Old Montreal.
Charming. Quaint. Cultured. And a melting pot of gourmet restaurants, cafes, art galleries and more. The science centre is in old Montreal, a favourite spot of mine to visit as a kid, as well as gorgeous parks like Parc Jean Drapeau and Marche Bonsecours.
If you’re a local in Montreal, then tapas and wine bars like Philemon, Verses or Santos aren’t new to you. Neither is one of my favourite lunch spots; Olive et Gourmando, or lux shopping boutique, SSENSE.
What IS new to the old Montreal scene is LOV Restaurant; vegan, vegetarian + plant-based fare in the heart of the historic city.
Tucked away on cobblestoned McGill street, close to hotel St Paul and Hotel St James, LOV Restaurant, is Montreal’s latest vegan & vegetarian restaurant. It’s trendy, it’s cute and it serves a meat-free menu items. If you aren’t fully plant-based, you can get add-ons to your avocado toast like poached eggs. If you are fully vegan, go nuts. Almost every menu item is plant-based, and if it isn’t, they can accommodate.
Kombucha Mocktails
If like me, you’re not that big on alcohol, you’ll appreciate LOV’s mocktail menu. I ordered the Pina Koala which is a combo of mint-chlorophyll kombucha, coconut milk and fresh eucalyptus. It is deadly good. Trust.
Light appetites
Grab a salad + a Rise kombucha to-go from their fridge at the front, and you’re set. I tried the beet salad which is served with a beet + cashew cream smear, fresh quinoa and arugula as well as fresh pumpkin seeds. It did not disappoint! Flavours are beyond!
Forever hungry?
Order the buddha burger. It’s a mushroom + black bean patty, with toppings like avocado, kale and cucumber to keep you feeling fuller, longer.
Breakfast goals
Smoothie bowls of the day and vegan hempseed waffles with berries and cashew yogurt. Need I say more?
My recommendation, grab a seat at the bar by the front, order a smoothie bowl and a hot cup of tea, and just enjoy people watching.
LOV Montreal is that hot spot for brunch, dinner or 5 à 7 cocktails and mocktails.
Like I said, old Montreal is a melting pot. Both in the diversity of culture, as well as the industrial setting of the city. People watching in the old port will tell a story of francophones and anglophones living (almost) harmoniously as they travel to work in the mornings and frequent wine and hotel bars for evening 5 à 7’s.
I’ll be visiting Montreal and Old Montreal again in May – share your recommendations with me!
Aux Vivres and The Green Panther are both city staples for top vegan Montreal restaurants. I’ve yet to try Copper Branch and Sushi Momo, so those’ll likely be on my must try list next time I visit. Feel free to drop a reco for me in the comment section below if you’ve got a fave!
Nick Joly | Inspired by Nick
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