This article is the author's opinion. Think you have something to say about Montreal culture or community? Get in touch. We want to hear your pitch.
I opened The Coldroom in 2016 on a side street in Old Montreal that most people walked past without noticing. That was intentional—I wanted to create something that felt discovered, not advertised. But I didn't anticipate spending the next nine years watching the neighbourhood around me slowly forget what made it special in the first place.
Let me be clear about something upfront: I’m not nostalgic for some imaginary golden age in the past, and this isn’t about shitting on every decision the city's made. Old Montreal, at its best, is a backdrop of cobblestone streets and 18th-century architecture where you can stumble from an award-winning dinner into a bar serving best-in-class cocktails in North America.
Finish “Old Montreal's losing its soul and we've got to get it back”
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