I'll Follow You Anywhere

The last time Johanna and I visited Montreal, we really felt like we’d seen it all. Practically running from cafe to cafe, we discovered so much more than we had ever planned to, and our guide list when we returned home proved to be pretty expansive.

But believe it or not, there’s more.

My week in Montreal with my best friend from Vancouver was a truly magical experience. It helped me get back on my feet and make some scary life changes (more on that in the coming weeks), but it was also just a really fun time! We stayed in the gorgeous William Grey Hotel, and literally ate our way across the city. By the time the trip had ended I was shocked to find I had a whole new list of additions to my original pastel city guide.

Here are some of our favourite picks, plus a few we spotted but didn’t get the chance to enjoy:

Rooney // All thing minimalist and luxe.

Away Spa // Best pedicures of our lives! There are heated beds… it’s incredible.

Mlle Catherine // Located across from our hotel, this tiny pink gem was the perfect place to grab a coffee and girl talk.

Le Petit Dep // A gorgeous little general store in the heart of Old Montreal, perfect for all the gift shopping you could ever desire.

Cafe Olympico // Hands down the world’s best hot cocoa. THE BEST. There’s also some great “eye candy” if you know what I mean.

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Ristorante Beatrice // We didn’t make it to this one, but it looks like total paradise in the warmer summer months.

Bird Bar // Vegan popcorn chicken! Need I say more?

Beige // All things cozy, homey and shiny.

September Surf // A little slice of California surf shop in Griffintown

Annex Vintage // The holy grail of patches, pins, and general flair!

Deux Lions Jewellery // A great little nook of clothing and accessories.

Vertuose // An Epic plant shop that gave me the amazing idea to stick pom poms on cacti!

Vertu Bar Sante // Healthy, delicious, and pastel – this is our kind of juice bar.

I'll Follow You Anywhere

The first time I visited Montreal I fell head over heels for the city. I immediately decided I needed to learn French and move up there at any cost, and for awhile I really worked on the dream… but then things really took off for me here in Toronto. Before I knew it, I hadn’t even visited Montreal for over three years, and I’d lost track of what I even liked about it in the first place.

When Sonnet Insurance invited Team RAOP to be their guests at Osheaga just a week before the big festival we were skeptical, but we decided to make it work. Johanna and I hadn’t seen each other for weeks thanks to a family trip on her end and Wayhome on mine, so we figured why not meet somewhere new instead of back at home? She flew in from Halifax and I flew in from Toronto, and there we were ready to explore Montreal together.

And oh, did we ever explore!

If I was head over heels for Montreal before, I was flat on my back on the floor this time around. So many beautifully designed restaurants! The most tasty coffee ever! Cute pastel houses galore! We honestly compiled a city guide twice the size of our LA trip guide after only three short days (most of which were spent at a music festival!)

Scroll down for our picks (sorted by neighbourhood) and please let us know what we missed in the comments for next time!

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Mile End

Citizen Vintage // vintage store
General 54 // vintage + locally made boutique
Unicorn Boutique // women’s apparel + jewellery
Boucle & Papier // cards + gifts
Empire Boutique // unisex vintage + locally made goods and apparel
Lowell // leather goods + unisex locally made clothing
St-Viateur Bagel // bagels
La Diperie // soft serve ice cream
Boutique Vestibule // decorative accessories and clothing
Ferlucci Café Boutique // A sweet Italian coffee shop

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Plateau Mont-Royal

Suwu // plant filled bar + hip-hop brunch
Pompette // sliders + cocktails
GAB // coffee shop
Noble Cafe // vintage + locally made goods and apparel
V de V // housewares + pretty things
Hof Kelsten // bakery + deli
Soupe Soup // soup + sandwich shop

Other Neighbourhoods

Le Café Pista // soup + sandwich shop (Beaubien)
Agrikol // Haitian food (The Village)
Sophie Sucrée // vegan pastry shop (The Village)
Le Mal Nécessaire // tiki bar (Saint-Laurent)
Café Saint-Henri // cafe (Saint-Henri)
September Surf Cafe // coffee shop with surf retail store + DIY surfboard workshop (Little Burgundy)
Hoogan et Beaufort // stylish restaurant (Rosemont)
Tommy Cafe // cafe (Old Montreal / Notre Dame)
Venice // California style health food + clean eating restaurant (Old Montreal)