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
InstagramTwitterTiktokLinkedin

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
    InstagramTwitterTiktokLinkedin

    The Main Media Inc. 2026

    ✦ Built By Field Office
      --°C|Thursday, March 26, 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
      • Place-Saint-Henri
      • Place-d'Armes
      • Jarry
      • View all
      Shop
      Subscribe
      Subscribe
      --°C|Thursday, March 26, 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
      • Place-Saint-Henri
      • Place-d'Armes
      • Jarry
      • View all
      Shop
      Subscribe
      Subscribe
      1. Articles
      1. Articles

      History Lesson

      55
      When McGill med students went grave-robbing for science
      J.P. Karwacki

      When McGill Med Students Went Grave-robbing for Science

      The law demanded they learn anatomy but made dissection illegal, so for nearly a century, stolen corpses were tobogganed down Mount Royal to a folk hero janitor who paid cash, no questions asked.

      How Little Portugal carved out its place in the Plateau
      Phylida Tuff-West

      How Little Portugal Carved Out Its Place in the Plateau

      From postwar migration to piri piri chicken, Azorean immigrants transformed an iconic Montreal neighbourhood with enduring community.

      How 24 Stanley Cups turned the Montreal Canadiens into a religion
      The Main

      How 24 Stanley Cups Turned the Montreal Canadiens into a Religion

      From dynasty to drought: a brief-ish look at the making of Montreal's most devotional sports franchise.

      The rise and fall of Le Palais des Nains, the palace where tourists became giants
      The Main

      The Rise and Fall of Le Palais des Nains, the Palace Where Tourists Became Giants

      For over 60 years, the fully functional home of two circus veterans became a Montreal tourist attraction where everything was scaled down to their three-foot-tall size.

      A butcher's gamble, a forgotten tavern, and how the Mile End earned its name
      The Main

      A Butcher's Gamble, a Forgotten Tavern, and How the Mile End Earned Its Name

      From a Durham County butcher shop and Massachusetts tavern keepers to a global creative district, the real story's one historians got wrong for decades.

      How Montreal got its Little Italy
      Daniel Bromberg

      How Montreal Got Its Little Italy

      A century-long story of how a neighbourhood grew from railroad workers to family legacies everywhere you look today.

      Montreal's decades-long Polynesian fantasy and volcano cocktail experiment
      Phylida Tuff-West

      Montreal's Decades-long Polynesian Fantasy and Volcano Cocktail Experiment

      When Kon Tiki brought post-war escapism and Hollywood's idea of the South Pacific to Peel Street, it created an exotic escape unlike any other.

      Before the world knew his name, Montreal heard him first
      J.P. Karwacki

      Before the World Knew His Name, Montreal Heard Him First

      The Harlem of the North, Little Burgundy, raised a legend. It took 100 years to say it as loudly as possible from the city's rooftops.

      How the Atwater Market fed Montreal through depression and renewal
      J.P. Karwacki

      How the Atwater Market Fed Montreal Through Depression and Renewal

      A civic monument, a neighbourhood anchor, and a living archive of what Montreal eats since 1933.

      From opera house to haunted relic to hot ticket, Montreal's Rialto Theatre refuses to die
      J.P. Karwacki

      From Opera House to Haunted Relic to Hot Ticket, Montreal's Rialto Theatre Refuses to Die

      A near-forgotten movie palace that's outlasted demolition plans, disco dreams, and decades of decline to become one of Montreal’s most resilient cultural landmarks.

      Before "world music” was a genre, there was Club Balattou
      The Main

      Before "world Music” Was a Genre, There Was Club Balattou

      From exile to empire, this is how a tiny St-Laurent nightclub became the global heartbeat of African music in Montreal.

      If this factory closes, a century of Montreal's Chinatown history goes with it
      J.P. Karwacki

      If This Factory Closes, a Century of Montreal's Chinatown History Goes with it

      For over a century, Wing Noodles has fed Montreal with handmade noodles, fortune cookies, and quiet defiance—one of the last family-run factories still standing in Chinatown.

      Canada’s most prolific killer is the hitman Montreal created
      Daniel Bromberg

      Canada’s Most Prolific Killer is the Hitman Montreal Created

      Authors Julian Sher and Lisa Fitterman discuss their book that chronicles the creation of a man who killed 43 people at the height of the biker wars in Quebec.

      The dining theatrics and dark history of Montreal's infamous restaurant Au Lutin qui Bouffe
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Dining Theatrics and Dark History of Montreal's Infamous Restaurant Au Lutin Qui Bouffe

      Fine French cuisine, tableside photo sessions with piglets, and a botched robbery that marked the beginning of an end.

      Henri Henri is the Montreal hat shop that has defined a century of style
      J.P. Karwacki

      Henri Henri is the Montreal Hat Shop That Has Defined a Century of Style

      NHL hat tricks, Hollywood icons, expertise passed on through nearly a century—this legendary shop is a cornerstone of a city's sartorial history.

