Chef James:
Oh, Montréal. What a fantastic and delightful retreat so close to home. Visiting Montréal is the most international experience you can have in an under-two-hour flight from Detroit. So many world class restaurants and so little time to dine at them all! Personally, I prefer a winter escape as the rich food, oysters, wine, maple syrup, hospitality and hockey culture all beg for a winter wonderland backdrop. Now, summertime is also gorgeous and the Jazz Festival is a pretty epic destination. So don’t rule summer out! But winter is magical there and I prefer it.
One of my first stops is always Jean-Talon Market. I like to see what’s in season. Eat a few dozen oysters. Get an espresso. Stroll around. ‘Tap in to the city,’ if you will. Great place to hang especially if your hotel room isn’t ready.
I like to stay in Old Town, which may seem predictable. But it’s so cozy and there are some great hotel options. And when I’m not drinking or eating, I’ll pop in to Notre Dame Basilica of Montréal.
I love seeing an NHL game on the road and nobody does it better than the Canadiens (other than Detroit of course). In fact, you could book a trip around seeing the Wings play the Canadiens in Montréal and stay for a couple days to eat and explore (maybe not in your Wings jersey 😬).
A live Jazz experience is a must for me and the city has a deep love of the genre. This is a great list from last year.
If you’re hungover one morning, Schwartz’s is a must visit. It’s like the Montréal Katz’s Deli. Pastrami vs Everybody! I also love knowing Celine Dion once owned stake in it. I don’t know why that matters, but it does. After your pastrami coma, back to the hotel to nap.
I feel like the food scene is always changing in Montréal but there are some juggernauts and classics that must be mentioned:
Side quest!
If you’re looking for the most romantic shit ever, take the train from Montréal to Quebec City in the dead of winter and stay a few nights at the Château Frontenac. I did exactly that a few years ago with one of my life long friends, Chef Doug Hewitt. We thought it sounded cool. Little did we know it was enchanting and magical lol. 10/10. Would do it again.
So many of us at Mabel Gray love Montréal that I wanted to rope in Adam & Collin to share their experiences with the city.
Adam:
Getting there
You have options! If you have time, taking the train from Windsor to Montréal is fun and affordable. It will take up an entire day - about 11 hours - but you can pack snacks and a bottle of wine and make an occasion out of it. The Canadians take their railways very seriously. Parts of the train ride are breathtaking, riding along Lake Eerie and Ontario as well as the St. Lawrence River. You could also drive from Detroit to Montréal, which is about nine hours.
I’m typically short of time (and want to maximize how much time I have to eat and drink), so I fly direct from DTW to Montréal Trudeau. A 30-minute Uber gets you to Montréal proper. Most of Montreal is very walkable, just dress appropriately - winters can be quite chilly. In the summer, they have a great bike rental system that makes bopping around super fun and easy. No need to rent a car for this weekend excursion.
Where to stay
I like to stay in The Plateau, an artsy student neighborhood. Airbnb is your best bet in this part of town, and you’re close to a lot of great restaurants, bars and is near Mount Royal Park if you crave some green space.
Where to eat
Le Violon - Chef Danny Smiles took over the previous Maison Publique space. He’s cooking really delicious Montréal food with some Italian influence.
Vin Mon Lapin - former longtime chef de cuisine of Joe Beef, Marc-Olivier Frappier, is running the best restaurant in the city (in my opinion).
Au Pied de Cochon - opened by Martin Picard in 2001, this is beat-you-over-the-head Québécois cuisine. They have an entire section of the menu dedicated to foie gras. Go here and order the foie gras poutine.
Where to drink
Le Mal Nécessaire - tiki-focused, small, very dimly lit. You can often catch live DJ sets, if that’s your thing. Super cool place.
Big in Japan - Japanese inspired cocktail bar with a great whiskey selection, personal service, and fun light fixtures.
Double’s - kind of an upscale dive. Hang out, eat a smashburger, crush some mozz sticks, watch a hockey game and drink cheap beer here.
Bar Henrietta - hip little wine bar with a great food menu. Perfect place for a snack and a sip to kill some time.
Collin:
Kylie Minogue brought me to Montréal.
The Australian pop star has been on my bucket list for a long time, and since she hardly tours in the U.S. (let alone Detroit) I have always promised I will travel to wherever she is closest on her next tour.
When she announced her dates for her 2025 tour, I had a few options. Technically Toronto was closer, technically Chicago was closer. But I’ve been to those cities before, I love those cities! I then saw Montréal. I had never been there despite hearing great things. I bought the tickets and started planning.
