We can always count on our East Coast Editor, Elizabeth Margolis-Pineo to report back to Real Food Traveler readers about the annual Montreal Jazz Festival. Elizabeth attended the 2025 version and came back with a glimpse of what to expect from the Festival and what to look for in terms of food, arts, culture and happenings. Here’s her roundup of top things to do in Montreal, Canada, anytime you may go.

Save this article to Pinterest to help you plan your visit to enjoy some of the top things to do in Montreal, Canada. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

Top Things To Do in Montreal, Canada

Ah, summer in Montreal! The skies are clear, and the Canadian air is fresh, clean and polite. O’Canada! The sprawling Quartier des Spectacles is alive with happy anticipation of the Montreal Jazz Fest. Our first afternoon lives up to the festival promise of music, magic and discovery. Sidewalks are lined with outdoor stages, food stalls and music fans of all ages. Here, art comes alive!

The Montreal Jazz Festival. Photo by Frederick Aubin.

This beloved festival offers more than music. Street food, as always, is a must. A food truck claims “the best poutine in the city,” an audacious claim especially in Montreal. Hmmm. It’s a bit warm for cheese curds and gravy, but the fact that we seriously consider it confirms that we have truly arrived.

Jazz is Everywhere
We wander the sprawling festival site, which encompasses several major city blocks and multiple urban stages and venues of various sizes. Here, performances are international, professional, accessible — best of all, 2/3 are free!

Enjoy free outdoor performances like Les Royal Pickles in true Dixieland style. Montreal’s own Leonie Gray delivers seductive, jazz-pop stylings. Hungarian group Jazzbois is ultra-smooth, rhythmic and relaxing. Swiss jazzman Louis Matute and his ensemble deliver classic jazz that is simply outstanding — straight-up jazz!

The Montreal night scene. Photo courtesy of Montreal Jazz Festival.

Revel in the Unexpected
Passing a small stage, hit a brilliant wail of solo sax. Suddenly this is the only sound that matters, a musical cry of passion and heartbreak. Amazing musical expression happens here, beautiful and occasionally astonishing.

Saveur et Savoir
All this mad joy makes us hungry. We agree on festival stalwart, Nyk’s, just off the site, with outdoor seating, upscale pub menu and casual vibe. We revel in hip familiarity, sipping local Belle Gueule and nibbling on creamy mushroom bruschetta. We share an order of outstanding Nyk’s fish ’n’ chips, crispy, delicate and delicious as ever.

Enjoying a Belle Gueule beer at Nyk’s. 

Coffee Shops
Coffee shops are a necessary stop in every neighborhood and all times of day. We love our morning stop at Café Origine, where the serious and skilled barista serves a perfect cup of coffee and flaky brioche. The murals on the walls issue a colorful and bright, “Good Morning!”

Le Petit Dep in the Old Port offers a great selection as well. Their cappuccino is frothy and rich, and their unique take on a “Twix Bar” has Jamaican flavor and flair, dense and chewy in equal parts. The marriage of caffeine and chocolate satisfies my dual daytime cravings.

Montreal is full of clever coffee joints, we find one that offers coffee and sneakers!

World Class Performers
Our delight continues with the free opening-night performance by Mavis Staples. She brings heft and historical resonance, her soulful voice transporting the rapt crowd through decades of turmoil and triumph. It is a profound honor to be here.

Rest Restore Repeat
A good night’s sleep is essential. We rent a small apartment in the Village neighborhood, a 20-minute walk from the festival site. A bit of distance helps us recharge and refresh between our long, brilliant festival days. Our apartment is just steps from the metro, ideally located for getting around the city to the Plateau, Old Port, Griffintown and more.

The Village is part of the extended reach of the festival. Walking home in late evening, we stumble upon a neighborhood dance party in a nearby park, with live music and welcoming vibe from local residents. O’Canada!

Homebase in Montreal was Apartment Rue Montcalm.

Takin’ It to the Streets
Each year we look forward to the McGill Jazz Orchestra and their big, boss sound. Accomplished student musicians play everything from Ellington to Evans. Big Band Ecole Secondaire is another swingin’ student ensemble that gets better every year!

Festival regular Stella Cole brings her signature mix of smooth jazz standards from The American Songbook, delivered with unruffled cool. The all-women Balkan Paradise Orchestra is a tuneful gas! Streetnix Quintet is also a regular fixture at the festival, bringing a powerful percussive blend of sax, trombone, trumpet, tuba and drums — the jazziest marching band I know. Papagroove adds wonderful rhythm and soul with his robust brand of French-Pop Pow!

A Village near the Jazz Festival.

Onsite Italian Style
One rainy outdoor evening on our free-concert crawl, we pop into Galaxie Brasserie on Rue Clark. We sit happily sipping Italian pinot and local Griffintown ale, and snacking on very respectable arancini and arugula salad. Nice. Every so often, the waiter appears with a long stick, and nudges the overhead awning to release a cascade of rainwater. We are surprisingly dry, cozy and happy, and consider this part of the entertainment.

Night air, the aroma of late-night fare and scent of summer rain is an evocative combination — a familiar blend of food, feeling and flawless sound.

Hungry for more? Try this Montreal recipe for Moules et Frites.

The Culinary Scene: More Top Things to Do in Montreal, Canada

A Feast for the Senses
Clearly, we love the interplay between auditory and culinary. For us, food and music are equally important sensory thrills. Each builds on the other, creating a rich, immersive experience.

While our first taste is a nostalgia-driven choice of classic pub fare, the city’s culinary scene is vastly diverse. Shaped by French roots and rich immigrant history, Montreal’s culinary scene reflects its multicultural identity with a range of iconic foods:

• Montreal smoked meat: A smoked meat sandwich from Schwartz’s Deli is a city institution. Eastern European Jewish immigrants brought this method of curing and smoking brisket, resulting in a savory and delicious experience served on rye with a classic pickle. The best.

