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The Main Media Inc. 2026

✦ Built By Field Office
    The Main

    Montreal's Cultural Directory

    Help us improve! Share your thoughts on how we can make your experience better.

    Leave feedback

    For partnerships and collaborations:

    partnerships@themain.com

    Content

    • Articles
    • Food & Drink
    • Arts & Culture
    • History Lesson
    • Bulletin
    • Events

    Guides

    • All Guides
    • Best Restaurants
    • Best Cafés
    • Best Bars
    • Best Brunch
    • Best Bakeries

    Explore Montreal

    • Browse Directory
    • Restaurants
    • Bars
    • Cafés
    • Bookstores

    About

    • About us
    • Subscribe
    • Shop
    • Advertise
    • Pitch us
    • RSS Feed

    Legal

    • Terms of service
    • Membership Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    Follow us
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    The Main Media Inc. 2026

    ✦ Built By Field Office
      --°C|Saturday, March 28, 2026|
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      --°C|Saturday, March 28, 2026|
      Subscribe today to get 3 free articles per month.ROYALMOUNT Wants to Be Your Dining Destination for a Whole MonthGet 50% off your first 5 rides with Lyft
      InstagramTwitterTiktokLinkedin
      |
      Advertise
      The Main Logo
      Magazine
      Categories
      • Arts & Culture

        Creativity, heritage, and expression.

      • Beyond Montreal

        Travel, adventure, and global perspectives.

      • Design

        The best of Montreal design.

      • Food & Drink

        La bonne bouffe.

      • History

        Stories, lessons, and context.

      • Newsletter

        Our weekly newsletter.

      • See all original stories
      Explore Montreal
      Popular Guides
      • The Best Restaurants in Montreal
      • Best new Restaurants
      • Best Cafés
      • Unique Boutiques
      • Romantic Restaurants
      • Best Bookstores
      • See all Guides
      Neighbourhood
      • Downtown
      • Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
      • Mile End
      • Mile-Ex
      • Saint-Henri
      • See All
      Business Type
      • Restaurant
      • Café
      • Boutique / Store
      • Bar
      • Bakery
      • See All
      Near the Metro
      • Peel
      • Mont-Royal
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      A Day in the Life of a Montreal Wine Importer
      Food & Drink
      Rachel Cheng

      A Day in the Life of a Montreal Wine Importer

      Keaton Ritchie of Flor Vin was on the banks of the Loire last week. Today he's hauling bottles through the slush.

      Chouchou Is the Modern Chinese Bistro Our City's Been Missing
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Chouchou Is the Modern Chinese Bistro Our City's Been Missing

      Chef Chouchou Jia spent years cooking in French and Italian kitchens before opening their first restaurant, and the result is unlike anything else in town.

      Arthurs Nosh Bar Is Coming to NDG, and This Time, They're Bringing Dinner
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Arthurs Nosh Bar Is Coming to NDG, and This Time, They're Bringing Dinner

      Alex Cohen and Raegan Steinberg are combining dinners with breakfast classics to the 48-seat Arthus Dinette in Monkland Village.

      Peel Pub Is Coming Back
      Food & Drink
      The Main

      Peel Pub Is Coming Back

      Eight months after closing, the downtown institution has new owners, a renovation, and a reopening before St. Patrick's Day.

      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution
      Food & Drink
      Anick Jasmin

      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution

      Owner Jermaine learned to cook from his grandmother in Jamaica at six years old. Everything at Boom J's still carries those teachings.

      Bistrot Boisselet Skipped the Hype and Went Straight to Work
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Bistrot Boisselet Skipped the Hype and Went Straight to Work

      A quietly confident Little Italy bistrot from Montreal restaurant alum puts chef Darcy Gervais-Wood front and centre.

      A Day in the Life of a Montreal Wine Importer
      Food & Drink
      Rachel Cheng

      A Day in the Life of a Montreal Wine Importer

      Keaton Ritchie of Flor Vin was on the banks of the Loire last week. Today he's hauling bottles through the slush.

      Chouchou Is the Modern Chinese Bistro Our City's Been Missing
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Chouchou Is the Modern Chinese Bistro Our City's Been Missing

      Chef Chouchou Jia spent years cooking in French and Italian kitchens before opening their first restaurant, and the result is unlike anything else in town.

