Montreal
Bota Bota Spa Sur L’Eau
Montréal is the largest city in Canada's Québec province, set on an island in the Saint Lawrence River and named after Mt. Royal. Neighborhoods range from the cobblestoned French colonial Vieux-Montréal with the Gothic Revival Notre-Dame Basilica at its center to the bohemian Plateau area.
STAY
LE MOUNT STEPHEN Located in the Golden Square Mile in a former historic mansion.
HOTEL GAULT A boutique hotel in the former home of a booming import/export business from the 1900s decorated with mid-century modern pieces from designers like Bertoia and Eames.
AUBERGE DU VIEUX PORT A nineteenth-century hotel in Vieux Montreal with views of the Saint Lawrence River.
HOTEL WILLIAM GRAY Occupying two historic townhouses plus an eight-story glass tower in Vieux Montreal with an outdoor pool, boutique, and restaurant.
RITZ CARLTON MONTREAL Opened in 1912, this was the first property in North America to bear the Ritz-Carlton name. Maison Boulud by Chef Daniel Boulud offers refined French fare with an emphasis on locally sourced Quebec ingredients with a greenhouse and afternoon tea in the Palm Court.
HÔTEL NELLIGAN Close to the Basilique Notre-Dame on Rue Saint Paul in Vieux Montreal.
HOTEL ST. PAUL Housed in a Beaux-Arts building in Vieux Montreal with roaring fireplaces.
HOTEL LE GERMAIN A boutique hotel near the Museum of Fine Arts with in-room spa services and complimentary rides courtesy of the hotel’s Lexus.
HOTEL LE SAINT JAMES Located in a former Merchants' Bank building in Vieux Montreal, this boutique hotel with a baroque interior is home to Le Spa, in the former bank’s vault.
DINE | DRINK
LE CLUB CHASSE ET PÊCHE Le Club by Chef Claude Pelletier serves refined Québécois fish and game dishes, as the name implies. Finish with the maple syrup parfait (you are in Montreal after all). The team also operates Le Serpent housed in a former foundry industrial space with modern art installations by Chef Michele Mercuri.
AU PIED DE COCHON Chef Martin Picard’s serves hearty Québécois fare starring foie gras and pork in a lively space.
JOE BEEF Owners David McMillan, Frederic Morin, and Allison Cunningham describe the cuisine as “Bocusian-Lyonnaise cuisine du marché.” Come hungry! The team also operates Le Vin Papillon and Liverpool House.
OLIVE & GOURMANDO A charming neighborhood bakery and deli in Vieux Montreal by Dylan Solomon and Éric Girard. Expect a line in the morning, but the warm croissants, fresh from the oven, are worth the wait!
FOXY Chefs Dyan Solomon and Éric Gerard of Olive et Gourmando opened this sleek Griffintown restaurant with a wood-fired oven in an industrial dining room.
MARCONI Mehdi Brunet-Benkritly of the now-shuttered Bar Sardine in New York left for Montreal along with partner Molly Superfine-Rivera (M. Wells Steakhouse) and opened Marconi with menu highlights including venison tartare with ricotta and chips, duck with apricot and molasses, and beef tongue with apple and ginger vinaigrette.
DINETTE TRIPLE CROWN A French-Canadian take on the American South— fried chicken, mac and cheese, and brisket.
NORA GRAY A cozy Italian restaurant by Chef Emma Cardarelli with highlights including a buttered asparagus ravioli with duck heart Bolognese, a lemon farfalle with zucchini flowers and poppy seeds, and simple summer salads with pistachio and pecorino.
LEMÉAC Serving classic French comfort food since 2001— from steak frites to cabillaud with a varied cheese plate and a dozen homemade desserts made in-house nightly.
GARDE MANGER Chef Chuck Hughes's first restaurant offers a rich menu (lobster poutine) in a lively, dimly-lit, intimate space. Hughes also operates Le Bremner seafood restaurant.
