We found some cheap flights from NY to Montreal, and so we made a quick weekend getaway. Dave hasn’t been to Canada before, and I haven’t yet been to Montreal. It’s one of the places that I’ve been wanting to go to for a while. One thing to note before going is that if you’re not a US Citizen, you may need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) before traveling. We learned this the hard way, at the La Guardia Airport counter. Dave had to apply on line (thankfully quick, and only $7) but to save time and hassle, check beforehand!

Friday Night

We left work on a Friday night, and aimed to catch a flight to arrive for a late dinner at Montreal Plaza. Our flight was delayed for an hour, and we weren’t sure if we’d make it to the restaurant before they closed. We got there little past 10PM and it was still lively. Montreal Plaza has a friendly vibe. It was a bit loud, a la NY style, but I suppose we’re pretty used to that already. There were several birthday celebrations going on where the wait staff brought out huge kitschy props and sparklers. The food was pretty innovative- we started off with the monkfish liver terrine, and an uni/shrimp mousse. I enjoyed the boudin noir (our first of many in Montreal). We got some free ferret blanca shots at the end. We made it back to the hotel at 1am and zonked out on the comfy, king sized bed.

Montreal Plaza $$$$$
6230 St Hubert St, Montreal, QC H2S 2M2, Canada

Omni Montreal Mont Royal
1050 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC H3A 2R6, Canada
Lovely rooms with a classic style. Great location close to Mont Royal and McGill University.

Saturday

Today was our first full day in Montreal. Once we exited the hotel, it started to drizzle lightly. We got some coffee closeby at Coffeebrands, a local chain.

We started off treading up to the Pleateau Mont Royal and made it to the summit and lookout point. The rain stopped and the weather cleared up. On the way down, we saw a beaver for the first time in the forest. Failed to get a picture though!

We then walked for about 1 hour to Maison Publique, in the Plateau Mont Royal area. They served brunch, which was very enjoyable. There was a little bit of a wait, but it was worth it. We shared a scone, which was buttery enough but not too fatty, the saucisse agneau, and the boudin and egg.

It was then a 52min walk to old Montreal- we crossed through La Fontaine Park, Gay village and we stopped off for a poutine snack at Poutineville (that was a mistake considering we knew what we were gonna have for dinner!) the classic poutine with mushroom and sausage was pretty nice though.

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We then stopped by Muru Crepe Cafe for some coffee. We then ended up at the Old port, which had a Ferris wheel, a short zip line and was just overall pleasant.

We then walked to Old Montreal (yes, we were walking a lot) and we saw the Notre dame basilica. Next stop was Chinatown. On the way back to the hotel was walked through the Quartier de spectacles (theater district).

Resting only a little bit, we had to get ready to go to Au pied du Cochon. Of course we walked there. Several of our friends and colleagues recommended this restaurant as a must. Once I heard that there was a lot of foie gras at this restaurant, I didn’t need to hear more than that. We got the Foie gras poutine (must!) , melting pot (mix of a bunch of things of all things pork), cured foie gras and also a boudin tart. Delicious.

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We ended up walking a whopping 46,000 steps (19 miles) which was a complete new Fitbit milestone for me.

Mont Royal
1260 Remembrance Rd, Montreal, QC H3H 1A2, Canada

Maison Publique $$$$$
4720 Rue Marquette, Montréal, QC H2J 3Y6, Canada
Great place for brunch

La Fontaine park
3819 Avenue Calixa-Lavallée, Montréal, QC H2L 3A7, Canada

Gay Village
Le Village

Poutineville $$$$$
1365 Ontario St E, Montreal, QC H2L 1S1, Canada

Muru Crepe $$$$$
362 Notre-Dame St. East, Montreal, QC H2Y 1C7, Canada

Old Port of Montreal
Vieux-Port de Montréal

Old Montreal
Vieux-Port de Montréal

Notre Dame Bascilica
110 Notre-Dame St W, Montreal, QC H2Y 1T2, Canada

Chinatown
Quartier Chinois

Quartier de spectacles / Theater District
Quartier de spectacles

Au Pied de Cochon
536 Avenue Duluth E, Montréal, QC H2L 1A9, Canada
The most decadent poutine ever – smothered in foie gras

Sunday

Our flight was not until 5:55pm. We had the whole afternoon to enjoy in Montreal! We walked through the McGill campus, closeby to our hotel. We then trekked to the Mile End area for a St Viateur bagel (eh- as a New Yorker, this bagel doesnt cut it.)

We met up with Dave’s friend and his family for lunch at L’Express. We had some great classic French fare like rilettes, and our last boudin noir.

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We then cabbed it back to the hotel and then to the airport- only to be told that our flight was delayed an hour! We couldn’t get home till around 11pm that night.

Montreal was a great getaway from New York. I knew Quebec had a lot of French influences but I was quite pleasantly surprised how French the city is. It helped make this feel like a real getaway that wasn’t too far away.

McGill University
845 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada

St Viateur Bagels
263 Rue Saint Viateur O, Montréal, QC H2V 1Y1, Canada

L’Express
3927 St Denis St, Montreal, QC H2W 2M4, Canada