J.P. Karwacki
JP Karwacki is the managing editor of The Main. His work has previously appeared in Time Magazine, the Montreal Gazette, Time Out, NUVO, and more.
Montreal, Quebec
Website
Chef-run counters, Little Italy institutions, and old-school crèmeries worth the lineup.
15 bars, pubs, and cafés where the beautiful game gets the audience it deserves.
From 70-cent burgers to a 25-course omakase, Montreal's got dad covered this June 21.
Montreal's breakfast scene is more than bagels and brunch queues; here's what's open early and worth every minute.
Ethiopian injera, Senegalese thiebou dieune, Mauritanian prix fixe, Congolese fufu, Algerian couscous, and more—the variety of Montreal's African restaurants runs deep.
The creative director and producer on where she eats, drinks, and resets between trips.
From free street festivals to $1,000-a-ticket blowouts, here's where the city comes alive during race week.
From West Island newcomers to decades-old institutions, here's where to take mom out for a good time on May 10, 2026.
On terrasses, vintage shops, horny summer vibes, and drinking beer under the Van Horne bridge.
From Pointe-Claire to Parc La Fontaine, here's where the Mile End Kicks actor eats, drinks, and goes to stay grounded.
![The 15 Best New Cafés in Montreal [August 2026]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F2edxk5v7%2Fproduction%2F577129bce7db4fa0dbfb38a49b0faf2c1331816c-2560x1688.jpg&w=2560&q=75)
Gelato in a bank vault, an Italian grocery counter in Villeray, cafecito on the Plateau, coffee for dancers, and one very political espresso bar.
![The Best New Restaurants in Montreal [August 2026]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F2edxk5v7%2Fproduction%2Fd6dab4bbe6095928b3fa76db48f4c453a49c74a1-1335x1085.jpg&w=2560&q=75)
Pho chawanmushi at an eight-seat omakase, Hiroshima ramen's first outpost outside Japan, and sourdough slices selling out on Saint-Viateur.
![The Best New Bars in Montreal [July 2026]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F2edxk5v7%2Fproduction%2F0423dee1625e8928c670db1619ab8edd75948f72-6240x4160.jpg&w=2560&q=75)
An audiophilic cocktail bar from the minds behind El Pequeño and Coldroom, a Lebanese wine bar in the Plateau, and more.
Butter, sugar, flour, and the people 'n' pastry shops who know exactly what to do with them in Montreal.
Half on stage, half in the crowd: Documenting communities at a crossroads.
When Montreal veterans end up with the keys to a local legend of the region they call home.
As bars struggle and alcohol sales drop, cafés are stepping in to redefine how Montrealers socialize.
Over forty years of transforming festivals, celebrations, and streetscapes into theatre.
NHL hat tricks, Hollywood icons, expertise passed on through nearly a century—this legendary shop is a cornerstone of a city's sartorial history.
A volunteer-run spectacle with crowds numbering at 300,000, a testament to resilience, and a city-wide tradition that refuses to fade.
A challenge to the city’s love affair with small, intimate restaurants with dinner and a show.
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.
From pop-ups to permanence, Montreal’s most raucous pasta operation finds a home—with the same energy, same chaos, and even better carbs.
An exhibition of immersed planning in coffee, hospitality, design, and craftsmanship.
Soufian’s essentials reflect deep ties to culture, craftsmanship, and community—local spots that celebrate bold flavours, timeless style, and the art of a well-curated experience.
Late-blooming chef Isaël Gadoua built a 35-seat La Petite-Patrie spot where creativity trumps convention, offering one of Montreal's most uncompromising menus.
Speakeasies, hotel bars, and neighbourhood rooms where a good drink is the main focus.
They say hunger is the best spice, but budget-friendly and fantastic food is just as good: This is where you'll find the best cheap eats in Montreal.
All manner of eggs, bagels, and sometimes the odd bottomless mimosa: This is Montreal's brunch scene, mapped.
Our final say guide to the best bars on offer in Montreal, from cocktail dens and wine bars to our favourite dives.
From boundary-pushing tasting menus to perfected single plates: updated monthly, argued over constantly.
From spots to work and places to print to undercelebrated artistic curios, few people are better to offer a guide to Montreal from an illustrator’s perspective than this enigmatic artist.
Second living rooms, third-wave pours, and the neighbourhood haunts that hold this city's coffee culture together.