LA BANQUISE Poutine is the official (unofficial) dish of Canada. A combination of french fries + cheese curds + gravy is offered 24 hours at La Banquise with unlimited variations.
CANDIDE A nineteenth-century stone church rectory turned farm-to-table fine-dining restaurant in Sud-Ouest.
BOUILLON BILK Bouillon Bilk in Ville-Marie feels more Manhattan than Montreal— a stark dining room with entrees presented like works of art. Luckily, it all tastes as good as it looks.
LE MOUSSO Antonin Mousseau-Rivard’s tasting menu-only restaurant in Ville-Marie is now accompanied by the far more casual Le Petit Mousso across the street offering à la carte options.
ST. VIATEUR BAGEL St. Viatuer has been making hand-rolled, honey-boiled, wood-fired bagels since 1957 with flavors ranging from rosemary and sea salt to flax to poppy seed, and, of course sesame.
FAIRMOUNT BAGEL Opened in 1919 by Isadore Shlafman, a Russian immigrant. Smaller and sweeter than New York bagels with flavors ranging from blueberry and chocolate to whole wheat and onion.
SCHWARTZ’S DELI The signature sandwich comes with smoked meat piled atop house-made rye bread and finished with golden mustard— the same recipe has been served since its Founder Reuben, a Jewish immigrant from Romania, opened the doors in 1928.
L’EXPRESS Open since 1980, this is a quintessential French diner in Montreal.
HOOGAN ET BEAUFORT Chef Marc-André Jetté showcases open-flame cooking in an industrial space.
MOLESKIN A bi-level space by Chef Frédéric St-Aubin with natural wines by Catherine Bélanger who also runs Pullman Wine Bar next door.
MOISHES A 79-year old Jewish-Roumanian steakhouse, which lays claim as the oldest continually operating restaurant in Montreal.
IMPASTO Chef Michele Forgione serves up comforting Italian cuisine, such as tortellini in brodo or porchetta with rapini. Gema Pizzeria, also from Forgione, is across the street.
BUVETTE CHEZ SIMONE A wine bar near Parc Mont-Royal with charcuterie and cheese plates.
BAR KABINET Connected to the dance club Bar Datcha, this Russian lounge is reminiscent of a boudoir with a signature Moscow Mule.
BAR HENRIETTA A Portuguese tavern serving piri piri chicken and pasteis de natas with an impressive wine selection from winemaker Filipa Pato.
BAR CLOAKROOM A prohibition-style speakeasy hidden behind a mirrored wall inside a stately 19th-century building in downtown Montreal, fit with a barbershop and a menswear boutique.
LE ROUGE GEORGE A wine bar with a large selection from Burgundy, the Loire Valley, and the Rhone with entrees including boudin parmentier, a blood sausage shepherd’s pie.
LOÏC A St. Henri wine bar owned by Montreal punk band Trigger Effect, located in a former landmark bank building built in 1905 by architect Edward Maxwell.
PULLMAN A three-story natural wine bar with over 450 bottles to choose from by owner-sommelier Véronique Dalle. Hors d’oeuvres pairings include gougeres and foie gras torchon with brioche.
ART | CULTURE | ACTIVITIES
BASILIQUE NOTRE DAME Located in the heart of Old Montreal and dating from the early 1800s, The Notre Dame Basilica is a Gothic Revival masterpiece.
MUSÉE DES BEAUX-ARTS DE MONTREAL Founded in 1860, the Montreal Museum of Fine Art has since acquired more than 41,000 artworks spanning the mediums of painting, sculpture, photography, and the decorative arts divided between four pavilions—international art, world culture, Canadian Art, and design.
CANADIAN CENTRE FOR ARCHITECTURE Originally opened to bring awareness to the crucial role architecture plays in shaping the identity of a city and, therefore improving the lives of residents, the Canadian Centre for Architecture, with its incredible sculpture garden, is a calming oasis.
