The off-beat Oui Mais Non Café prides itself on its welcoming atmosphere, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Wooden décor, retro furniture, shelves of books, and quirky pictures create a relaxed and homey vibe, a vibe which is rounded off by the friendly staff and delicious home cooked food. Caring for the environment is a key concern at Oui Mais Non, which focuses on vegetarian dishes, local produce, and reusable take-out containers.

LGBTQ+ history has often been left out of history books and museums. That’s what Jacques Prince and Ross Higgins sought to change when they opened the Archives gaies du Québec in 1983. AGQ is dedicated to documenting and preserving Quebec’s LGBTQ2S+ history through its extensive collection of magazines, newspapers, press clippings, books, videos, posters, photos, and much more.

Head to Pastel Rita in Montreal’s Mile End neighbourhood and you’ll feel like you’ve stumbled into a Wes Anderson movie with its sumptuous design of pastels, golds, and forest green. Part café, part natural wine bar, and part tattoo parlour, Pastel Rita is 100% the place to be seen for local creatives, students, and coffee lovers alike.

No tour of Montreal’s LGBT+ hotspots would be complete without a visit to Cabaret Mado. Holding raucous events, seven nights a week, this iconic spot is run by notorious local drag queen Mado Lamotte. A Montreal institution, Cabaret Mado is found in the city’s lively Gay Village and has played host to many of Canada’s most prominent drag queens over the years.