Digital Nomad’s Guide to Montreal
Montreal and my hometown of Toronto have something of a rivalry, but it’s a beautiful, culturally vibrant city and I love visiting when I can. Also, no slouch when it comes to great coffee and vegan food.
(Want to know what Montreal sounds like? Here’s a playlist of local indie acts.)
Coffee Shops
Dispatch Coffee
4021 St Laurent Blvd, Montreal, Quebec H2W 1Y4
Excellent cafe in the stylish Le Plateau-Mont Royal borough.
(Photo: Dispatch Coffee)
Café Tuyo
370 Rue Marie-Anne Est, Montréal, QC H2W 1B3
This homespun vegan cafe is a super comfortable place to grab coffee, do a little work, and/or socialize.
(Photo: Café Tuyo)
Anticafe Montreal
294 Saint-Catherine St W, Montreal, Quebec H2X 2A1
More a colourful, knick-knack-filled, day-pass friendly co-working space than a cafe, but really cool.
(Photo: Anticafe Montreal)
Restaurants
Panthère Verte / Green Panther
160 St Viateur St. E, Montreal, Quebec H2T 1A8
Incredible vegan mediterranean food, hippie vibe. My absolute favourite restaurant in Montreal. Also, great pizza.
(Photo: Panthère Verte / Green Panther)
Aux Vivres (Westmount)
4896 Sherbrooke St W, Westmount, Quebec H3Z 1H1
Apparently the first vegan restaurant in Montreal, which opened in 1997 (though not in this location). Still top quality.
(Photo: Aux Vivres)
Lola Rosa (Place des Arts)
276 Saint-Catherine St W, Montreal, Quebec H2X 2A1
Classy vegan resto, excellent menu, and in a great location.
(Photo: Lola Rosa)
Also great: Burger Fiancé
Parks and Recreation
Mount Royal Park
Mount Royal Park, Montreal
Montreal is named after the mountain featuring this big, beautiful park.
Cinémathèque Québécoise
335 Boul. de Maisonneuve E, Montréal, QC H2X 1K1
A beautiful, non-profit, independent cinema dedicated to preserving Quebecois and Canadian cinema, as well as international animation. But they showcase all kinds of great stuff.
Also too cool for popcorn, apparently…
(Photo: Cinémathèque québécoise)
Brasserie Beaubien
73 Rue Beaubien E, Montréal, QC H2S 1R1
A solid dive bar for live music, judging from my past visits.
But generally, Montreal is a city with a lot of great bars and great music. I’ll list more as I explore more of the city over time.
(Photo: Paul Donald)
Drugs and Alcohol
Alcohol: Legal drinking age in Quebec is 18.
Cannabis: Recreational cannabis is legal. It can be purchased from licensed dispensaries by adults aged 21+ (the highest age limit for cannabis in Canada). Consumption is not permitted in public.
Psychedelics: Check out Psychonaut, but Quebec is on the strict side when it comes to drugs.