Head to Schwartz’s for fine examples of Montreal smoked meats. Photo courtesy of Schwartz’s.

• Montreal bagels: This iconic staple has long been debated between rivals St. Viateur and Fairmount Bagel in the heart of the Mile End. Montreal bagels are thinner, sweeter and more dense than their New York counterpart. These bagels are hand-rolled, boiled in honey water, and baked in wood-fired ovens. Wow.
• French pastry: Montreal’s French heritage is evident in its exceptional boulangeries. Pastries and buttery croissants are essential treats. We enjoy an embarrassing number of these flaky delights at Chez Potier. This gourmet emporium has a colorful range of delicacies, and can be the source of everything your heart desires in one tasty stop.
  

  Croissants in a display window at Chez Potier.

• Maple syrup: As the world’s largest maple syrup producer, Quebec showcases the ingredient in many traditional desserts, like Montreal classics, Sugar Pie and Poor Man’s Sugar Tart – yum. Visit Montreal’s famous Sugar Shacks and see the operation for yourself!
• Artisanal Cheese: From mild, raw-milk cheeses to internationally acclaimed varieties, Montreal’s artisan cheese makers offer a diverse selection of flavors and styles reflecting local farming and production. You will find yummy local cheeses on menus and charcuterie boards. Visit the Cheese Boss himself at Atwater Market!
• Open Markets: Sample uniquely Quebecois products at Montreal’s popular open-air markets. To immerse yourself in Québec food culture, there’s no better place than the sprawling scene at Atwater market and/or sprawling Jean-Talon Market.
  

  The Atwater market sells fresh flowers in an outdoor setting.

Hungry for more? Bake this Quebec Maple Sugar Pie recipe.

Saveur & Terroir
The city’s food scene is a global affair. Visit vibrant Little Italy for handmade pasta, St. Denis for Portuguese Piri-Piri, beloved Jewish classics in Mile End, or delicious, upscale Asian fare in Chinatown and beyond. Montreal is a food mecca, and we love it!

Montreal celebrates the farm-to-table movement, with chefs incorporating local and seasonal Quebecois products like duck and foraged mushrooms into innovative dishes. For the best locally sourced seasonal fare, visit restaurants that specialize in contemporary Québécois cuisine.

As traveling bon vivants with healthy appetites, here are a few new discoveries and old favorites, to name just a few:

• Au Pied de Cochon: Quintessential Montreal restaurant known for hearty, decadent Québécois cuisine emphasizing local pork, duck, foie gras … and more foie. Musty. Be. Hungry.
• Oncle Lee:  Elegant, trendy and contemporary Chinese cuisine. Yes, that’s a mouthful but anything you put in your mouth here is a joy. Try the stellar Spicy Salmon, Five-Spice Duck, and any of their variations of classic fried rice. This place is a knockout.
• Liverpool House: Little Burgundy’s sister restaurant to the legendary Joe Beef, where it’s much easier to score a table. Oysters are briny and delicious, and the soft shell crab is unctuous and sweet. Their lobster spaghetti gets raves! I cannot forget the asparagus I had in 2023. Note: I hear Liverpool now features a foie gras breakfast sandwich. I’ll be back!

Peaceful & Pampering
If the crowds of the festival are getting to you, head for the Old Port to Bota Bota spa-sur-l’eau. The floating oasis pampers its “passengers” with spa treatments and more, while relaxing to the rocking motion of the St. Lawrence River.

Bota Bota has five decks offering massage therapy, body and facial treatments; four saunas with river views, eucalyptus steam bath, outdoor whirlpools, cold showers and pools; plus restaurant, terrace, leafy gardens and dozens of people milling about in terrycloth spa robes.

Bota Bota’s Restaurant Traversée features seasonally inspired Quebecois fare. We share a delicious charcuterie plate of sliced meats, duck rillettes, rustic bread, whole-seed mustard and pickles. We also sample a goat cheese tart with red pepper, caramelized onion, honey, capers, apple and herbes de Provence. Sweet and savory – just perfect. Note: Restaurant Traversée is open to the public, and spa treatments are not required.

Along with breathtaking views of the Old Port, Moshe Safdie’s 1967 pre-fabricated housing masterpiece, Habitat, is on view across the river. I have worshiped Safdie since the ’60s, so the view is an unexpected bonus. Bottom line: Don’t miss this urban oasis!

Seeing Moshe Safdie’s architectural marvel, “Habitat,” is one of the top things to do in Montreal.

Beyond the Plate: Art and Culture
The Jazz Festival does not stop in July, there are wonderful events and concerts year-round. For info please visit FIJM Year-Round!

The Jazz Festival is not the only event drawing crowds. Cultural highlights and events include Just for Laughs comedy festival; iconic La Lumiere winter festival; major LGBTQ+ events; Wine and Spirits; Foodie Tours, and much more.

Montreal History and Architecture
We grab two Passeport City Tours offering several tastes, event and museum admissions over three days – a great way to explore the best this wonderful city has to offer!

Conduct your own urban exploration through the city’s neighborhoods. Discover vibrant street art, cozy cafes, and eclectic shops. Visit the underground city, a sprawling network of tunnels and shops, a unique urban adventure ideally suited to Montreal’s long winters.

Explore Old Montreal with non-touristy tour. We enthusiastically recommend the non-touristy Spade and Palacio Tours.

“The best walking and biking tours aren’t scripted and offered in herds. See the city through the eyes of a local.” – Spade and Palacio

ENJOY!

Story (and photos except where noted), by Elizabeth Margolis-Pineo, East Coast Editor, Real Food Traveler

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