based community i've ever been a part of? i often join other cities when i travel, and none of them are this interactive, responsive and fun!

Dear all,

What is your favourite place to buy good chocolates in Montreal?  Thank you in advance for suggestions :)

What should one see if they only have a day to spend in Montreal?

Hi everyone,

I lived in Montreal many years ago, and I'm coming for a visit next weekend (from November 28 to December 1) with two friends. I haven't been back for a really long time, and my friends live in New York and have never visited Montreal before. I'm pretty sure the years will have changed the city somewhat - so, to that end, does anyone have recommendations for the following?:

- shows (theatre/music/comedy) for that weekend
- awesome Montreal bars/restaurants
- best place to get a tattoo/piercing
- clothing/shoe stores (esp. places that might stock larger sizes - Addition-Elle excepted!)

I know this is all pretty general, but we're hoping to pack a week's worth of fun into one hectic, only-in-Montreal weekend. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

(PS: Mods, sorry in advance if I've overused/misused the tags...)

Just thought i'd share this little find with you all... i stumbled upon an incredible chocolate place the other day. it's a little out of the way for those living downtown, but oh. my. god. it is so worth it.
The store is called 'Truffe et Ganache' and is located in La Prairie on the south shore. They're fairly new and don't as of yet have their own web site up and running, but here is a site with the important details: http://www.ourbis.com/truffe_et_ganache
The owners are a couple who run the place themselves, Jean makes the chocolates and Caroline runs the shop... both of them are unbelievably warm and welcoming, and their chocolates are to die for. They also sell homemade gelato and cakes, as well as a few other goodies.
I tried the chai tea chocolates on the recommendation of a friend, and everyone i know is getting a box of these for christmas, they were so good! Jean has a lot of experience, as shows in his work, and this is his first venture out on his own. If you have the means to get there, i *highly* recommend giving them a try (either as a gift for someone special, or a treat for yourself :), their stuff is delicious and its nice to support a fledgling local business!

to the man that saw me running down the street, saw the bus leaving, pulled over and waved at me to get and drove me to the next stop to catch it, thank you, a lot.

Hello everyone! Hope you're enjoying the improving weather and those in school will be done with their finals soon!

I'm in search of a place to bring about 10 people next Friday (the 25th) for a little get-together to celebrate the fact that I'll be done school. Downtownish would be great, as we're hitting up Pang-Pang afterwards... basically I just want a place we can sit and have a few laughs, where the drinks aren't ridiculously priced and there isn't loud, horrible music that we need to scream over.

Also, if you have any recommendations besides Pang-Pang for karaoke or something else that might be fun to do (comedy club, perhaps?), I'll take 'em and as always, thank you in advance! :)

~D

Hello there, bonjour, etc.

I'm mainly here because I'm rather excited, to be honest, as I'm currently a student at Aberystwyth University in the middle of nowhere, Wales, in International Relations, but I'm studying abroad for a semester at McGill. So I had a few questions, if nobody minds. I'm sorry if anyone's asked them before, or they are ridiculously stupid.

I can speak French to A level standard (British-wise, obviously), but I obviously learnt French-French and not Quebecois. Will people be able to understand me, if I speak that French? And how about some phrases which might be different/confusing?

How (thereabouts) cold is it actually in September-December? As in what should I bring with me so I don't freeze?

Now for some, perhaps, better thought out and less stupid questions.

Where (if there is anywhere) can I watch British/European sport in Montreal? (football - as in the Premiership or Championship, rugby, cricket etc)

What do people recommend I do/see whilst in Montreal? I'd quite like to see some good comedy and American (or...Canadian?) football, and I'd love some historical stuff too.

What's a good beer to drink? And how do I order one in French? As all I ever learnt was how to order a pint in France (as in demi-litre), and I'm not sure if you use metric or not.

And one question about McGill. I'm very active in my university's Model UN society, and I was wondering if there was anything similar at McGill?

Any other recommendations for a Brit (or three) in Montreal?

