Mile-End: Hipper Than Hip

Mile-End: Hipper Than Hip

Historically the home to Montréal's working-class Jewish community, in recent years the Mile-End section of the Plateau Mont-Royal has become one of the hippest neighborhoods in town. By day it's a great place to take a stroll or simply hang out on the terraces of its numerous cafés to watch the colorful mix of locals -- artsy bohemians, Hasidic Jews, Greeks, and rock and rollers -- pass by. The closest Metró to Mile-End is Laurier.

Lingering testaments to the still considerable Jewish population include Wilensky's (34 Fairmount Ouest) , whose highly celebrated salami sandwiches were immortalized in Mordecai Richler's novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, as well as the Fairmount (74 Fairmount Ouest) and St-Viateur (263 St-Viateur Ouest) bagel emporiums. Baked in wood ovens, Montréal's bagels are as unique, if not as famous, as its smoked meat sandwiches, and locals will insist you've never really eaten a bagel until you've tried one from either of these culinary institutions.

At night, Mile-End comes alive with the sound of rock and roll, with Casa del Popolo (873 St-Laurent) , the Playhouse (5656 Park Av.) , the Main Hall (5390 St-Laurent) , and the Green Room (5386 St-Laurent) all hosting local and international indie bands most nights of the week. Montréal's indie music scene has been booming for several years now, and if you spend a little time in any of these venues you might get a glimpse of why the New York Times and Spin magazine (among others) have recently championed Montréal as "the new Seattle," i.e., the latest mecca for aspiring indie rock sensations. It's also, without question, the best neighborhood in town to find reasonably priced Greek food, with le Coin Grec (4903 Park Av.) and Arahova (256 St-Viateur Ouest) being choice favorites among discerning Mile-End-ers.