Last-minute shopping and lunch in Montreal

June 5, 2017 4:53 AM

We're driving to Quebec City today (from Jersey) and stopping in Montreal for lunch. I also would like to do a bit of shopping for a) eyeshadow and b) things only available in Canada/Montreal. Where should we go?

I forgot eyeshadow and figure this is a good time to buy a small travel sized shadow. Anyplace special? Or should I just go to Sephora?

For shopping, I would love to come home with some good maple syrup. We can also stop anywhere along the route to Quebec City (and I would love to go shopping in a small town!). I also am a knitter and would LOVE to find some local yarn.

For lunch, we would like some place lovely and memorable. No food restrictions.

Will I need cash for shopping? Or will vendors take cards? We're planning on getting cash at an ATM as our bank has fewer fees than exchanging cash, so we won't have Canadian currency right after crossing the border.

posted by DoubleLune to Travel & Transportation around Quebec (9 answers total)

If you're with any major bank, most everywhere in Canada will accept your cards. And, in an emergency, everywhere will take U.S. cash and give you Canadian cash in change, though you won't get a great exchange rate doing it that way (they might even only take it at par).

As for lunch in Montreal, you have many many options, though weekday traffic in Montreal can be pretty gross, so if you don't want lunch to take hours, you may want to pick somewhere close to the highway.
posted by 256 at 5:44 AM on June 5, 2017

Best answer: No shopping tips, but my dear, "good maple syrup" is redundant.
posted by BostonTerrier at 6:26 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Call your bank and/or credit card company to let them know you'll be using your cards in Canada; otherwise they might put a hold on transactions for security reasons.
posted by tully_monster at 6:45 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Montreal bagels
Montreal smoked meat
Point G macarons.

That is all.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 6:50 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The two yarn stores I use are Effiloché near the Jean Talon Market and Espace Tricot in NDG. The ladies at both stores are bilingual and accept debit/credit. Check the schedule though, these stores aren't open everyday.

You'll also be able to find a variety of eyeshadow at any of our pharmacies -Jean Coutu or Pharmaprix (called Shoppers Drug Mart outside of QC)-if that's more convenient for you.
posted by eisforcool at 7:30 AM on June 5, 2017

Oh shoot, I see that both yarn stores are closed on Mondays. Maybe you can hit them on your way back.
posted by eisforcool at 7:38 AM on June 5, 2017

As mentioned above, Montreal-style bagels are a thing, they use a distinctive recipe that makes them sought out by people who like bagels, particularly freshly baked from somewhere like Fairmount Bagel.

Also Note: Canadian shopkeepers like US currency, but many places won't break large US bills because of counterfeiting concern.
posted by ovvl at 8:16 AM on June 5, 2017

Best answer: Ah but which kind of bagels? Fairmount vs St. Viateur's is a heated debate. I prefer Fairmount personally.

There's lot of great places to eat in Montreal but I have a soft spot for old school Jewish delis and my favorite thing to do when I'm in Montreal is to hit Schwartz's or Lester's. I prefer Lester's, mostly because of personal associations. If I go to Lester's I usually hit Cheskie's Bakery which is like 3 or 4 blocks away and then a couple more blocks to comic publisher Drawn & Quarterly. St. Viateur's is a few blocks around there.

For old time's sake I sometimes go to Wilensky's Light Lunch. I used to live a block or two away from there and was a poor student. It is quite something but definitely not fancy.

Oh and farther down on St. Urbain past Fairmount is Beauty's Restaurant. Also a favorite of mine.
posted by Ashwagandha at 12:08 PM on June 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Mouline is a good yarn store in the western part of the city. Bilingual staff, excellent selection, including local yarns, open Mondays.

If you're like me and plan your city tours around yarn shopping, you'll want to find a place to eat in either NDG or Westmount (the yarn store is on the cusp of both). Things have changed too much lately for me to have good recommendations in the area (Dad's Bagels closed, right?) but there should be plenty of good food around.

For eyeshadow, to be honest I would go to Sephora on Sainte Catherine street. There are few Canadian beauty brands worth checking out, with maybe Lise Watier (available at Jean Coutu, there's one near Sephora) as the exception. There's also the beauty department at La Baie / The Bay further East on Sainte Catherine, for a wander. There's a stand that sells maple syrup and maple treats in the park across the street, but if you just want syrup, go to the supermarket and get the canned stuff, it's the best and the packaging screams Canadian.
posted by third word on a random page at 3:04 AM on June 6, 2017