      Arthurs Nosh Bar Is Coming to NDG, and This Time, They're Bringing Dinner
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Arthurs Nosh Bar Is Coming to NDG, and This Time, They're Bringing Dinner

      Alex Cohen and Raegan Steinberg are combining dinners with breakfast classics to the 48-seat Arthus Dinette in Monkland Village.

      Peel Pub Is Coming Back
      Food & Drink
      The Main

      Peel Pub Is Coming Back

      Eight months after closing, the downtown institution has new owners, a renovation, and a reopening before St. Patrick's Day.

      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution
      Food & Drink
      Anick Jasmin

      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution

      Owner Jermaine learned to cook from his grandmother in Jamaica at six years old. Everything at Boom J's still carries those teachings.

      Bistrot Boisselet Skipped the Hype and Went Straight to Work
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Bistrot Boisselet Skipped the Hype and Went Straight to Work

      A quietly confident Little Italy bistrot from Montreal restaurant alum puts chef Darcy Gervais-Wood front and centre.

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      Montreal's most exciting openings and heartbreaking closures of 2025
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Montreal's Most Exciting Openings and Heartbreaking Closures of 2025

      The restaurant and bar arrivals that thrilled Montreal writers, photographers, and influencers—and the beloved spots whose closures left lasting gaps.

      Marchigiani became a Montreal institution by staying old school
      Food & Drink
      Jason Gisoo Kim

      Marchigiani Became a Montreal Institution by Staying Old School

      Three generations and 65 years later, this family business is having its busiest run yet.

      Where Montreal's food writers and photographers loved to drink in 2025 (and what they ordered)
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Where Montreal's Food Writers and Photographers Loved to Drink in 2025 (and What They Ordered)

      From cocktails 45 floors above the city streets to neighbourhood wine bars and timeless martinis, here's where the city's insiders raised a glass in 2025.

      The steamie is an ugly and weird hot dog. It's also essential to Montreal food culture
      Food & Drink
      Mason Persaud

      The Steamie is an Ugly and Weird Hot Dog. It's Also Essential to Montreal Food Culture

      We built this city's culinary history and fuelled its nights out with this soggy, unphotogenic icon.

      You can always rely on this Moroccan-French café
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      You Can Always Rely on This Moroccan-French Café

      Nili's the opposite of fine dining: a tiny Mile End spot with Moroccan home cooking, twice-a-week prices, and the feeling of a café you can reliably drop into.

      Numéro's brutalist bar wants to serve your next post-shift martini
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Numéro's Brutalist Bar Wants to Serve Your Next Post-shift Martini

      Walk-ins and reservations share a warm welcome in this highly customized space, and it's got the menu to match.

      Related Classics

      From our archive.

      Montreal's most exciting openings and heartbreaking closures of 2025
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Montreal's Most Exciting Openings and Heartbreaking Closures of 2025

      The restaurant and bar arrivals that thrilled Montreal writers, photographers, and influencers—and the beloved spots whose closures left lasting gaps.

      Marchigiani became a Montreal institution by staying old school
      Food & Drink
      Jason Gisoo Kim

      Marchigiani Became a Montreal Institution by Staying Old School

      Three generations and 65 years later, this family business is having its busiest run yet.

      Where Montreal's food writers and photographers loved to drink in 2025 (and what they ordered)
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Where Montreal's Food Writers and Photographers Loved to Drink in 2025 (and What They Ordered)

      From cocktails 45 floors above the city streets to neighbourhood wine bars and timeless martinis, here's where the city's insiders raised a glass in 2025.

      The steamie is an ugly and weird hot dog. It's also essential to Montreal food culture
      Food & Drink
      Mason Persaud

      The Steamie is an Ugly and Weird Hot Dog. It's Also Essential to Montreal Food Culture

      We built this city's culinary history and fuelled its nights out with this soggy, unphotogenic icon.

      You can always rely on this Moroccan-French café
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      You Can Always Rely on This Moroccan-French Café

      Nili's the opposite of fine dining: a tiny Mile End spot with Moroccan home cooking, twice-a-week prices, and the feeling of a café you can reliably drop into.

