J.P. Karwacki
Montreal, Quebec
Website
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 Pool Room: Serving a city's hot dogs for over a century
How a Bulgarian immigrant's billiard hall became one of Montreal's most enduring institutions, from pimp steaks to late night eats infamy.
We started a petition to make Montreal's ugly Christmas tree an annual tradition
Last year, we wrote about how the city should make the Ugly Tree official. This year, we're actually trying to make it happen.
Montreal gets its first German beer hall in 30 years with Wünderbar
The 3,500-square-foot beer hall on Plaza Saint-Hubert serves Bavarian drinking traditions with liter steins of German imports along long communal tables.
Brocard proves traditional Syrian food can feel brand new
A young team, an open kitchen, and recipes passed down through generations: Meet Talal Sabbagh's new spot on Saint-Laurent.
How Monkland Tavern shaped Montreal's restaurant scene over 30 years
The NDG institution and best-kept industry secret that helped launch some of Montreal's best chefs.
Why Empire thinks it will thrive in a struggling downtown core
Phil Grisé is opening a 26,000-square-foot skate shop in a building Archambault couldn't hold on to —because to him, physical retail isn't dead, it just needs to be worth the trip.
Farewell, Valérie Plante: A letter for Montreal's first woman mayor and her legacy
You didn't fix everything, but in many key respects, you left Montreal better than you found it.
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.
A new city gateway and memorial with the Montreal Irish Monument Park
An incoming commemorative park design makes the Black Rock accessible for the first time with public space honouring 6,000 Irish famine victims and the Montrealers who tried to save them.
Taking over Icehouse means inheriting a decade of expectations
Preserving the Plateau's Tex-Mex institution means proving yourself every single night.
What's it take to create a political party from scratch?
Two new parties trying to crack Montreal's 2025 election with grassroots outreach and Discord servers instead of establishment war chests.
Bar Minou is the kind of place you want to spend all night in
No reservations, only walk-ins, a wall of natty wines, taxes and tips included, and a barstool for an anchor.