Departures With Deena | We Went To Montréal During a Pandemic

Hi, everyone! I hope you’re all doing amazing, wearing masks, washing your hands, and socially distancing. That being said, if you’re reading this you probably know about the vacation I had in Montréal with my husband!

Guys…Montréal is SO great! I had no idea how much fun I was in for! When my husband told me we should take a break and visit Montréal for the weekend, I didn’t think much of it. But when I started planning out the trip I got so excited to go and we both had a blast. You need to visit Montréal and that is because it is such a cool city to see.

Obviously the pandemic was still a relevant factor, so we made sure to wear masks in any indoor place we visited, we sanitized constantly, and we stayed at least 6 feet apart from everyone around us. Thankfully, most of the attractions we were looking forward to seeing were open and we actually may have been the only tourists in some places! The city was pretty empty in regards to tourists so it was really interesting to feel like we were the only ones around.

Keep reading to see photos and descriptions of everything we did and ate in Montréal!

Where We Stayed

We found a nice, very hotel-like, Airbnb to stay at. It was affordable, super clean, and the location was great. It was walking distance to the attractions in Old Port where you can see the real quaintness of the city. Also, the view was stunning! You could see the whole city and even Mount Royal. I actually forgot to take any photos so the photos below are from the Airbnb listing, but the place looks exactly like the pictures; it really is that nice and clean!

Where We Ate

The food in Montréal is phenomenal! There are so many places to eat and they’re all so delicious. I had a list of at least 12 restaurants, bakeries and ice cream shops and although we didn’t get to every single one, we were beyond satisfied with what we did eat.

Breakfast

1. St. Viateur Bagel Shop & Fairmount Bagel Shop: These two bagel shops are the only two you need to try in Montréal. After trying both, I think I preferred St. Viateur to Fairmount. However, they’re both really good. You can choose from a long list of different types of fresh bagels which they’ll give you warm but not sliced, and you can buy a little container of cream cheese for spreading or dipping. You can’t sit inside so you just grab your bagel and go! It’s a really interesting experience and you absolutely have to try it if you’re there! Side note: there are different locations around the city but you MUST try the original bagel shops which are both in the Mile End neighborhood.

2. L’Avenue: This French brunch house was a very cool experience. The food was excellent and the staff was very helpful considering the menu was completely in French! They give you a skewer of fresh fruit before your meal arrives which was a really nice touch. I had the ‘shakshuka’ which is actually a traditional North African dish and my husband had the ‘michoacan’ which was a delicious spin on eggs benedict. I recommend this place 100%!

Lunch

If you’re not having something with smoked meat on it, you shouldn’t even eat! Montréal is known for bagels, poutine and smoked meat. You must have each of those things on your trip. The two places we went to and highly recommend are Dunn’s Famous for smoked meat poutine and Schwartz Deli for a smoked meat sandwich and fries. They were both so delicious!

1. Dunn’s Famous: This place is a classic. We had the Dunn’s Famous poutine and it was amazing! The smoked meat was a little hard to taste because it was shredded into such tiny pieces but it was still so good over the delicious poutine. We devoured it in 5 minutes! You absolutely have to try this place.

2. Schwartz’s Deli: This place is another Montréal classic. They are famous for their smoked meat sandwiches that are so great. It’s just layers and layers of smoked meat with some mustard on soft sandwich bread. They also serve it with a side of fries and a pickle if you request it. Highly recommend!

3. La Boite Aux Huîtres: While walking through the Jean Talon Market, we decided to try this oyster place. They turned out to be so good! Definitely some of the best oysters I’ve ever had. Be careful with the hot sauce though!

Dinner

On Friday night, we got all dressed up for a cute date night at a Greek restaurant called Estiatorio Milos.

Milos: This restaurant is really pretty and very quiet, perfect for a date. The experience was really great and the Greek-style food was delicious. I had the filet mignon which is pretty typical for me at any upscale restaurant lol! My husband had the tuna which he raved about all the way home. Would definitely recommend this place! Side note: you will need to make reservations well in advance!

Drinks and Desserts

I had quite a few bakeries and dessert places saved but we only got to two of them since we were so stuffed from all the other places! The two places we made it to were both amazing.

1. Kem CoBa: Kem CoBa is a Vietnamese owned ice cream shop that serves amazing ice cream and sorbet made with no preservatives or artificial flavors. I had a mix of passionfruit sorbet and raspberry and sour cherry sorbet and it was soooo good! And actually so refreshing since it was such a hot day. Highly recommend! Be prepared to wait in line though since this place is super popular!

