Some Personal Montreal Recommendations for Conference Visitors

This is definitely not meant to be a complete guide to Montreal. These are simply a few places I like and would recommend to people visiting for the conference. Some close to UQAM (where ISF 2026 is taking place next week), some a bit farther out, and some you might not find unless someone tells you.

Buvette Pompette (Petite-Patrie, on St-Zotique near Beaubien metro)

A very nice wine bar. The wine list is excellent, whether you are into natural wine or not. The service is always good, the glasses are properly filled, and the bartenders are always in a good mood, as the name suggests. It is a good place to hang out, have a glass of wine, and talk to the people behind the bar. Cool terrasse as well.

Isle de Garde (Petite-Patrie, on Beaubien Est)

One of my favourite places for beer in Montreal. It is well known in the neighbourhood and has been established for a long time, especially for microbrewery beer.

What I like is that it is not just a list of IPAs. There are German-inspired beers and other styles too, which makes it more interesting than many craft-beer places. The food is good, the beer is good, the wine is good, and it is also a nice way to meet the Rosemont crowd.

Brasserie des Patriotes (Hochelaga, on Ontario Est)  

This is a more adventurous recommendation.

Les Patriotes is the ultimate gritty, neighbourhood Quebec-style place. You can go there for a meal around dinner time, and the prices still feel like they are from another era. But the main reason to go is later at night.

On Fridays and Saturdays, especially around midnight, it becomes one of the most serious and, should I say, energetic karaoke places in town. The beer is Quebec beer, not fancy beer, and the whole thing gives you a real look at that part of the city, around Ontario Street and Hochelaga, which has its own ecosystem.

A good plan is to start at L'Espace Public (nearby) if you are not ready for karaoke yet, then move to Les Patriotes later.

Casa Alentejo (Petite-Patrie, on St-Hubert)

There are many fancy restaurants in Montreal, and I like restaurants as much as anyone, but sometimes what you want is something simpler with a very good ROI. Casa Alentejo is that kind of place. It is a Portuguese restaurant, and it has been doing its thing for years. The house wine is actually good, the atmosphere is warm, and it is not trying to be more complicated than it needs to be.

If you eat meat, my recommendation is the ribeye. It is consistently good and cooked the way it should be.

Poincaré (Chinatown, on St-Laurent, a short walk from UQAM)

Poincaré is one of the nicest places near the conference area. Notably, it has a Kölsch-style continuous beer service.

On a good day, the rooftop terrace is excellent. The trick is to arrive early enough to get a table outside. If you manage that, it is one of the best nearby options for a beer before or after conference events.

L'Express (Plateau-Mont-Royal, on Saint-Denis)

Montreal can be tricky late in the evening, when food options become more limited. L'Express is one of the places that really stands out because it keeps a high level even late.

It is a classic French restaurant with fast, efficient service, an excellent wine list, and very good bistro classics. The beef tartare is one of the things worth ordering. It has also long been a place where artists and theatre people go after shows. Surely academics can join too.

Quai des Brumes / La Rockette / L’Esco (Plateau, on Saint-Denis near Mont-Royal)

These two bars, along with L'Esco, are unofficially known as the Bermuda Triangle. I will let you interpret what that means.

Quai des Brumes: one of the great Quebec rock-and-roll rooms, at it for decades. There is a show pretty much every night, mostly francophone indie, folk and rock, the room is small enough that you are right on top of the band, and the drinks are good and reasonably priced. L'Esco is much the same. When the music is done, you do not even have to leave the building: upstairs is La Rockette, where the DJ spins '80s, classic rock and rockabilly every night.

P'tit-Bar (In front of Carré Saint-Louis, on Saint-Denis)

This is the kind of place you probably need someone to tell you about, otherwise you might miss it.

P'tit-Bar is very close to campus and is about as big as a department chair's corner office, and it can fill up quickly, especially on Thursdays, but that is also part of the charm. People go there to talk at the bar, have a late drink, and listen to the (well above average) chansonnier sing French songs, classic Quebec songs, or whatever fits the mood of the evening. As we say, those who know, know.

Bistro à Jojo (Quartier Latin, on Saint-Denis near Berri-UQAM)

Bistro à Jojo is not exactly off the tourist path, but it is still worth mentioning. It is a very solid place for blues, rock, country, and related music. The musicians are very capable, the Monday band can play almost anything on demand, and they play from around 9 p.m. until very late. The beer and drinks are on the expensive side, but that's life.

I may also go there on the Monday night of the conference, since some musician friends play there regularly.

Addenda:

If you want to see the Olympic Tower, do it, but do not stop there. What is really worth seeing is behind it: Maisonneuve Park.