Montréal, QC

lodging

Hôtel Château de l'Argoat

We stay here! Centrally situated between Plateau Mont Royal and Quartier Latin. The hotel is very walkable to several bars, restaurants and shopping. Additionally, it's close to a metro stop, which makes getting pretty much anywhere in the city a breeze. But what I loved most about this place is its quaint French-style charm and the friendly people who run it. From what I saw, each room had its own unique decor, with different sized rooms to suit your needs. There is a little common area on the ground floor that offers free continental breakfast and coffee each morning. The people at the front desk were always very helpful with directions or helping us call a cab if we needed. You truly felt like you were staying in someone's home, and it was a perfect spot to start our adventures.

Montréal, QC

shopping

St-Viateur Bagel Shop

One thing that should definitely be on your Montreal food checklist: Bagels! I found them to have a delightful crunch and less of the chewy texture of the ones I'm used to eating. As for where to go... you basically have two options: St. Viateur or Fairmount.

Paris, Île-de-France

restaurants

L'Avenue

If you're looking for a more traditional brunch spot with egg dishes and mimosas, then L'Avenue is your jam. It appears on pretty much every "best brunch" spot in the city list, so expect to wait in line. The good news is... they serve brunch every day of the week, so if your trip happens to fall on a weekday, then your wait will be considerably shorter. We all went straight for the Eggs Benedict section and were not disappointed.

Montréal, QC

restaurants

Beauty's Restaurant

Finally, if you are craving a diner-style hangover cure... Beautys Luncheonette will most definitely hit the spot. One of the coolest parts about this place... it's been around since 1942, and the man who started it, Hymie, is still there greeting customers and telling diners where to sit.

Montréal, QC

destination • experience

Jean Talon Market

Marché Jean-Talon sorta checks off a sight-seeing stop and lunch all in one spot. (Additionally, if you are visiting in the summertime, this would be a great spot to grab some picnic provisions.) It's one of the largest public markets in North America and offers a wide variety of fruits & vegetables, as well as things like maple syrup, oysters, charcuterie and plenty of Montreal's famous raw milk cheeses. There are also food stands where you can grab a quick bite.

Saint-Malo, Bretagne

restaurants • shopping

Crêperie du Marché

serving... you guessed it: crepes! I opted for a savory one with mushrooms, ham, cheese and béchamel sauce. A perfect way to warm up on a cold day.

Montréal, QC

restaurants

Au Pied de Cochon

After visiting in 2001, Anthony Bourdain called it "one of my favorite restaurants on the planet and Picard one of my favorite chefs." I would estimate that 80-90% of the menu somehow incorporates foie gras, so if you are a fan of it, you are in luck (think stuff like foie gras pizza, burger, chicken nuggets and poutine!) Our server, Flo, was friendly and knowledgeable and entertaining and everything you want your server to be and made sure we ordered all of the best dishes. He started us off with a Foie Cromesquis (bottom left), which was literally a melt-in-your-mouth piece of foie that becomes liquid during the frying process, but enclosed in breadcrumbs.

Montréal, QC

restaurants

Lili.Co

For our NYE dinner, we opted for an upscale tasting menu at Lili.Co, which was named Montreal Eater's Restaurant of the Year in 2015. We sat at the counter overlooking the open kitchen, watching the chefs prepare our 7-course menu that started with oysters served with puffed rice and a dashi vinaigrette (top left) and ended with an apple pie tartelette that was topped with smoked cheddar, seared foie gras, and warm maple syrup (bottom middle.) One of my very favorite dishes of the night was the braised carrots with brussel sprouts, Lebanese cream cheese, preserved lemon and sunflower seeds (top right.) We also received king fish, duck breast, lobster and pork belly... and all for just $85 Canadian. (So about $65 USD)

Montréal, QC

bar

Bar Le Mal Nécessaire

If you go to only one bar in Montreal, make sure it is this one. Le Mal Nécessaire is an underground tiki bar in Montreal's Chinatown (not too far from Old Montreal.) We went on the earlier side, but I could see this being a fun spot as it gets busier into the night. You absolutely must order one of the four drinks served in either a pineapple or coconut.

Montréal, QC

restaurants

La Banquise

A trip to Canada just wouldn't be complete without a plate of poutine... aka fries doused in gravy and cheese curds. There are plenty of places to get poutine in Montreal... and they range from fancy (think foie gras or lobster poutine) to greasy spoon-type drunk food. (I personally prefer the latter.) La Banquise is sorta the OG spot in Montreal that started as an ice cream shop back in 1968. It's open 24 hours, and they offer 30 different varieties of poutine... but we went with the classic. As you might expect, there will likely be a line (especially if you go around 1am on NYE), but it's worth the wait.