Best of the City: The 7 best things Time Out Montreal editors saw, ate and visited in 2025

The restaurant Le Violon—located in Plateau-Mont-Royal, recently ranked coolest neighbourhood in the world (and the location of that Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau dinner date)—came in at no. 29 on North America's 50 Best Restaurants list 2025. (We couldn't name-drop any more in that sentence if we tried.)

The latest venture from the Cogir Restaurants group (Coureur des Bois, La Cabane du Coureur, Restaurant h3, Terrasse Alizé, and Climats at Time Out Market Montréal), Hiba Bar is led by chef Jean-Sébastien Giguère and head bartender Mickaël Bouvier. Located on the second floor of the Humaniti Montréal hotel, the vibe, design, cocktail list, and food menu strike a balance between refinement, simplicity, and warmth—dishes you’ll want to pair with a cocktail or mocktail from a menu showcasing a range of techniques (fat-washing, clarification, house-made syrups), or a glass of sake.

On view until March 8, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts—located on one of the coolest streets in the world—is presenting Kent Monkman: History Is Painted by the Victors, a blockbuster exhibition showcasing 40 monumental works by the celebrated Canadian artist and member of ocêkwi sîpiy (Fisher River Cree Nation). Known for boldly reframing colonial narratives, Monkman invites visitors to reconsider both the past and the world we inhabit today. Centrepieces of the exhibition include two towering seven-metre canvases originally commissioned for the Great Hall of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

It was a tie between Renzo, quite posibly the most stunning sandwich shop in Canada serving up next-level sammies, and Pasta Pooks (a counter dishing impossibly delicious fresh pasta and—you guessed it—hoagies). How to choose between a gleaming new space that feels both timeless and brand new and makes a killer sammie, and a Little Italy counter with five seats that doles out heaping bowls of carbonara (and tourtière cheesesteaks)? The great news is you don't have to.

This new free public art walk in Montreal invited visitors to share heartwarming stories and build community, and ended up winning our hearts. The empathy-filled public art installation imagined and created by the artist Pony—and produced by LNDMRK—consists of four sculptures with a beautiful mission. Look for them before December 15, 2025, at the Montreal Eaton Centre (just steps from Time Out Market Montréal), Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, Esplanade PVM at Place Ville Marie and Place Montréal Trust to meet Dandy, Anxiyeti, Kinzu, and Sponji—characters who all embody different emotions.

We said it: Sushi Nishinokaze is the best edomae omakase experience in Canada. Located in Mile-End, Nishinokaze is an intimate edomae restaurant with 8 seats, where chef-owner Vincent Gee offers a refined omakase experience. Our food critic Tommy Dion called his meal truly transformative, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But don’t just take our word for it—see for yourself.

The 13th edition of the biggest maple and wood party in town combined with Verdun’s 150th anniversary celebrations meant one seriously epic four day event this year. Bonus: the event is family-friendly and all on-site programming is free of charge. We're talking about traditional games, stories and legends, logging, jigging, traditional dancing, campfires… there is always something for everyone.