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
  • History Lesson
  • Bulletin
  • Events

Guides

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

Explore Montreal

  • Browse Directory
  • Restaurants
  • Bars
  • Cafés
  • Bookstores

About

  • About us
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • Advertise
  • Pitch us
  • RSS Feed

Legal

  • Terms of service
  • Membership Terms
  • Privacy Policy
Follow us
InstagramTwitterTiktokLinkedin

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
    • History Lesson
    • Bulletin
    • Events

    Guides

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

    Explore Montreal

    • Browse Directory
    • Restaurants
    • Bars
    • Cafés
    • Bookstores

    About

    • About us
    • Subscribe
    • Shop
    • Advertise
    • Pitch us
    • RSS Feed

    Legal

    • Terms of service
    • Membership Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    Follow us
    InstagramTwitterTiktokLinkedin

    The Main Media Inc. 2026

    ✦ Built By Field Office
      --°C|Thursday, April 2, 2026|
      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
      InstagramTwitterTiktokLinkedin
      |
      Advertise
      The Main Logo
      Magazine
      Categories
      • Arts & Culture

        Creativity, heritage, and expression.

      • Beyond Montreal

        Travel, adventure, and global perspectives.

      • Design

        The best of Montreal design.

      • Food & Drink

        La bonne bouffe.

      • History

        Stories, lessons, and context.

      • Newsletter

        Our weekly newsletter.

      • See all original stories
      Explore Montreal
      Popular Guides
      • The Best Restaurants in Montreal
      • Best new Restaurants
      • Best Cafés
      • Unique Boutiques
      • Romantic Restaurants
      • Best Bookstores
      • See all Guides
      Neighbourhood
      • Downtown
      • Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
      • Mile End
      • Mile-Ex
      • Saint-Henri
      • See All
      Business Type
      • Restaurant
      • Café
      • Boutique / Store
      • Bar
      • Bakery
      • See All
      Near the Metro
      • Peel
      • Mont-Royal
      • Place-Saint-Henri
      • Place-d'Armes
      • Jarry
      • View all
      Shop
      Subscribe
      Subscribe
      --°C|Thursday, April 2, 2026|
      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
      InstagramTwitterTiktokLinkedin
      |
      Advertise
      The Main Logo
      Magazine
      Categories
      • Arts & Culture

        Creativity, heritage, and expression.

      • Beyond Montreal

        Travel, adventure, and global perspectives.

      • Design

        The best of Montreal design.

      • Food & Drink

        La bonne bouffe.

      • History

        Stories, lessons, and context.

      • Newsletter

        Our weekly newsletter.

      • See all original stories
      Explore Montreal
      Popular Guides
      • The Best Restaurants in Montreal
      • Best new Restaurants
      • Best Cafés
      • Unique Boutiques
      • Romantic Restaurants
      • Best Bookstores
      • See all Guides
      Neighbourhood
      • Downtown
      • Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
      • Mile End
      • Mile-Ex
      • Saint-Henri
      • See All
      Business Type
      • Restaurant
      • Café
      • Boutique / Store
      • Bar
      • Bakery
      • See All
      Near the Metro
      • Peel
      • Mont-Royal
      • Place-Saint-Henri
      • Place-d'Armes
      • Jarry
      • View all
      Shop
      Subscribe
      Subscribe

      More Food & Drink

      The Fancy Cocktail Bar Isn't Dead, But Andrew Whibley Wouldn't Open One Today
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Fancy Cocktail Bar Isn't Dead, But Andrew Whibley Wouldn't Open One Today

      The Cloakroom founder on value over flash, the scene's missing middle, and what Montreal's bar culture still needs to figure out.

      A Day in the Life of a Montreal Wine Importer
      Food & Drink
      Rachel Cheng

      A Day in the Life of a Montreal Wine Importer

      Keaton Ritchie of Flor Vin was on the banks of the Loire last week. Today he's hauling bottles through the slush.

      Chouchou Is the Modern Chinese Bistro Our City's Been Missing
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Chouchou Is the Modern Chinese Bistro Our City's Been Missing

      Chef Chouchou Jia spent years cooking in French and Italian kitchens before opening their first restaurant, and the result is unlike anything else in town.

      Arthurs Nosh Bar Is Coming to NDG, and This Time, They're Bringing Dinner
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Arthurs Nosh Bar Is Coming to NDG, and This Time, They're Bringing Dinner

      Alex Cohen and Raegan Steinberg are combining dinners with breakfast classics to the 48-seat Arthus Dinette in Monkland Village.

      Peel Pub Is Coming Back
      Food & Drink
      The Main

      Peel Pub Is Coming Back

      Eight months after closing, the downtown institution has new owners, a renovation, and a reopening before St. Patrick's Day.

      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution
      Food & Drink
      Anick Jasmin

      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution

      Owner Jermaine learned to cook from his grandmother in Jamaica at six years old. Everything at Boom J's still carries those teachings.

