City Guide: Montreal

City Guide:
Montreal

72 HOURS IN MONTRÉAL

A Guide To and Through Natural Wine

+ Download the Google Map with all locations.
+ Get the free playlist.

(Written in 2020)

Beau Joe is headquartered in Montreal, a city known for its culture, culinary and arts scenes. A place which celebrates and depends on its rainbow of cultures that powers its very core. But it’s wine, of the natural kind, that we’re here to talk about. Specifically, where to buy, drink, slurp and savour it in our fairest of cities.

Just two years ago, as Montreal was preparing to host the first RAW Wine event, the Salon’s founder, Isabelle Legeron, was quoted saying: “The scene in terms of restaurants and bars pouring natural wines is bigger [in Montreal] than in London and I think it’s bigger than New York”. No small beans, folks.

Montrealers’ keen desire for discovery and the avant-garde may have been what brought it here. This city craves good things, made by good people, done right. The parallel with the natural wine ethos is quite obvious, no?

But today, Montrealers, and especially our restaurants, are hurting. These establishments along with bars are forced to close down or slow down - but not to give up. Many resilient businesses are reinventing themselves: take-out is the new dine in (and we’ll take what we can get), wine has become more accessible, wine agencies more visible and mixed packs are sort of a thing.

Now is not the time to stop supporting these businesses that built our city’s reputation. We would have liked to drop this curated list at a better time, but we hope to give visibility and pride to these fine establishments that have marked our lives and shaped our wine palate.

GET THE POSTER

Here is our guide to Montreal through the wine goggles of natural wine. It’s our breakdown of absolute favourites, information on where you can eat and drink up the best this city has to offer, and meet some curious characters along the way. Come on this ride with us and let us pretend the world isn’t ending, that we can dine at the bar, and that no one is afraid to hug one another. This is the year ‘vin-vin’ after all.

We will preface this with a warning: if you’re able to follow this guide to the tee, then your food and wine endurance is akin to that of a Viking and highly questionable… and we like you.

“This is the year ‘vin-vin’ after all.”

Day One: Mile-End/Petite Patrie

We begin this three-day tour north of the city center, in the Mile-End. Rich from the influence of Italian, Jewish, Greek and Portuguese cultures that permeate the area, you can find some of our all-time favourite culinary hubs here. One of the defining arteries of the neighborhood is the Main (by the way, nobody calls it that here) i.e. boulevard Saint-Laurent. And that’s where we’ll start our adventure.

Breakfast/
Brunch:

You know that cozy, neighborhood dinette that never lets you down? Chef Marc Cohen’s Larry’s is just that and so much more. Larry’s is a wine bar that serves up some of the best British-inspired fare — from pikelets to bangers and mash. Order the whole menu by the tiny, tapas-sized servings. Swish that down with some of the best natural wine the city has to offer. It’s easy to be tempted into a glass (or two) before noon by peeking at some of the beautiful bottles that line the high shelves. If coffee is your thing, they do that pretty well, too.

PRO TIP #1: While you wait for your table, check out their butcher shop down the street or head to Lawrence, their ‘proper’ restaurant next door. We are not going to mince our words here, the kedgeree on their brunch menu changed our lives. And if you don’t know what kedgeree is, this is a fantastic way to find out. Their scones also have a strong chance of flipping your world upside down.

Lunch:

You’re in the Mile End now, so feel free to peruse around and grab a few bagels: Fairmont or St-Viateur, pick your side and stick to it. But before slumbering into a bagel-induced food coma, make a pitstop at La Rama Records on Bernard (say hello to cool cat owner Kris Guilty) and leave with a vinyl of something you’ve never heard before.

As you continue your walk north, you are welcomed by some questionable architecture and a mishmash of wedding dress-clad windows and pizzerias: welcome to Little Italy. Nestled between cafes and cornetterias, you come across a sign with a friendly-looking crocodile: Épicerie Pumpui. Leave it to us to bring you to a Thai joint in the Italian quarter, but heck why not. Pumpui is an original gem, the brainchild of Jesse Massumi, Jesse Mulder and Xavier Cloutier, an épicerie and bodega with a freaky wine list. You can usually find some solid Vin Dame-Jeanne gems on it. We look forward to testing out their latest venture, Pichai, as soon as COVID-19 restrictions ease up.

