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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
    • 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
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    The Main Media Inc. 2026

    ✦ Built By Field Office
      --°C|Monday, March 23, 2026|
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      --°C|Monday, March 23, 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
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      More History Lesson

      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture

      The shamrock has been on Montreal's coat of arms since 1832, and the pub culture that followed has been here just as long.

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?
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      J.P. Karwacki

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?

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      The House That Haitian Montreal Built
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      The Main

      The House That Haitian Montreal Built

      The story of La Maison d'Haïti: Its welcome and advocacy for Montreal's growing Haitian community since 1972.

      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano
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      J.P. Karwacki

      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano

      In so many ways, Montreal jazz exists because Daisy Peterson Sweeney both masters and generations of kids in Little Burgundy.

      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club
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      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club

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      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics left behind, 50 years later
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      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics Left Behind, 50 Years Later

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      The Soap Maker Who Bent the Jacques-Cartier Bridge

      On Tête de Cheval soap, stubborn French-Canadian industrialists, and the fire that just gutted a quiet landmark.

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      Montreal Pool Room: Serving a City's Hot Dogs for Over a Century

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      The Gothic Mansion Where the CIA Broke Minds with LSD and Electroshock

      The Ravenscrag manor housed the Allan Memorial Institute, where patients seeking help became victims of Cold War experiments.

      When Montreal had a steam-powered shortcut to the top of Mount Royal
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      When Montreal Had a Steam-powered Shortcut to the Top of Mount Royal

      From 1884 to 1918, a steam-powered cable railway hauled Montrealers to the summit in minutes, despite a park designer's vision of leisurely mountain strolls.

      Ruby Foo's was an absolute legend of a Chinese restaurant
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      Ruby Foo's Was an Absolute Legend of a Chinese Restaurant

      From its 1945 opening to a 1984 closure and its present-day hotel, the Décarie Boulevard institution was where Montreal went to see and be seen.

      The century-long smoked meat legacy of Schwartz's Deli
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Century-long Smoked Meat Legacy of Schwartz's Deli

      How a Romanian immigrant's recipe and stubborn refusal to change built Montreal's most iconic sandwich.

      More History Lesson

      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      How Montreal Built Its Own Irish Pub Culture

      The shamrock has been on Montreal's coat of arms since 1832, and the pub culture that followed has been here just as long.

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?

      Jazz legends, burlesque queens, and organized crime made it one of the most alive corners in North America. Then Montreal decided it had a reputation to protect.

      The House That Haitian Montreal Built
      History Lesson
      The Main

      The House That Haitian Montreal Built

      The story of La Maison d'Haïti: Its welcome and advocacy for Montreal's growing Haitian community since 1972.

      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Woman Who Taught a City How to Play the Piano

      In so many ways, Montreal jazz exists because Daisy Peterson Sweeney both masters and generations of kids in Little Burgundy.

      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      How a Railway Porter Built Montreal's Most Storied Jazz Club

      The story of Rufus Rockhead, the Jamaican-born railway porter who built Montreal's most legendary jazz club—and spent decades defending it.

      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics left behind, 50 years later
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      What Montreal's 1976 Olympics Left Behind, 50 Years Later

      Were the Summer Games a triumph, a total failure, or somewhere in between?

      The soap maker who bent the Jacques-Cartier Bridge
      History Lesson
      The Main

      The Soap Maker Who Bent the Jacques-Cartier Bridge

      On Tête de Cheval soap, stubborn French-Canadian industrialists, and the fire that just gutted a quiet landmark.

      Montreal Pool Room: Serving a city's hot dogs for over a century
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      Montreal Pool Room: Serving a City's Hot Dogs for Over a Century

      How a Bulgarian immigrant's billiard hall became one of Montreal's most enduring institutions, from pimp steaks to late night eats infamy.

      The Gothic mansion where the CIA broke minds with LSD and electroshock
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Gothic Mansion Where the CIA Broke Minds with LSD and Electroshock

      The Ravenscrag manor housed the Allan Memorial Institute, where patients seeking help became victims of Cold War experiments.

      When Montreal had a steam-powered shortcut to the top of Mount Royal
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      When Montreal Had a Steam-powered Shortcut to the Top of Mount Royal

      From 1884 to 1918, a steam-powered cable railway hauled Montrealers to the summit in minutes, despite a park designer's vision of leisurely mountain strolls.

      Ruby Foo's was an absolute legend of a Chinese restaurant
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      Ruby Foo's Was an Absolute Legend of a Chinese Restaurant

      From its 1945 opening to a 1984 closure and its present-day hotel, the Décarie Boulevard institution was where Montreal went to see and be seen.

      The century-long smoked meat legacy of Schwartz's Deli
      History Lesson
      J.P. Karwacki

      The Century-long Smoked Meat Legacy of Schwartz's Deli

      How a Romanian immigrant's recipe and stubborn refusal to change built Montreal's most iconic sandwich.

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      History Lesson

      Dic Ann’s: A Conversation About Montreal, Family, and Burgers Since 1954

      The story of what started as a small trailer-turned-diner in 1954 and become a Montreal icon, thanks to its ultra-thin patties, toasted buns, and signature tomato-based sauce.

      By Dahlia Snaiderman

      December 13, 2024 · 7 min read

      Dic Ann’s: A conversation about Montreal, family, and burgers since 1954
      The very first Dic Ann’s in Montreal. | Photograph: @dicanns / Instagram

      Discover the places mentioned in this story

      Dic Ann's (Marché Central)

      From the Archives: This story originally appeared in The Main on Apr 12, 2017, and—now slightly edited—is part of our preservation of accounts by Montrealers from our magazine's earliest days.

      In 1954, Dominic “Dick” Potenza and Ann Collecchia, the founders of Dic Ann's, took a leap of faith to create their small trailer-turned-diner in Montreal. Theirs is an amazing story of enduring love and dedication (they famously slept on beds made of Pepsi crates during the early days of their business)—but we'll tell that story another time.

      The famous Dic and Ann of Dic Ann's. | Photograph: @dicanns / Instagram

      We sat down with Anthony Zammit and Delbina Potenza, the grandchildren of Potenza and Collecchia, to talk about Dic Ann's.

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      History Lesson

      Dic Ann’s: A Conversation About Montreal, Family, and Burgers Since 1954

      The story of what started as a small trailer-turned-diner in 1954 and become a Montreal icon, thanks to its ultra-thin patties, toasted buns, and signature tomato-based sauce.

      By Dahlia Snaiderman

      December 13, 2024 · 7 min read

      Dic Ann’s: A conversation about Montreal, family, and burgers since 1954
      The very first Dic Ann’s in Montreal. | Photograph: @dicanns / Instagram

      Discover the places mentioned in this story

      Dic Ann's (Marché Central)

      From the Archives: This story originally appeared in The Main on Apr 12, 2017, and—now slightly edited—is part of our preservation of accounts by Montrealers from our magazine's earliest days.

      In 1954, Dominic “Dick” Potenza and Ann Collecchia, the founders of Dic Ann's, took a leap of faith to create their small trailer-turned-diner in Montreal. Theirs is an amazing story of enduring love and dedication (they famously slept on beds made of Pepsi crates during the early days of their business)—but we'll tell that story another time.

      The famous Dic and Ann of Dic Ann's. | Photograph: @dicanns / Instagram

      We sat down with Anthony Zammit and Delbina Potenza, the grandchildren of Potenza and Collecchia, to talk about Dic Ann's.

      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

      Advertisement

      Advertisement

      Follow on Google

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