      Why André the Giant was one of Montreal's greatest entertainers in and out of the ring
      J.P. Karwacki

      Why André the Giant Was One of Montreal's Greatest Entertainers in and Out of the Ring

      The city's role in André the Giant's path from French farm boy to the Eighth Wonder of the World, with a downtown brasserie pitstop.

      • Previous
      • 1
      • 2
      • 3
      • 4
      • Next

      History Lesson

      55
      When McGill med students went grave-robbing for science
      J.P. Karwacki

      When McGill Med Students Went Grave-robbing for Science

      The law demanded they learn anatomy but made dissection illegal, so for nearly a century, stolen corpses were tobogganed down Mount Royal to a folk hero janitor who paid cash, no questions asked.

      How Little Portugal carved out its place in the Plateau
      Phylida Tuff-West

      How Little Portugal Carved Out Its Place in the Plateau

      From postwar migration to piri piri chicken, Azorean immigrants transformed an iconic Montreal neighbourhood with enduring community.

      How 24 Stanley Cups turned the Montreal Canadiens into a religion
      The Main

      How 24 Stanley Cups Turned the Montreal Canadiens into a Religion

      From dynasty to drought: a brief-ish look at the making of Montreal's most devotional sports franchise.

      The rise and fall of Le Palais des Nains, the palace where tourists became giants
      The Main

      The Rise and Fall of Le Palais des Nains, the Palace Where Tourists Became Giants

      For over 60 years, the fully functional home of two circus veterans became a Montreal tourist attraction where everything was scaled down to their three-foot-tall size.

      A butcher's gamble, a forgotten tavern, and how the Mile End earned its name
      The Main

      A Butcher's Gamble, a Forgotten Tavern, and How the Mile End Earned Its Name

      From a Durham County butcher shop and Massachusetts tavern keepers to a global creative district, the real story's one historians got wrong for decades.

      How Montreal got its Little Italy
      Daniel Bromberg

      How Montreal Got Its Little Italy

      A century-long story of how a neighbourhood grew from railroad workers to family legacies everywhere you look today.

      Montreal's decades-long Polynesian fantasy and volcano cocktail experiment
      Phylida Tuff-West

      Montreal's Decades-long Polynesian Fantasy and Volcano Cocktail Experiment

      When Kon Tiki brought post-war escapism and Hollywood's idea of the South Pacific to Peel Street, it created an exotic escape unlike any other.

      Before the world knew his name, Montreal heard him first
      J.P. Karwacki

      Before the World Knew His Name, Montreal Heard Him First

      The Harlem of the North, Little Burgundy, raised a legend. It took 100 years to say it as loudly as possible from the city's rooftops.

      How the Atwater Market fed Montreal through depression and renewal
      J.P. Karwacki

      How the Atwater Market Fed Montreal Through Depression and Renewal

      A civic monument, a neighbourhood anchor, and a living archive of what Montreal eats since 1933.

      From opera house to haunted relic to hot ticket, Montreal's Rialto Theatre refuses to die
      J.P. Karwacki

      From Opera House to Haunted Relic to Hot Ticket, Montreal's Rialto Theatre Refuses to Die

      A near-forgotten movie palace that's outlasted demolition plans, disco dreams, and decades of decline to become one of Montreal’s most resilient cultural landmarks.

      Before "world music” was a genre, there was Club Balattou
      The Main

      Before "world Music” Was a Genre, There Was Club Balattou

      From exile to empire, this is how a tiny St-Laurent nightclub became the global heartbeat of African music in Montreal.

      If this factory closes, a century of Montreal's Chinatown history goes with it
      J.P. Karwacki

      If This Factory Closes, a Century of Montreal's Chinatown History Goes with it

      For over a century, Wing Noodles has fed Montreal with handmade noodles, fortune cookies, and quiet defiance—one of the last family-run factories still standing in Chinatown.

      Canada’s most prolific killer is the hitman Montreal created
      Daniel Bromberg

      Canada’s Most Prolific Killer is the Hitman Montreal Created

      Authors Julian Sher and Lisa Fitterman discuss their book that chronicles the creation of a man who killed 43 people at the height of the biker wars in Quebec.

      The dining theatrics and dark history of Montreal's infamous restaurant Au Lutin qui Bouffe
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Dining Theatrics and Dark History of Montreal's Infamous Restaurant Au Lutin Qui Bouffe

      Fine French cuisine, tableside photo sessions with piglets, and a botched robbery that marked the beginning of an end.

      Henri Henri is the Montreal hat shop that has defined a century of style
      J.P. Karwacki

      Henri Henri is the Montreal Hat Shop That Has Defined a Century of Style

      NHL hat tricks, Hollywood icons, expertise passed on through nearly a century—this legendary shop is a cornerstone of a city's sartorial history.

      Why André the Giant was one of Montreal's greatest entertainers in and out of the ring
      J.P. Karwacki

      Why André the Giant Was One of Montreal's Greatest Entertainers in and Out of the Ring

      The city's role in André the Giant's path from French farm boy to the Eighth Wonder of the World, with a downtown brasserie pitstop.

      • Previous
      • 1
      • 2
      • 3
      • 4
      • Next