Chef James’ sister Marie . - a HUGE Kylie fan - accompanied me on this trip. We only had two days there and one of those nights was the concert. Marie and I both agreed since we were only there for such a short trip we would eat, drink, and get a taste for the city - enough to make us want to come back.
I will say, we were there in March of 2025. It rained the entire time we were there. We did not walk around as much as I would have liked, but every car we got in kept telling us, “You have to come in the summer”. Apparently in the summer they close down the streets downtown and host various events every weekend. Music festivals, art fairs, food events. They made it sound like the city changes personalities in the summer, and I can’t wait to go back.
We stayed in Old Town at Auberge Du Vieux-Port, which was about a 25-minute ride from the airport. Our rooms were spacious, with tons of natural light and the staff was beyond friendly. We didn’t spend much time in the hotel since we were only there for a short trip but it was a welcoming place to crash after our nights out.
Old Town was very charming. Brick streets, a little boardwalk area (which I assume is fully up and running during peak summer months), little coffee shops, and stunning architecture.
We had two reservations that evening (yes, two dinners). We first visited Le Majestique Montréal. I loved this place. It is laid back and decorated with various tchotchkes, knick-knacks, and whatnots. Its really funky and fun. And, Bob Seger was playing on the stereo. The food was delicious. We were just having snacks there so we had oysters, whitefish dip, house bread and butter, and fried cauliflower. All of which was delicious. It reminded me a lot of Mabel in the best way. I cant recommend this place enough.
Before going to our main dinner, we went to MR250 Bar Lounge which was very much a dive bar. They apparently do tattoos in the back of the bar. The beer was cheap, the music was classic rock and the crowd was young and hip. This is the quintessential local dive bar.
Our main dinner was Vin Mon Lapin. This is constantly rated one of the best restaurants in all of Canada (and already recommended up top by Adam). I must say, it was absolutely one of my favorite dining experiences I’ve ever had. We ordered a bottle of champagne and let the server send some of his favorite items on the menu. Everything about this meal was phenomenal: The service, the bustling nature of the dining room, the Motown and disco playing on the stereo. And, the food was fantastic. Their menu changes a lot so this will be a place I will always visit whenever I visit Montréal. If I had to recommend one place, this is it.
Marie had to do some work, so I walked around Old Town a bit and then into downtown. The Montreal Canadians were not in town playing hockey, Kylie was at the stadium, so the next best to watching a live hockey game at Centre Bell is going to a sports bar to watch a game. I went to Pub McLean’s. The game was broadcasted in French, I drank a few Molson’s, and the habs won.
Dinner before the concert that evening was at L’Express. This place has been around a long time and it runs like a machine. The order is: a bottle of champagne, green salad, and steak frites. They are open all day so it was great choice for an early dinner before going to Kylie that evening. And Kylie was everything I hoped for. We were on a high after the show and wanted to do a nightcap before we left the next morning. Both our servers at La Majestique and Mon Lapin recommended Sans Soleil for a late night drink. Sans Soleil is an underground-basement-vinyl-only-dance-bar with a Japanese-inspired cocktail program. It was by far the most hip place we went to. It was dark, loud, and everyone was beautiful, so naturally it made sense that we were recommended this place. We stayed for a few drinks and vibed to the music which was loud and brilliant. It was a great way to close out the night after seeing Kylie.
I only feel like I scratched the surface for what to do in Montréal. I would go back in a heartbeat. I was nervous that I wouldn’t understand the language, that people would be mean, and I would feel totally lost. Everyone we came in contact with was so nice and friendly. And the food scene rivals most cities in the states. Despite the city being so close, I felt transported to a European city. I cannot recommend it enough.
Paulina:
I visited Montréal with a close friend (girls trip!) in the summer of 2016. A few of our visits are already mentioned here, so I’ll keep it short-and-sweet with a list of additional activities:
Fuel your morning with bialys from La Fabrique de Bagel de Montréal, and then walk through the markets in ‘Petite Italie.’
Have a beer and a snack at classic Brasserie Isle de Garde.
Kill time between meals at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts.
Get oysters and champagne at Joe Beef’s seafood sister restaurant, Liverpool House.
Spend the afternoon relaxing on a floating boat spa docked in the Old Port - Bota Bota.
Bring Montréal to you:
Sip on some sortilege.
Make Chef Danny Smiles’ delicious pancakes on a Sunday morning.
Add this book to your cookbook collection to lean into the Québécois lifestyle.
Listen to Men I Trust:
Watch: Blades of Glory with many scenes filmed in Montréal.
Watch Sade live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1984:
As always, here’s a Google map to ease your exploring. We hope you enjoy!!