2. Atigh’s Hibiscus: Attached to the North African restaurant, La Khaima, in the Mile End neighborhood of Montréal, is Atigh’s Hibiscus. It is just the cutest North African inspired cafe. The owner makes fresh hibiscus drinks in house that are organic and extremely refreshing. He has 4 flavors, original (hibiscus juice and cane sugar), unsweetened (just straight hibiscus juice), mint (hibiscus juice and mint) and ginger (hibiscus juice and ginger). We tried the original and the mint and they were so good that we came back the next day for more! I’d walk back to Montréal for another frosty one of those bad boys.

What We Did

While several places on our list were closed due to the pandemic, thankfully there were plenty of places on our list that were open. Our schedule was jam packed but we had so much fun at every place!

Friday

1. Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral: This is the third largest church in Quebec. It was completed in 1894 and is an important Canadian historical landmark. It is a really beautiful place to visit if you get the chance. It doesn’t take long to walk through the whole building and of course we sanitized before going in and wore our masks the entire time.

2. Montréal Museum of Fine Arts: This museum had a gorgeous exhibit going on called ‘Paris in the Days of Post-Impressionism: Signac and the Indépendants’. They dedicated a small part of the museum to artwork from this time period. We saw some of the most impressive pieces of artwork we had ever seen! I’m not sure how long they’ll have this exhibit for but I am sure whatever is up while you’re there will be just as amazing. Highly recommend! Side note: you will need to reserve tickets ahead of time!

3. Jean-Talon Market: This farmers’ market reminded me of the Eastern Market in Detroit, MI. It’s outdoors but covered and had so many great vendors! We had the best oysters there at La Boite Aux Huîtres, as I mentioned earlier. It was really nice to walk around and shop even though we didn’t buy anything that we couldn’t keep in the car all day. I definitely recommend this market!

4. Cinéma Moderne: This little movie theater tucked away in the Mile End neighborhood of Montréal was such a fun experience. Of course, due to the pandemic, we had to book tickets in advance for the movie we wanted to see because they were keeping the theater at 50% capacity. The movie we chose wasn’t that great but we still really liked the theater!

Saturday

1. Mount Royal: After getting some great bagels from Fairmount Bagel, we headed over to Mount Royal to take a hike to the famous lookout. The hike was only about 10 minutes before we got to the lookout. The view was incredible! You absolutely have to do this hike if you’re in Montréal. It’s super easy and so worth it.

2. St. Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal: Before we went back to the Airbnb to change and freshen up for the Botanical Gardens, we stopped by another beautiful historical landmark. This chapel was open to the public and it was free to enter. It was really beautiful inside and outside. The outside had a gorgeous view and the building itself is lovely from the outside despite the fact that it was under construction.

3. Montréal Botanical Gardens: Going to the botanical gardens was my absolute favorite part of our trip. The gardens were breathtaking. There was a Japanese garden and a Chinese garden and honestly, both were so cool to walk through. It took us about 3 hours to walk the whole park and it was so worth it. Due to the pandemic, we had to reserve tickets ahead of time. I definitely recommend!

4. Old Port of Montréal: We ended our night at the Old Port which was near our Airbnb. It was crawling with people ready for a good time. There was a gelato place on every corner, about a million vendors, and so many fun things to do! We got there just in time to do the big zip line by the water. I was pretty much panicking until the guy pushed me and I got to feel the wind in my face. It was so worth it. There was also a giant ferris wheel we wanted to try but frankly it was a bit overpriced and the line was huge, so we decided not to do it. We walked over to Mlle Catherine to have some delicious gelato instead!

Our time in Montréal was definitely well spent. I would go there again and again if it wasn’t 5.5 hours from Toronto. Honestly though, that long drive probably won’t stop me. I will definitely be back the next chance I get! There was so much to do; we were constantly entertained. The food was to die for, our Airbnb was lovely, and the city’s charm was such a treat. If you get the chance to go, I definitely recommend it! Even if it’s just for a short weekend. Please let me know if you end up trying anything on this list!

I really hope you all loved this blogpost. I do apologize for the delay in getting it up! But Montréal would still be there no matter when I would’ve posted this lol!

Thank you so much for reading! Stay safe out there!