Montreal

Au Petit Extra

Exquisite French bistro cuisine at reasonable price, relaxed and friendly atmosphere that is very popular with locals. Excellent selection of wines.

Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30-14:30; dinner: Mon-Wed 17:30-22:00, Thu-Sat 17:30-22:30, Sun 17:30-21:30

Au Pied de Cochon

Modern restaurant with casual ambiance. Huge meals. The place to go for lamb and original Quebec cuisine for a reasonable price; the poutine with foie gras is particularly (in)famous. Advance reservations strongly recommended.

Wed-Sun 17:00-00:00

Aux Vivres

The restaurant serves fresh vegan cuisine. There are many sandwich choices including the classic coconut grilled BLT or salads. Many things can be taken for the go. In the backyard there is a small outside terrasse.

Mon-Fri 11:00-23:00, Sat Sun 10:00-23:00

Bank of Montréal Museum

Hands-on museum focusing on the history of banking in Montreal.

Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00 · Free

Bar des Pins

Blue-collar bar invaded regularly by beer-pong-playing university students. Sells only cheap beer. Hottest night of the week is Tuesday.

Daily 17:00-03:00, sometimes closes earlier on weekdays

Beautys Luncheonette

A classic American brunch restaurant open since 1942, features a huge line-up. Regular people use to eat salmon bagels. The owner Hymne will seat you. While waiting you'll find postcards and reviews from all over the world including from Albert Prince of Monaco.

Mon-Fri 07:00-15:00, Sat Sun 08:00-16:00

Bell Centre

Centre Bell

Home of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team, commonly known as the Habs. Also hosts larger concerts.

Benelux

Benelux serves beer brewed on the premises. Fantastic terrace at the back, with a big tree and a camp fire at night.

$6 for a pint

Bifteck

Some of the cheapest beer in town, served with some of the saltiest popcorn in all of Creation, consumed by bohemians and students from near and far (and the occasional honest-to-God rock star). Great place to start or end a St-Laurent pub crawl: to the south, you'll find trendy, relatively expensive places; to the north, some of the best dive bars anywhere. Or you can just stay and get tanked.

14:00-03:00 daily

Bily Kun

Bily Kun — the name is Czech, meaning "White Horse" — is an institution in Montreal's Plateau district. Dim lighting, candles, and a huge bar give an intimate atmosphere, but Bily Kun gets hopping after 22:00 with Montreal's hippest Francophones practically every night. Some of the area's top DJs spin experimental or loungey techno, but there's really no dance floor to speak of. Bar staff is kooky and nice, even if no one can quite explain the ostrich heads lining the walls. Upstairs O Patro Vys from the same owners frequently hosts small shows and events.

15:00-03:00 daily · $4.50 draft beers, $5 well drinks

Biodôme

The former Olympic Velodrome is now a showcase of different ecosystems.

Mid Feb-mid June: 09:00-17:00 daily; mid June-early Sep: 09:00-18:00 daily; early Sep-mid Feb: Tue-Sun 09:00-18:00 · price=Adult $22, senior $19.25, student $16, child 5-17 $11.75, family $60.75

Bleu Blanc Rouge skating rink

This refrigerated rink is a donation from the Montreal Canadiens children's foundation, and is normally open longer than regular rinks in Montreal. Call before going to be sure it's open.

09:00 to 22:00

Bombay Choupati

Indian food that's worth travelling to the West Island for. The menu features many Southern Indian specialties.

Boris Bistro

Popular bistro featuring a large courtyard. Menu offers meats, seafood, and pastas. Try the French fries cooked in duck fat.

Summer: Mon-Fri 11:30-23:00, Sat Sun 12:00-23:00; winter: Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30-14:00; dinner: Tue-Fri 17:00-23:00, Sat 18:00-23:00 · $15-20

Boutique Eva B

Selections from local designers, vintage, and a bistro/bar thrown in for good measure. It's mostly just a thrift shop.

Mon-Sat 11:00-19:00, Sun 12:00-18:00 · $5 and up

Boutique La Gaillarde

Cooperative of young fashion designers who transform used clothing and recycled fabrics into amazing clothing, jewelry, handbags and other accessories. Boutique has new, vintage, and used clothing, and fair-trade goods.

