Museum / Downtown

McCord Stewart Museum

DINNER BEFORE THE DINNERS

A downtown museum whose Montréal restaurant history show ends Oct 18, so it lands right on your trip.

From home: 27 min walk; 1.99 km, or 5 min by car
Spend: $$$$; est. $20-22 per person
Our dates: Open Tue-Thu. Mon unconfirmed; Give it 1.5-2 hours

The verdict

Go, and go on Monday: it is one of the few museums open on Thanksgiving, and On the Menu is a smart warm-up for a food-first trip. It covers Montréal restaurants from the 1960s to now, including icons that have closed. Plan about two hours, enter through the temporary Victoria Street door, and do not expect a long permanent collection day.

On the Menu runs until Oct 18, 2026
Explicitly open Mon Oct 12, 10am-5pm
Indoor and weather-proof

Vibe check

bright/design forward/low key

Best fora rainy afternoon, food-minded visitors

What it costs

$$$$Est. $20-22 / person

Adult general admission $20 online, $22 at the door; seniors $19/$21; students $15/$17 (official).

Our estimate from posted prices, CAD, before tax and tip. Québec purchases carry the 5% federal GST plus the 9.975% Québec Sales Tax (QST, TVQ in French): 14.975% combined on taxable items. Tourisme Montréal: it is customary to tip restaurant servers, taxi drivers and hairdressers 15% of the bill, before taxes. Bellhops, porters and doormen generally get at least $2 per bag or service; coffee and food counters often have a tip cup by the register.

On our dates

Tue-Sun 10am-5pm (Wed to 9pm); Mon closed except Thanksgiving

Mon 12Unclear
Tue 13Open10am to 5pm
Wed 14Open10am to 9pm
Thu 15Open10am to 5pm

Thanksgiving MondayOfficial hours page states Thanksgiving Monday, October 12, 2026: 10am-5pm.

Full week

Mon	Closed
Tue	10am to 5pm
Wed	10am to 9pm
Thu	10am to 5pm
Fri	10am to 5pm
Sat	10am to 5pm
Sun	10am to 5pm

Wednesday from 5pm the On the Menu exhibition is a separate $10 online / $12 door fee.

Hours from the venue's own listing, checked Oct 8, 2026.

Is it worth it?

Yes, mainly for On the Menu, which ends Oct 18 and suits a food-first trip.

Best time: Monday Oct 12 (open) or Tuesday morning
Time needed: 1.5-2 hours
Cost: Adult $20 online / $22 at door; seniors $19/$21; students $15/$17; free for 17 and under and members
Weather: Fully indoors; a good rain plan.
This season: On the Menu ends Oct 18, 2026. Artist-in-residence Carrie Allison runs Sep 30, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027. Café Notman closed Dec 2025.

Good forrainy day, food history, Thanksgiving Monday

Pair it with

ITHQ lunch menu: official exhibition page offers a free dessert with an appetizer and main with your exhibition ticket until Oct 18

Where

690 Sherbrooke West, Montréal, QC H3A 1E9

27 min walk (1.99 km) / 5 min drive, no traffic / 15 min by bike

From 216 Rue Young. Routes from OpenStreetMap data; transit times are in the maps app.

Show on our map musee-mccord-stewart.ca

Online tickets save $2 per paid ticket; entrance temporarily at 2175 Victoria St (Museum Alley).

While you're there

A tall Art Deco painted mural panel of women, gazelles and a fountain in a garden, framed in dark green against orange walls, in the former Eaton's ninth-floor restaurant in Montréal

THE LINER IN THE SKY

Le 9e (Restaurant Île-de-France)

Downtown24 min walk$$$$

4 min walk from here

A martini glass with a lemon twist on a marble bar top, with softly blurred bottles and warm amber light behind

BEHIND THE BLACK CURTAIN

Gokudo

Downtown23 min walk$$$$

7 min walk from here

A stemmed cocktail glass backlit by a candle on a dark table in a dim room

GRAND HOTEL BAR ENERGY

Bar Dominion

Downtown19 min walk$$$$

9 min walk from here

A martini with a lemon twist on a marble bar top, with softly blurred bottles and warm amber lighting behind

NO MENU, NO PROBLEM

Cloakroom Bar

Golden Square Mile (Downtown)26 min walk$$$$

10 min walk from here

A maple turning orange and gold between two dark red brick walls, with a tall apartment tower rising behind it, on an overcast autumn day in a city

MOUNTAIN TO RIVER, ON FOOT

From the Mountain to the River walk

Downtown to Old Montréal7 min drive or 31 min walk$$$$

12 min walk from here

The white marble Beaux-Arts facade of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on Sherbrooke Street, with four Ionic columns, arched wooden doors and three flags against a clear blue sky

OPEN ON THANKSGIVING MONDAY

Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal (MMFA)

Downtown (Golden Square Mile)28 min walk$$$$

12 min walk from here

A frothy sour cocktail in a cut-crystal coupe, topped with a dried citrus slice and drops of bitters, on a warmly lit wooden table

PISCO SOURS, FRONT-ROW SEATS

Tiradito

Downtown24 min walk$$$$

16 min walk from here

Black-and-white photo of the giant Leonard Cohen portrait mural on a Montréal high-rise, hand on chest, beneath an overcast sky

COHEN, 22 STORIES TALL

Leonard Cohen murals

Downtown / Plateau Mont-Royal24 min walk$$$$

14 min walk from here

The receipt

Where every fact on this page comes from.

ResearchedResearched Oct 8, 2026. Second check pending. Confidence: high.

Details to confirm

Phone number not confirmed
Student age range inconsistent on official page (18-30 vs 13-30)
Whether On the Menu requires an extra fee on top of general admission outside Wednesday evenings: page lists general admission only

OfficialMcCord Stewart Museum: Home (address, temporary entrance)accessed 2026-10-08
OfficialMcCord Stewart Museum: Opening hoursaccessed 2026-10-08
OfficialMcCord Stewart Museum: Admission feesaccessed 2026-10-08
OfficialMcCord Stewart Museum: On the Menu exhibitionaccessed 2026-10-08
OfficialMcCord Stewart Museum: Exhibitionsaccessed 2026-10-08