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.
Joe Lima's massive woodblocks—some over six feet tall—sculpt shadow and illumination into surreal architectural spaces that blur printmaking and sculpture.
André Brown doesn't exist per se, but the branding created under that name shows how hospitality can think differently about storytelling, atmosphere, and emotional design.
The former Joe Beef co-owner and ex-Maison Publique chef plan to debut a place in Dollard-des-Ormeaux that can “feed everyone (with) true hospitality” in November 2025.
Breakglass Studios started with dumpster-dived CBC equipment and ultra-cheap rent. 20 years later, it's expanding into a full creative ecosystem with a record label and immersive installations.
The city's venue infrastructure gap is driving artists to Toronto, but the thing is: This is a fixable problem.
LE NINETY's founders turned years of sourcing, washing, and trading secondhand clothes into two Montreal locations and a reported 99.9% sell-through rate.
When Ralph Bou Jaoude took over Hollywood Barbershop, he could have rebranded. Instead, he became the latest custodian of a Fairmount Street institution that's outlasted five different owners.
Limousine in Saint-Lambert shows how the Montreal chef's approach to French classics translates from social media to the table.
The Duluth restaurant aims to fill the third place gap with everything from morning coffees and dinners to late-night cocktails.
At Aylwin Deli, Montreal’s most sacred sandwich gets a smoky twist as brisket traditions meet barbecue technique.
The Harlem of the North, Little Burgundy, raised a legend. It took 100 years to say it as loudly as possible from the city's rooftops.
For nearly 40 years under a canopy of glassware, he brought elegance, humour, and quiet mastery to one of Montreal’s most iconic restaurants.
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.
