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The Main Media Inc. 2026

✦ Built By Field Office
    The Main

    Montreal's Cultural Directory

    Help us improve! Share your thoughts on how we can make your experience better.

    Leave feedback

    For partnerships and collaborations:

    partnerships@themain.com

    Content

    • Articles
    • Food & Drink
    • Arts & Culture
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    • Bulletin
    • Events

    Guides

    • All Guides
    • Best Restaurants
    • Best Cafés
    • Best Bars
    • Best Brunch
    • Best Bakeries

    Explore Montreal

    • Browse Directory
    • Restaurants
    • Bars
    • Cafés
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    About

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    The Main Media Inc. 2026

    ✦ Built By Field Office
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      Subscribe today to get 3 free articles per month.ROYALMOUNT Wants to Be Your Dining Destination for a Whole MonthGet 50% off your first 5 rides with Lyft
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      Arts & Culture

      The Emergence of Montreal's Unofficial Koreatown

      A community’s quiet roots, a cultural wave, and the making of a new landmark.

      ByJason Gisoo Kim

      March 17, 2025 · 7 min read

      The emergence of Montreal's unofficial Koreatown
      Photograph: Philip Tabah / @phlop

      Discover the places mentioned in this story

      Marche KoreaMTLKFOODRestaurant HansangRestaurant MukjaRestaurant JakoBar Ganadara
      Arts & Culture

      The Emergence of Montreal's Unofficial Koreatown

      A community’s quiet roots, a cultural wave, and the making of a new landmark.

      ByJason Gisoo Kim

      March 17, 2025 · 7 min read

      The emergence of Montreal's unofficial Koreatown
      Photograph: Philip Tabah / @phlop

      Discover the places mentioned in this story

      Marche KoreaMTLKFOODRestaurant HansangRestaurant MukjaRestaurant JakoBar Ganadara

      Sunday afternoon on Sherbrooke Street West is a time and place that resonates profoundly with Korean Montrealers. The borough of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG) is home to many cultural groups, but it’s been the first home for many of the city’s Korean immigrants. Affordable housing in a predominantly anglophone neighbourhood was a good fit for Koreans, and many families have since branched out and moved into the rest of the city with NDG as their gateway.

      The first wave of Korean immigration to Montreal is unclear. Many speculate it was in the late 50s and 60s, but the majority of Koreans certainly arrived in Quebec in the late 1980s. At 1,000 people, the community was small, but steadily grew. 

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      For readers who care about Montreal

      Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.

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      The Main

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      More Arts & Culture

      After 40 Years on Bernard, Dragon Flowers Has a New Address
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      The Main

      After 40 Years on Bernard, Dragon Flowers Has a New Address

      Tamey Lau's beloved Mile End flower shop has moved to Saint-Laurent, but everything that made it a neighbourhood institution is coming with her.

      Crime 101 Goes Back to Basics and Executes Them Beautifully
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      Gianni Fiasche

      Crime 101 Goes Back to Basics and Executes Them Beautifully

      Bart Layton's sleek crime thriller starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Halle Berry isn't reinventing the genre. That's a good thing.

      What to do this weekend (04.09–04.12)
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      From a sixth anniversary blizzard callback to papaya salad competitions, techno until dawn, and a listening room experience: April 9 to 12, 2026.

      After 20 Years of Recording Montreal, Breakglass Has a Label to Call Its Own
      Arts & Culture
      The Main

      After 20 Years of Recording Montreal, Breakglass Has a Label to Call Its Own

      After decades of recording artists like Wolf Parade, Patrick Watson, and Kaytranada, Breakglass Studios launches its first imprint with a thirteen-artist roster.

      The Immigrant Family Who Inherited a Neighbourhood
      Arts & Culture
      Léonie Poulin @ URBANIA

      The Immigrant Family Who Inherited a Neighbourhood

      When Richard and Shuping Guo bought Hochelaga's Dépanneur Populaire in 2001, they got more than a corner store. Their daughter Angelina's new book tells the rest of the story.

      Angine de Poitrine Is Exactly What the Internet Was Waiting For
      Arts & Culture
      J.P. Karwacki

      Angine de Poitrine Is Exactly What the Internet Was Waiting For

      A masked duo from Saguenay that started out as a joke gig tells us a lot about what we actually want from music right now.

      The Action Comedy Hollywood Forgot How to Make
      Arts & Culture
      Gianni Fiasche

      The Action Comedy Hollywood Forgot How to Make

      Vince Vaughn plays two versions of the same gangster, and that's barely the wildest thing about it.

      Montréal, ma belle is a Quiet Revolution in Immigrant Storytelling
      Arts & Culture
      Olivia Shan

      Montréal, Ma Belle is a Quiet Revolution in Immigrant Storytelling

      Xiaodan He spent 25 years finding the confidence to tell the story of a middle-aged, queer, Chinese mother choosing herself.

      What Cities Get Wrong About Nature (And What Montreal Gets Right)
      Arts & Culture
      The Main

      What Cities Get Wrong About Nature (And What Montreal Gets Right)

      Canada's Environment Minister grew up here. She thinks Montreal's relationship to green space is a model worth paying attention to.