MONTREAL BOTANICAL GARDEN A taste of the tropics in the middle of the city. The Montreal Botanical Garden includes ten greenhouses and twenty-two themed gardens, both containing over 22,000 varieties of plants and flowers.
MOUNT ROYAL PARK Montreal’s namesake and an ideal place for scenic picnics. Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead of Central Park fame.
MUSÉE D'ART CONTEMPORAIN DE MONTRÉAL The Contemporary Art Museum of Montreal was founded in 1964 as Canada's first museum devoted to contemporary art.
JEAN TALON MARKET A farmer's market located in Little Italy.
HABITAT 67 Habitat is a model community and housing complex designed by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie as a pavilion for Expo 67, a part of the World's Fair held in 1967. It is widely considered an architectural landmark and one of the most recognizable buildings in both Montreal and all of Canada.
FORMULA 1 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX The annual Canadian Grand Prix street-race has been held in Montreal as part of the Formula One World Championship since the 1960s. The city comes to life each spring with special events surrounding the race.
SHOP
HOLT RENFREW Canada’s premier luxury department store, once the outfitter to Queen Victoria and venue of Dior’s “New Look” 1930 debut.
HUDSON’S BAY Montreal’s iconic department store started as one of Canada’s great heritage brands— created as a charter by King Charles in 1670, operating primarily as a fur trader for its first 200 years. Bring home one of the iconic striped designs as a souvenir.
SSENSE An e-commerce streetwear retailer with brick-and-mortar shops based in Montreal and founded by three brothers: Rami, Bassel, and Firas Atallah.
WANT LES APOTHECARIES Pieces by Jil Sander, Junya Watanabe, and Acne share shelf space with the boutique’s own WANT Les Essential handbags and Skultuna candle holders, and the apothecary is stocked with Byredo perfumes and Grown Alchemist skincare.
DRAWN & QUARTERLY The quirky brick-and-mortar bookstore is based on the cartoon publisher of the same name, founded in 1989.
CLARK STREET MERCANTILE A menswear boutique and general store in Mile End.
QUINCAILLERIE DANTE A family business with hunting and kitchens wares since 1956 by Mother-and-son duo Elena and Stefano Faita. Quincaillerie also offers Italian cooking classes at Mezza Luna.
LES ETOFFES A minimalist store carrying Common Projects sneakers, Naked & Famous denim and Mansur Gavriel bags.
GEORGES LAOUN A family-owned optician making wearable works of art, in fact, one of the two locations is at the Museum of Fine Arts. Handmade frames are designed by the likes of Thierry Lasry, Anne et Valentin, and British duo Kirk & Kirk.
ATWATER MARKET A public market in an Art Deco building opened in 1933 with produce vendors, butchers, and an outdoor food court.
JEAN TALON MARKET Located in Little Italy, Jean Talon Market is home to 300 vendors selling local produce, seafood, charcuterie, cheeses, meats, prepared food and more. Visit La Boite Aux Huitres for oysters or Marche des Saveurs for an array of Québecois products from ice wine to rhubarb juice.
SPA
BOTA BOTA SUR L'EAU Anchored on a boat in Montreal’s St. Lawrence River overlooking Vieux-Montreal’s 17th-century cobblestones and iron lampposts floats the oasis known as Bota Bota Spa. Opened in 2011 by sisters Genevieve and Natalie Émond, Bota Bota features Babor and Bernard Cassière products, and in true Scandinavian fashion, guests alternate between hot and cold plunge pools, followed by stints in a steam room and sauna.
DAY & WEEKEND TRIPS
MONT TREMBLANT Less than two hours from the city, in the Laurentian Mountains, lies the resort town of Mont Tremblant, which offers some of the best skiing in North America. Stay at Hotel Quintessence, a boutique hotel in the town’s cobblestoned village.
Text: Veronica H. Speck Photo: © Bota Bota Spa Sur L’Eau