Nirvana's tattoo shop brings new energy to Montreal's Chinatown

Step through Chinatown’s iconic red arches and you’ll find a neighbourhood that still carries its weight in history and hustle: On the last Sunday of the month, the eastern half of de la Gauchetière hums with an event full of basslines from basement speakers. The smell of BBQ jerk chicken from Pas de problème and fried noodles from Dobe & Andy are some of the cameos you might catch. The lineup switches on the regular.

Down a graffed-up concrete staircase, the tattoo shop Nirvana, pulses with that same energy—the kind of place where art, skin, and street culture blur into something unmistakably Montreal.