Originally Posted by
Deadmonton
Did not read all of the above replies in detail, so I may be repeating:
Food:
1) Schwartz's deli!!!, on St. Laurent. Not to be missed. Order the smoked meat sandwich (medium fat) with a pickle and black cherry cola. I'm salivating thinking about it.
2) Bagels. Montreal bagels are the best in North America (cue the angry New Yorkers). There are 2 major purveyors, Fairmount bagel, on Fairmount St, near Parc Avenue, and St. Viateur bagel, on St. Viateur, near St. Laurent. Both will have hot, just from the oven sesame bagels, which require nothing additional as long as they are fresh. I also like to get the bagel with cream cheese and lox from Fairmount for breakfast.
3) If looking for a good, authentically French-Quebecois meal, with a slightly higher price tag, I would recommend one of the following (possibly reserving ahead, some are quite small):
- Le Petit Plateau - real good prix fixe meals, bring your own wine.
- Au Pied de Cochon - rich, fatty, amazing. Pretty well known.
- L'Express (marrow and greens!) - I forget exactly where it is, Rue St. Denis I think. French bistro style.
4) Portuguese - Chez Doval. On De Bullion, north or Rue Rachel. Delicious charred meats and fishes. Used to be a Portuguese gentleman's club in one half, and they still had the velvet accented nude silhouette pictures on the wall last time I was there.
Other things to do...
If wanting to do a bit of wandering, see some local produce, buy various ingredients, the Atwater market is a great spot in the Fall. Buy cheeses, bread, wine, whatever else and eat on the grass by the Lachine canal (which is just behind the market) = a pretty good afternoon.
Old Montreal is the touristic, quintessentially "quaint" part of the city, and probably worth seeing if you never have. The restaurants are usually priced higher for the tourists, and not as good as elsewhere in the city.
The archaeology museum is in that area, and while I've never been I've heard it's good.
Music is everywhere in the city, and there are a couple of jazz clubs, some blues nights, although I'm sure things have changed a bit since I was there in terms of nights and locations. You should pick up one of the local entertainment papers and pick a show or two.
Beer. There are lots of brew pubs, but my favourite before I left the city was Dieu de Ciel(best beer in Canada), somewhere near the bagel places I mentioned above. They brew beer in smallish batches, and write whatever is ready on a given night up on a chalkboard. Another to try would be Reservoir (on Duluth). Good snacks there too. I like both of those places better than Brutopia.
Right - poutine. Get the smoked meat poutine at a place called Mamma's Pizza, on Ave des Pins, near the intersection of Blvd. St. Urbain. Or for "gourmet" poutine - try a place called Resto La Banquise. It is open very late. Combine a visit there with a night on the town. Enjoy watching the drunk people trying to order.
Mostly the city is great for wandering, finding cool shit, and eating poutine.
Edit- This can't be repeated enough. The women there are so insanely gorgeous. Even the not so gorgeous women kind of pretend they are, and pull it off.