Thoughts on my trip to Montreal and Toronto

Posted on January 08, 2026

My family is scattered, but twice a year my siblings and our families converge. This year for the winter holidays we did a short trip to Montreal in addition to hanging out at my brother’s place in Toronto. It was a cold week which has resulted in some unplanned plumbing lessons: 1) If you’re going to be away and it might freeze, just pop the filter cartridges out and store them somewhere warm. That could save you a few hundred dollars in filters and a shipping delay! 2) It’s never too early to put in a blow out valve. It’s not easy to pop the water heater out like a filter, but if there’s any water in there, that might be another three-figure lesson.

So, while I wait for parts to arrive, now’s as good a chance as any to reflect on the culinary aspects of Montreal and Toronto.

Absolute highlight: The Muffaletta sandwich at Ciccio’s in Old Montreal. I’ve been craving a Muffaletta for at least 12 years at this point. It was worth the wait.

Olive et Gourmando down the block was rock solid, as was Slice + Soda a block in the other direction. Stash Cafe was a great Polish place across the street. It was a really great couple blocks, just beyond the touristy blocks closer to the ferris wheel. The food in Toronto (either home-cooked meals or something on the Danforth) was also great. It basically goes without saying: good cities have good food.

But how was the coffee? Now that I think about it, I had way less coffee than I should have. I drank a lot of pourovers using the last of December’s unsold coffee so I didn’t have a ton of coffee out. What I saw in far too many places (places with kitchens no less!) was flavored lattes using the same packaged syrups that everyone else has. When Wendy’s is using Monin syrups, I’m not terribly interested in getting the same thing at a cafe. That said, I was happy with every shot of espresso I ordered in Montreal. And had a reminder that there’s just no beating an affogato.

I was very happy to see that Salt + Soda makes their own soda syrups. I’m disappointed that I forgot to go back and try the rest of their soda menu. Their Yuzu soda was definitely something I’m going to want to replicate this summer. Homemade sodas seems like such an easy way to make eating out special, but they deserve some praise for actually taking the leap and doing it.

Olive et Gourmando’s drinks were definitely well-thought-out. I bought their cook book so I’m going to end up learning a bit of French so I can try out their lemonade and get some insight into their flavor combos.

Drinks in Toronto were more limited. The only interesting thing I can think of was a very gingery ginger beer at Rendez Vous Ethiopian. Something gingery might make a lot of sense for sniffly cold weather.

So what do I think? What have I learned? The food was so universally good that it’s almost boring. Go to Old Montreal or The Danforth and you’re going to eat good food if you check Google Maps. (I really wish I knew of a non-Google option that was half as reliable without the sketchiness that is Silicon Valley.)

Based on my limited view, the coffee is solid, but the coffeedrinks has a much lower bar. If you like your coffee black, or as a classic latte with no sweeteners, any of the places I went would have had something for you. But if you want anything more elaborate… if you want something that starts in Coffeeland but starts heading towards Cocktailtowne, most places are still using the same basic ingredients that you could get from Amazon.

Beverages are an afterthought relative to food. Fair enough. Food is literally more substantial. But some beverages do it right. Cocktails have come a long way from 1970’s mystery neon sweet and sour mix (although that’s still around if you want it). For coffee in 2025, our standards seem to have plateaued over the last 20+ years even in big cities with strong food cultures. I’m sure they’re around. Toronto and Montreal must have a handful of cafes headed by people who have had enough good tiki drinks to know that life is short and we can do better.

Okay, time to do some plumbing. But Hopefully I’ll see you next Monday at 10!