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
When North America went dry in 1920, Montreal didn't, and that choice would shape the city into what it is today.
Twelve days, 250+ shows, a free Weird Al concert, and a World Cup final: This is all you need to navigate JFL from July 15 to 26, 2026.
On July 14, 1987, two hours of rain drowned the Décarie, shut down the métro, and became the storm so many Montreal floods are still measured against.
The St. Lawrence River, French colonial planning, and centuries of habit created a directional system where “north” has almost nothing to do with a compass.
Every year produces bars and restaurants worth tracking, and Montreal's latest is a strong showing.
The photographer has spent years documenting Montreal’s post-pandemic underground. We asked them which collectives, DJs, and communities are shaping what comes next.
A season’s worth of street parties, open-air performances, sporting events, and annual cultural traditions curated by The Main and URBANIA.
Through immersive installations by Paola Pivi and Jakob Kudsk Steensen, PHI asks whether art can help us navigate climate anxiety and a world where truth feels increasingly unstable.
The Montreal illustrator enlisted roughly three dozen writers, artists, and poets to fill a hand-restored 1950s vending machine with fortunes in both languages.
The WILLS Director of Operations on hospitality, leadership, and creating the kind of space he never saw when he entered Montreal’s restaurant industry.
The new Pointe-Saint-Charles venue combines courts, cocktails, Pilates, and hospitality in a bid to make the club itself the destination.
An Old Montreal bar where hi-fi sound, curated records, and conversation take precedence. There are still plenty of highballs, though.
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.
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.