      Numéro's brutalist bar wants to serve your next post-shift martini
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Numéro's Brutalist Bar Wants to Serve Your Next Post-shift Martini

      Walk-ins and reservations share a warm welcome in this highly customized space, and it's got the menu to match.

      Food & Drink

      This is Even, a Mile-Ex Hybrid Café-roastery with Deep Intent

      An exhibition of immersed planning in coffee, hospitality, design, and craftsmanship.

      ByJ.P. Karwacki

      March 5, 2025 · 6 min read

      This is Even, a Mile-Ex hybrid café-roastery with deep intent
      Photograph: Thomas Tessier / @thomastessier_

      Discover the places mentioned in this story

      Café Even

      There's a particular alchemy that happens inside the best cafés that take their craft seriously—not with pretension, but intent. It’s that careful balance of space, aroma, sound, and human connection that transcends the simple act of serving coffee, and in the Mile-Ex, it’s the unassuming corner that feels both hidden and perfectly placed where Even Café and its roastery has set up shop.

      Andrew Werbowyj, the founder who dusted off the garage door to Dispatch Café’s first location, raised it again in the final days of fall 2024 under a new banner that would draw from his work experience, travels, and a deep connection to Montreal.

      Photograph: Thomas Tessier / @thomastessier_

      Something brewing

      Werbowyj's connection to Mile-Ex runs deeper than convenience. "When I first moved to Montreal, I lived in Mile-Ex, so signing the lease felt like a homecoming," he recalls. "It was like coming full circle."

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      The Main

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      Food & Drink

      This is Even, a Mile-Ex Hybrid Café-roastery with Deep Intent

      An exhibition of immersed planning in coffee, hospitality, design, and craftsmanship.

      ByJ.P. Karwacki

      March 5, 2025 · 6 min read

      This is Even, a Mile-Ex hybrid café-roastery with deep intent
      Photograph: Thomas Tessier / @thomastessier_

      Discover the places mentioned in this story

      Café Even

      There's a particular alchemy that happens inside the best cafés that take their craft seriously—not with pretension, but intent. It’s that careful balance of space, aroma, sound, and human connection that transcends the simple act of serving coffee, and in the Mile-Ex, it’s the unassuming corner that feels both hidden and perfectly placed where Even Café and its roastery has set up shop.

      Andrew Werbowyj, the founder who dusted off the garage door to Dispatch Café’s first location, raised it again in the final days of fall 2024 under a new banner that would draw from his work experience, travels, and a deep connection to Montreal.

      Photograph: Thomas Tessier / @thomastessier_

      Something brewing

      Werbowyj's connection to Mile-Ex runs deeper than convenience. "When I first moved to Montreal, I lived in Mile-Ex, so signing the lease felt like a homecoming," he recalls. "It was like coming full circle."

      Free account required

      For readers who care about Montreal

      Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.

      Independent. Local. Reader-supported.

      or

      Already a member? Sign in

      The Main

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      Latest from The Main

      DesignStop Building Sad CitiesNewsletterThe Bulletin: Downtown Gets a Jazz Room, Blasting Pink Floyd in a Church, and Girl Dinners [Issue #174]Beyond MontrealMontreal's New Second Airport Is Nearly 100 Years OldArts & CultureWhat to do this weekend (03.26–03.29)Arts & CultureMeet the Old Roots and New Blood of Mile End’s Greektown

      Latest from The Main

      DesignStop Building Sad CitiesNewsletterThe Bulletin: Downtown Gets a Jazz Room, Blasting Pink Floyd in a Church, and Girl Dinners [Issue #174]Beyond MontrealMontreal's New Second Airport Is Nearly 100 Years OldArts & CultureWhat to do this weekend (03.26–03.29)Arts & CultureMeet the Old Roots and New Blood of Mile End’s Greektown
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      The Nomadic Kitchen of Pasta Pooks Has Set up Camp in Little Italy

      The nomadic kitchen of Pasta Pooks has set up camp in Little Italy
      The essentials according to restaurateur Soufian Mamlouk

      Previous

      The Essentials According to Restaurateur Soufian Mamlouk

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      The Nomadic Kitchen of Pasta Pooks Has Set up Camp in Little Italy

      The nomadic kitchen of Pasta Pooks has set up camp in Little Italy