      Scream 7 Has a New Contender for Worst in the Series
      Arts & Culture
      Gianni Fiasche

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      Neve Campbell's return and a promising newcomer in Isabel May can't save a sequel that's messy, overstuffed, and never quite finds its (knife)point.

      Sirāt Is Hypnotic, Frustrating, and One of This Year's Best Oscar Nominations
      Arts & Culture
      Gianni Fiasche

      Sirāt Is Hypnotic, Frustrating, and One of This Year's Best Oscar Nominations

      Oliver Laxe's desert thriller follows a father into the Moroccan wilderness and past the limits of grief and obsession.

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      Arts & Culture

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      The Olympic Stadium hosted the snowboard spectacle's Canadian debut—thousands showing up to prove Montreal is as serious a winter city as ever.

      Sunday afternoon on Sherbrooke Street West is a time and place that resonates profoundly with Korean Montrealers. The borough of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG) is home to many cultural groups, but it’s been the first home for many of the city’s Korean immigrants. Affordable housing in a predominantly anglophone neighbourhood was a good fit for Koreans, and many families have since branched out and moved into the rest of the city with NDG as their gateway.

      The first wave of Korean immigration to Montreal is unclear. Many speculate it was in the late 50s and 60s, but the majority of Koreans certainly arrived in Quebec in the late 1980s. At 1,000 people, the community was small, but steadily grew. 

      Free account required

      For readers who care about Montreal

      Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.

      Independent. Local. Reader-supported.

      or

      Already a member? Sign in

      The Main

      Advertisement

      Follow on Google

      More Arts & Culture

      After 40 Years on Bernard, Dragon Flowers Has a New Address
      Arts & Culture
      The Main

      After 40 Years on Bernard, Dragon Flowers Has a New Address

      Tamey Lau's beloved Mile End flower shop has moved to Saint-Laurent, but everything that made it a neighbourhood institution is coming with her.

      Crime 101 Goes Back to Basics and Executes Them Beautifully
      Arts & Culture
      Gianni Fiasche

      Crime 101 Goes Back to Basics and Executes Them Beautifully

      Bart Layton's sleek crime thriller starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Halle Berry isn't reinventing the genre. That's a good thing.

      What to do this weekend (04.09–04.12)
      Arts & Culture
      The Main

      What to Do This Weekend (04.09–04.12)

      From a sixth anniversary blizzard callback to papaya salad competitions, techno until dawn, and a listening room experience: April 9 to 12, 2026.

      After 20 Years of Recording Montreal, Breakglass Has a Label to Call Its Own
      Arts & Culture
      The Main

      After 20 Years of Recording Montreal, Breakglass Has a Label to Call Its Own

      After decades of recording artists like Wolf Parade, Patrick Watson, and Kaytranada, Breakglass Studios launches its first imprint with a thirteen-artist roster.

      The Immigrant Family Who Inherited a Neighbourhood
      Arts & Culture
      Léonie Poulin @ URBANIA

      The Immigrant Family Who Inherited a Neighbourhood

      When Richard and Shuping Guo bought Hochelaga's Dépanneur Populaire in 2001, they got more than a corner store. Their daughter Angelina's new book tells the rest of the story.

      Angine de Poitrine Is Exactly What the Internet Was Waiting For
      Arts & Culture
      J.P. Karwacki

      Angine de Poitrine Is Exactly What the Internet Was Waiting For

      A masked duo from Saguenay that started out as a joke gig tells us a lot about what we actually want from music right now.

      The Action Comedy Hollywood Forgot How to Make
      Arts & Culture
      Gianni Fiasche

      The Action Comedy Hollywood Forgot How to Make

      Vince Vaughn plays two versions of the same gangster, and that's barely the wildest thing about it.

      Montréal, ma belle is a Quiet Revolution in Immigrant Storytelling
      Arts & Culture
      Olivia Shan

      Montréal, Ma Belle is a Quiet Revolution in Immigrant Storytelling

      Xiaodan He spent 25 years finding the confidence to tell the story of a middle-aged, queer, Chinese mother choosing herself.

      What Cities Get Wrong About Nature (And What Montreal Gets Right)
      Arts & Culture
      The Main

      What Cities Get Wrong About Nature (And What Montreal Gets Right)

      Canada's Environment Minister grew up here. She thinks Montreal's relationship to green space is a model worth paying attention to.

      Scream 7 Has a New Contender for Worst in the Series
      Arts & Culture
      Gianni Fiasche

      Scream 7 Has a New Contender for Worst in the Series

      Neve Campbell's return and a promising newcomer in Isabel May can't save a sequel that's messy, overstuffed, and never quite finds its (knife)point.

      Sirāt Is Hypnotic, Frustrating, and One of This Year's Best Oscar Nominations
      Arts & Culture
      Gianni Fiasche

      Sirāt Is Hypnotic, Frustrating, and One of This Year's Best Oscar Nominations

      Oliver Laxe's desert thriller follows a father into the Moroccan wilderness and past the limits of grief and obsession.

      Red Bull Heavy Metal's Final Stop Was Its Best One
      Arts & Culture

      Red Bull Heavy Metal's Final Stop Was Its Best One

      The Olympic Stadium hosted the snowboard spectacle's Canadian debut—thousands showing up to prove Montreal is as serious a winter city as ever.

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