      Food & Drink

      Badin: The Cocktail-forward Listening Lounge Built for Aurality and Intimacy in Little Burgundy

      The cocktail-forward listening lounge below Little Burgundy's HENI is an unreal gem for audophile lushes.

      ByJ.P. Karwacki

      April 11, 2024 · 5 min read

      Badin: The cocktail-forward listening lounge built for aurality and intimacy in Little Burgundy
      At Badin, hospitality is meant to be more reminiscent of an underground jazz bar in an old and bustling city than a modernist cocktail bar. | Photograph: Scott Usheroff / @cravingcurator
      My restaurant got busy before it was ready. Now I can finally take a step back.
      Food & Drink
      Scott Usheroff

      My Restaurant Got Busy Before it Was Ready. Now I Can Finally Take a Step Back.

      It's the unspoken problem of early popularity in restaurants: Nineteen months in, La Spada's owner reflects on the chaos, clarity, and learning to step away.

      Cécile Puts Fine-Dining Polish on Rotisserie and Acadian Comfort Cooking
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Cécile Puts Fine-Dining Polish on Rotisserie and Acadian Comfort Cooking

      The Fleury Ouest newcomer pays tribute to post-war family tables and its chef Benjamin Gilker's Nova Scotian roots.

      Good luck getting a table at Mile End's latest morning-to-midnight spot
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Good Luck Getting a Table at Mile End's Latest Morning-to-midnight Spot

      The neighbourhood's smitten with Au Coin's all-day coffee, natural wine, and sourdough pizza.

      The steamie is an ugly and weird hot dog. It's also essential to Montreal food culture
      Food & Drink
      Mason Persaud

      The Steamie is an Ugly and Weird Hot Dog. It's Also Essential to Montreal Food Culture

      We built this city's culinary history and fuelled its nights out with this soggy, unphotogenic icon.

      Montreal's best restaurants of 2025 according to local writers, photographers, and influencers
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Montreal's Best Restaurants of 2025 According to Local Writers, Photographers, and Influencers

      These are the spots Montreal's food writers, photographers, and bloggers couldn't stop visiting in 2025, from neighbourhood staples to standout pop-ups.

      Where Montreal's food writers and photographers loved to drink in 2025 (and what they ordered)
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Where Montreal's Food Writers and Photographers Loved to Drink in 2025 (and What They Ordered)

      From cocktails 45 floors above the city streets to neighbourhood wine bars and timeless martinis, here's where the city's insiders raised a glass in 2025.

      More Food & Drink

      The Fancy Cocktail Bar Isn't Dead, But Andrew Whibley Wouldn't Open One Today
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Fancy Cocktail Bar Isn't Dead, But Andrew Whibley Wouldn't Open One Today

      The Cloakroom founder on value over flash, the scene's missing middle, and what Montreal's bar culture still needs to figure out.

      A Day in the Life of a Montreal Wine Importer
      Food & Drink
      Rachel Cheng

      A Day in the Life of a Montreal Wine Importer

      Keaton Ritchie of Flor Vin was on the banks of the Loire last week. Today he's hauling bottles through the slush.

      Chouchou Is the Modern Chinese Bistro Our City's Been Missing
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Chouchou Is the Modern Chinese Bistro Our City's Been Missing

      Chef Chouchou Jia spent years cooking in French and Italian kitchens before opening their first restaurant, and the result is unlike anything else in town.

      Arthurs Nosh Bar Is Coming to NDG, and This Time, They're Bringing Dinner
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Arthurs Nosh Bar Is Coming to NDG, and This Time, They're Bringing Dinner

      Alex Cohen and Raegan Steinberg are combining dinners with breakfast classics to the 48-seat Arthus Dinette in Monkland Village.

      Peel Pub Is Coming Back
      Food & Drink
      The Main

      Peel Pub Is Coming Back

      Eight months after closing, the downtown institution has new owners, a renovation, and a reopening before St. Patrick's Day.

      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution
      Food & Drink
      Anick Jasmin

      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution

      Owner Jermaine learned to cook from his grandmother in Jamaica at six years old. Everything at Boom J's still carries those teachings.

      Food & Drink

      Badin: The Cocktail-forward Listening Lounge Built for Aurality and Intimacy in Little Burgundy

      The cocktail-forward listening lounge below Little Burgundy's HENI is an unreal gem for audophile lushes.

      ByJ.P. Karwacki

      April 11, 2024 · 5 min read

      Badin: The cocktail-forward listening lounge built for aurality and intimacy in Little Burgundy
      At Badin, hospitality is meant to be more reminiscent of an underground jazz bar in an old and bustling city than a modernist cocktail bar. | Photograph: Scott Usheroff / @cravingcurator
      My restaurant got busy before it was ready. Now I can finally take a step back.
      Food & Drink
      Scott Usheroff

      My Restaurant Got Busy Before it Was Ready. Now I Can Finally Take a Step Back.

      It's the unspoken problem of early popularity in restaurants: Nineteen months in, La Spada's owner reflects on the chaos, clarity, and learning to step away.

