An Honest Review of Montreal

Graphics by Téa Sklar

It’s no secret that Montreal is one of the most popular destinations for Syracuse students for fall break. So this year, my friends and I decided to check it out and figure out what all the hype is about for ourselves. Here is my report of the ups and downs of this interesting trip:

Now, we didn’t come into Montreal with any specific plans, but we knew where the biggest tourist attractions were. So obviously, we headed straight to the Gibeau Orange Julep. This restaurant is pretty far outside of Montreal, but just seeing the giant orange-shaped building was well-worth the drive. The julep was tasty, but it’s definitely an acquired taste, so I’d recommend getting a small.

We ate at a few other restaurants, including Dandy, Sumo ramen, La Capital Tacos, Sammi & Soupe Dumplings, and of course, Tim Horton’s. As a rule, I’d say we waited around 30 minutes for a table without a reservation, which wouldn’t have been such an issue if the food had any semblance of flavor. The only places that we went that I could genuinely recommend are La Capital Tacos (although their portions are laughably small) and Sammi & Soupe Dumplings, who had good food for cheap. The other issue with the food in Montreal was that it was insanely expensive (after tax and fees, it was about $30 per meal), so you never truly felt satisfied after a meal. 

I know I’ve talked about food for a while, but I have to rant about poutine. After one bite, I felt a spiritual connection to Jay Pritchett and knew I wouldn’t be “poutine it in my mouth” anytime soon. I mean, if you’re going to be known for one food, wouldn’t you want it to be something that’s actually good? It lacked salt, cheese (even though there were cheese curds in it), and overall flavor. Canada, do better.

But you can’t eat without drinking a little, right? Well, think again. Most of the bars in the city aren’t very college-student friendly. Unless you book a hotel close to McGill University, you won’t find a single person under 30 or a drink under $20 in any of the bars. Even some self-proclaimed pubs (I’m looking at you Pub Saint-Pierre) had outrageous prices that forced me as a fruity-drink girl to the lowest of lows: I had to order a beer. The only bar that we found within walking distance of our hotel with normal prices was Pub Le Sainte-Elisabeth, an Irish pub with mixed drinks for as low as $12. We were definitely still the only people in their 20s in that pub, but at least we weren’t using our credit card to pay for a single drink, so I’ll consider it a win.

It wasn’t all eating and drinking, though. We also visited a couple of iconic landmarks in and around the city, including Le Notre Dame de Montreal, which is the thing to see in Montreal. I would argue that skipping Notre Dame is almost like skipping the city entirely. If you’re looking for a more artsy approach to the city, I would recommend the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, which is free for people under 26, which was a huge relief after spending so much during the rest of the trip. Finally, a fantastic way to explore the history of Montreal while still having fun is to book a haunted tour. We took one on the final night of our trip and felt like it made up for all of Montreal’s shortcomings. Our guide got really into acting out the history of the city, making it come to life.

After experiencing Montreal first-hand, I’ve decided to give it a 2.5/5 star rating. While there aren’t too many distinct features about the city, it’s still a good time with the right people. And no matter what you do, Montreal is sure to be a trip that you talk about for years to come.