Snacks:

Wine seems to infinitely flow at Vinvinvin.
Logo design by @catherine_potvin.

Snack alert. If you’re feeling a little wild, go east. You will find one of Rosemont La Petite-Patrie’s latest wine bars, Vinvinvin. A joint venture with the equally fun wine agency Ward et Associés, its eclectic, retro design and super friendly staff will give you a warm, Montreal-style welcome. If you’re feeling anti-social, their colour-coded wine list makes for a fail-safe plan to sample new favourites.

If you want to try the best poutine in the city (statement rated highly sensitive and controversial), you will want to check out Chez Tousignant, a cantina by chef Stefano Faita. Stefano is one of the city’s most well-respected chef entrepreneurs who has made his mark in Little Italy with institutions like Pizzeria Gema and Impasto. This ‘classy’ diner sits at just the right level of high/low. They make everything from scratch and source their meats and produce locally — from the hot dog sausages, to the buns, right down to the club soda câlisse.

PRO TIP #2: * Sadly, Michel has passed away, but we wanted to keep this section as a way to remember him.* Looking to buy wine? You’ll want to head over to the SAQ at the intersection of Beaubien and Saint-André. For non-locals, the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) is a provincial monopoly in Quebec responsible for the trade of alcoholic beverages within the province. However, not all SAQs are created equal: if you ask us, this is the city’s best one. Head upstairs to the “Cellier” floor to find out why. Strike up a conversation with IG’s favourite wine consultant @Mikebo for some stellar advice. You can’t miss him: tall man with the big beard - kinda like this guy.

Dinner:

After strolling through the Jean-Talon Market and slurping down a few oysters at La Boite aux Huitres, you’re going to want to find somewhere to grab dinner. That place is Mon Lapin. Vanya Filipovic and Marc-Olivier Frappier, respectively the sommelier mastermind and ex-chef de cuisine at Joe Beef, opened this 35-seater restaurant that brings together the best of both worlds: one-of-a-kind wines and culinary wonders. We had our first magical bottle of Anders F. Steen here, the ethereal “Don’t Throw Plastic in the Ocean, Please.”

Alternatively: Mon Lapin doesn’t take reservations, so if you would rather not wait in line, we have just the place for you. Right on the edge of the Hassidic neighborhood in Outremont is our favorite spot from the days we lived next door: Boxermans. There aren’t many places in Montreal where you feel this kind of cozy vibe - go for the wine, stay for the great service.

Drinks:

If you are still standing or even feeling “un peu parté”, head to Henrietta on Laurier Ouest. Their terrace in the summer is one of the prettiest in the city. Sip some pet-nat while listening to Brazilian funk (from a speaker in the bathroom) and enjoy a few Portugese petiscos while you’re at it.

Late-night snack:

Our ultimate late night snack, is in fact not a late night snack at all, but a full-fledged, two- or three-course meal at Restaurant L'Express. This 80s institution is un incontournable. Firstly, their kitchen is open until 2 am. Secondly, the consistency of their food and quality of service are so that we’re embarrassed to even put it in a snack category at all. Let’s leave labels aside for now, and just do yourself a big favor and order the bone marrow. We personally always get the beef tartare (“bien relevé”) and mushroom ravioli, but nothing on the menu is ever a bad choice. Though they do have one of the most impressive cellars in the city, they always have fantastic Beaujolais by the glass if you’re not up for a whole bottle.

“...they always have fantastic Beaujolais by the glass if you’re not up for a whole bottle.”

Day Two: Le Sud Ouest

So you made it through day one. Good, because you still have a lot more exploring to do. Le Sud Ouest is, as the name implies, southwest of the downtown core. It includes the neighborhoods around the Lachine Canal including Little Burgundy, Saint-Henri, Griffintown, Pointe-Saint-Charles, Côte-St-Paul and Ville-Émard. It is also one of the most dense areas in terms of restaurants ranging from internationally renowned to hidden local gems.

Breakfast
/Brunch:

It’s hard to talk about this city and its food without mentioning its rich Jewish influence in the same sentence. Enter: Arthur’s Nosh Bar. This is one of the wine exceptions to the guide. But hey, it is around 10 a.m. and you have the whole day to find something to drink (and relax — they do make a pretty mean Bloody Caesar if you’re on that vibe). Go for the Latke Smorgasbord if you feel like tasting a variety of noshes. And there is the always-necessary extra side of pickle.