Sorry for my rambling and potentially stupid questions. I'm just all exciteable (as I'm getting out my small town and going somewhere interesting. XP) I'm also sorry for the lack of French, but I'm kinda busy with work atm.

www.montrealjazzfest.com

www.francofolies.com

www.justforlaughs.ca

www.fantasiafestival.com

bonjour!

i am so excited to find this community because my boyfriend and i are making our first foray into canada july 11th-15th and we really want to make sure we don't just do the usual tourist stuff.

we are in our early-to-mid-twenties and are from new york city. we are actually both about to make major life changes (his company is moving to california and he's not going with them, i'm quitting my job to go to grad school) and so this is sort of our last hurrah for at least the next two years. we are particularly into film and theatre, but we are really open to (and specifically looking for!) new and montreal-specific experiences. i've heard old montreal is great, so we'll probably spend a day just walking around there, but we don't know what else to do, besides the usual museums and sight-seeing. are there any really great things we definitely shouldn't miss? fun things to do during the day or at night? it's really hard to tell from guide books what the really great parts of a city are, and i'd love to get it right from the source.

so...any recommendations? places to see, things to do, food to eat?

thank you so much for your help! i can't wait to visit your city. :)



[x-posted]

Poll #1013619 landmark
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 67

is there a more famous landmark than this in montreal?

View Answers

yes
53 (79.1%)

no
14 (20.9%)

Do you fill it out? If so, which categories (and businesses/places/people) are you especially passionate about?

If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can see and fill out the survey here.

( A few of my favourite things... )

Now, your turn!

This will be my first Nuit Blanche in Montreal, and the insane variety of things to do is a bit overwhelming. Plus, I'll be with my sister, who's never been to Montreal and wants to be shown a good time. So: what do you all consider to be the don't-miss activities of the night? Dancing at City Hall? African Rythmns? Fireworks show at the Vieux Port? Musée D'Art Contemporain? What are everyone's plans?

Bonsoir! I recently joined this community in preparation for a long weekend trip to Montreal in a few weeks. I currently live in Connecticut, and this will be my first trip to Canada since I was a kid. I'm really excited! Especially since we haven't had snow all winter long ... I'm looking forward to seeing some.

I've already gotten a great tip from this community on where to get a fabulous hair cut (Coupe Bizarre), so I thought I would ask for your ideas on what we should do in the city for our three days. I know that we'll be there for the first weekend of the High Lights Festival, but what would you tell a couple in their early 30s they must see/do in Montreal? What's your top five?

Merci!

rather than asking for suggestions, i would like to sing the praises of a small sushi place. :)
Bishoku at 1184 Bishop (between Rene Levesque and Ste Catherine) has become a new favorite for the occasional sushi fix. the bf and myself have only been there 3 times now, but have been impressed with the place each time. the two waitresses have each remembered us from our previous visits, which were not exactly close together. the first time we went during the early summer, we couldn't stay for dessert as we had a movie to catch, and last night the waitress asked if we wanted to stay for dessert or if we had to catch our movie again. i find that kind of human touch hard to come by these days. they are both very pleasant and attentive, the sushi is very fresh and quickly prepared and you even get a small free appetizer almost as soon as you're seated at your table (bonus).
the prices are about average... though they have a few things on the menu that i have not seen many other places here in Montreal. when i lived on the west coast, one of my favorite things to order was chirashi (a bowl of sushi rice with a variety of sashimi served on top) and i have yet to see it at a sushi resto here until Bishoku. i ordered it the first time there and was surprised to find one of the sashimi items was sea urchin, which was my first ever time trying it. i asked if that's what it was and the waitress chatted with me about it for a few minutes, assuring me it was good but saying they would happily change it for something else if i preferred, but i was adventurous and tried it. not bad, but an acquired taste, i think. they have a lot of non-sushi choices as well, ranging from a variety of salads, udon noodle soups and teriyaki dishes.
anyway, if you're looking for a nice, small, quiet sushi place downtown, you should try Bishoku. the menu is not the most in-depth in the province, but it has a very good variety, and the friendliness of the staff will dazzle you, and what is on the menu is excellent, very fresh, and quickly prepared.

As an extension to the last post...

Which do you think is the most STRIKING metro? I'm not necessarily looking for beauty and stained glass, but rather the biggest, most open-concept metro. Something that made you react to its grandiose nature and complex design the first time you saw it.

Lionel-Groulx is too complex and Bonaventure is too dark. I'm doing an assignment for school and need a picture of a metro to use as the basis for an illustration, but the end result is going to be very small.

Suggestions?

don't remember if anyone posted about this, but thought it worth noting, as it contains some very useful info and answers some of the questions i've seen posted lately.

The Mirror's Annual Student Survival Guide, 2006 edition

I have a weird question...

If you were leaving Montreal tomorrow and were not coming back, what is the last thing you'd HAVE TO do before you left?

I am leaving soon and I want to make sure I get my last Montreal fix.