Mon-Fri 11:00-19:00, Sat Sun 11:00-17:00

Boutique Woodstock

One of the many head-shops along Saint-Denis with all your 'smoking accessories' as well as hemp products including shirts, jeans, bags, and cosmetics.

Brioche Lyonnaise

A popular, reasonably-priced eatery, it can get crowded at times. Sandwiches, crepes.

Brutopia

Brewpub with their own beers on tap on the busy Crescent strip. English-speaking college crowd.

14:00-03:00

Byblos

One of the best unknown restaurants in Montreal. Prices are amazingly reasonable for the food quality. Iranian food.

Tue-Sun 09:00-23:00

CF Montréal

Club de Foot Montréal

Members of Major League Soccer since 2012, and one of three Canadian teams in the otherwise U.S.-based league. While not as widely followed as the Canadiens, CFM (originally the Montreal Impact) are still a major force in the city's sports scene, with routine sellouts of their stadium (which holds a shade under 21,000). Games for which an especially large crowd is expected are played at the Olympic Stadium—typically the home opener, and sometimes major in-season matchups or playoff games. As in several other sports, and in social and cultural matters, the Montreal–Toronto rivalry is present in soccer, with CFM matches against Toronto FC among the highlights of any season.

Cabaret Mado

A drag show with outrageous spectacles every night, run by the city's chief drag queen, Mado Lamotte.

Daily 15:00-03:00

Cafe Campus

Best known for its Tuesday night discount pitchers, retro music, and lack of memories.

Cafe Hookah

Smoking fruit-flavoured tobacco in an Arabic water pipe, while sipping a Grand Marnier is a fine way to spend the evening. A pipe is $6.50, you can smoke it alone or share it with a few people. They won't replace the coal though, so a pipe doesn't last very long, but they justify this by saying it makes it (comparatively) cheap to sample lots of flavours from their extensive menu.

Summer: 13:00-03:00 daily; rest of year: Sun-Tue 13:00-01:00, Wed 13:00-02:00, Thu-Sat 13:00-03:00

Café Crystal

Light meals for breakfast and lunch. $5-7, close to the rue Sainte-Catherine shopping district.

Café Presto

The best downtown deal for a very inexpensive and very satisfying casual/cozy Italian fare (main courses are all $5.95. Calculate approximately $20 if you add a glass of wine and an espresso). Very busy during lunchtime on weekdays. Arrive before noon or after 13:30 to avoid the longest lines. Cash only (no credit or debit cards, but there are a few ATMs on the same block).

Mon-Sat 11:30-14:30 and 16:30-21:00

Canadian Centre for Architecture

Centre canadien d'architecture

Architecture museum and research institute that incorporates the Shaughnessy House, an 1876 Second Empire-style manison. Across boulevard René-Lévesque from the CCA is a sculpture garden with works designed around the theme of architecture. Guided tours available.

Wed Fri 11:00-18:00, Thu 11:00-21:00, Sat Sun 11:00-17:00 · $10 adults, $7 seniors, free for students and children

Carré Saint-Louis

Square Saint-Louis

A smaller park, Carré Saint-Louis is at the east end of the Prince Arthur pedestrian mall, next to rue Saint-Denis. Though a fraction of the size of either Parc LaFontaine or Parc du Mont-Royal, it is a popular and scenic local destination. Two fountains, bike paths, and easy access to a number of restaurants and shops provide a comforting background and a relaxing setting. On a side note, many of the gags on the television show Just For Laughs are performed in this park. The park is also notable for the colourful Victorian rowhouses that surround it.

Casa Del Popolo/La Sala Rossa

Established in September 2000, Casa Del Popolo is Montréal's only family-run neighborhood vegetarian hot-spot! Part fair-trade café, part music venue, part bar, part foosball hall. The Casa and its sister venue, La Sala Rossa, frequently host touring indie artists. Shows are cheap (sometimes free!). Try the goat cheese sandwich!

Centre St-Ambroise

Terrasse St-Ambroise

Hidden along an unlikely strip of shipping yards, this outdoors microbrewery (part of the McAuslan Brewery complex) takes advantage of its remote location to host everything from outdoor movies to folk concerts of all-night DJ events.

Open May-Sep