      Cécile Puts Fine-Dining Polish on Rotisserie and Acadian Comfort Cooking
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Cécile Puts Fine-Dining Polish on Rotisserie and Acadian Comfort Cooking

      The Fleury Ouest newcomer pays tribute to post-war family tables and its chef Benjamin Gilker's Nova Scotian roots.

      Good luck getting a table at Mile End's latest morning-to-midnight spot
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Good Luck Getting a Table at Mile End's Latest Morning-to-midnight Spot

      The neighbourhood's smitten with Au Coin's all-day coffee, natural wine, and sourdough pizza.

      The steamie is an ugly and weird hot dog. It's also essential to Montreal food culture
      Food & Drink
      Mason Persaud

      The Steamie is an Ugly and Weird Hot Dog. It's Also Essential to Montreal Food Culture

      We built this city's culinary history and fuelled its nights out with this soggy, unphotogenic icon.

      Montreal's best restaurants of 2025 according to local writers, photographers, and influencers
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Montreal's Best Restaurants of 2025 According to Local Writers, Photographers, and Influencers

      These are the spots Montreal's food writers, photographers, and bloggers couldn't stop visiting in 2025, from neighbourhood staples to standout pop-ups.

      Where Montreal's food writers and photographers loved to drink in 2025 (and what they ordered)
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Where Montreal's Food Writers and Photographers Loved to Drink in 2025 (and What They Ordered)

      From cocktails 45 floors above the city streets to neighbourhood wine bars and timeless martinis, here's where the city's insiders raised a glass in 2025.

      Dim and humming below the Little Burgundy restaurant HENI, the curated experiences of its downstairs 24-seat, cocktail-forward listening lounge Badin has opened its doors to Montreal.

      Accessed via HENI’s front doors, Badin’s spent a few weeks in a soft launch mode until its grand opening the weekend of April 12, 2024, now acting as “the intersection of cocktails, music, and intimacy. That’s what makes Badin what it is,” says its director of operations Soufian Mamlouk.

      Deeply insulated and spinning all kinds of music from a multi-genre rotation that will slowly evolve over time, even 100dB can be contained within the space—even if the lounge won’t push it that high.

      The space will place guests in a cocooned setting that feels like sitting inside of an audiophile’s living room: Low lights, velour banquettes, side tables, and nooks and crannies that all surround a center stage DJ opposite Badin’s heavy front door.

      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

      Latest from The Main

      Arts & CultureJazz Fest Has 350 Shows. Here Are the Good Ones.Arts & CultureThe Action Comedy Hollywood Forgot How to MakeArts & CultureWhat to do this weekend (04.02–04.05)Food & DrinkThe Fancy Cocktail Bar Isn't Dead, But Andrew Whibley Wouldn't Open One TodayMontreal, Inc.Windsor Station's New Owners Are Determined to Make It More Than a Landmark
      Follow on Google

      Related Classics

      From our archive.

      Dim and humming below the Little Burgundy restaurant HENI, the curated experiences of its downstairs 24-seat, cocktail-forward listening lounge Badin has opened its doors to Montreal.

      Accessed via HENI’s front doors, Badin’s spent a few weeks in a soft launch mode until its grand opening the weekend of April 12, 2024, now acting as “the intersection of cocktails, music, and intimacy. That’s what makes Badin what it is,” says its director of operations Soufian Mamlouk.

      Deeply insulated and spinning all kinds of music from a multi-genre rotation that will slowly evolve over time, even 100dB can be contained within the space—even if the lounge won’t push it that high.

      The space will place guests in a cocooned setting that feels like sitting inside of an audiophile’s living room: Low lights, velour banquettes, side tables, and nooks and crannies that all surround a center stage DJ opposite Badin’s heavy front door.

      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

      Latest from The Main

      Arts & CultureJazz Fest Has 350 Shows. Here Are the Good Ones.Arts & CultureThe Action Comedy Hollywood Forgot How to MakeArts & CultureWhat to do this weekend (04.02–04.05)Food & DrinkThe Fancy Cocktail Bar Isn't Dead, But Andrew Whibley Wouldn't Open One TodayMontreal, Inc.Windsor Station's New Owners Are Determined to Make It More Than a Landmark
      Follow on Google

      Related Classics

      From our archive.

      La Gargamelle: Reveling in food and drink at an Old Montreal reverse speakeasy

      Previous

      La Gargamelle: Reveling in Food and Drink at an Old Montreal Reverse Speakeasy

      Next

      The Bulletin: Cheers to Spring, Here's Where to Grab Your Next Drink 🍸 [Issue #72]

      The Bulletin: Cheers to spring, here's where to grab your next drink 🍸 [Issue #72]
      La Gargamelle: Reveling in food and drink at an Old Montreal reverse speakeasy

      Previous

      La Gargamelle: Reveling in Food and Drink at an Old Montreal Reverse Speakeasy

      Next

      The Bulletin: Cheers to Spring, Here's Where to Grab Your Next Drink 🍸 [Issue #72]

      The Bulletin: Cheers to spring, here's where to grab your next drink 🍸 [Issue #72]