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!
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
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)