Montréal neighbourhood: Discover Shaughnessy Village

Go Habs Go!

Bordered to the east by the Golden Square Mile and to the west by Westmount, Shaughnessy Village holds its own with important architectural highlights and one of the city’s most celebrated historic sites, the Montréal Forum. A National Historic Site of Canada, the Forum was home to the Montréal Canadiens for 70 years from where they won an impressive 22 out of 24 Stanley Cup championships (not to mention the site of two infamous concerts by The Beatles in 1964). Since the Habs’ 1996 move to the Bell Centre, the Forum remains an entertainment hotspot, home to a multiplex cinema, restaurants including Montréal-based salad emporium Mandy’s and The Comedy Nest comedy club. Yet the spirit of hockey lives on, with team banners suspended from the ceiling, vintage seats overlooking the lobby, and a statue honouring a Canadian Hall of Fame legend Maurice Richard. Stately Cabot Square across Sainte-Catherine Street makes for the perfect after-film or dinner discussion spot on lazy summer evenings.

Montréal’s architectural hub

Given the architectural shifts seen in the neighbourhood, from its Victorian row houses past to the modern towers now hosting Concordia University, it makes perfect sense to find The Canadian Centre for Architecture (or CCA) within the quartier’s borders. Presenting unmissable exhibitions on international architectural trends and histories, the CCA’s bookstore is also one of the city’s finest for design lovers and always features copies of the centre’s lavish publications. The outdoor sculpture garden makes for a perfect photo opportunity, and the namesake Shaughnessy House itself is incorporated into the CCA’s architecture. Architectural lovers also won’t want to miss the Motherhouse of the Grey Nuns of Montréal buildings and gardens that now host some of Concordia’s student dormitories, and the mysterious Montréal Masonic Memorial Temple, both listed as National Historic Sites.

Unique tastes and cafés

It’s not just students who love coffee, but you can often find them studying away in some of the neighbourhood’s finest cafés. Mainstay Café Shaughnessy is as local as it gets, while Roundhouse Café is Montréal’s only Indigenous run café right in the heart of Cabot Square. When hunger hits, Shaughnessy Village is home to some of Montréal’s best Asian restaurants, including Petit Poisson Dumpling, Sammi & Soupe Dumpling, Fu Chun Soupe Dumpling (it’s a dumpling hotspot!), Japanese izikayas like the beloved Kazu and fusion-inspired Jako, Korean restaurants and grocery stores including KimGalbi, GaNaDaRa and MTLKFOOD, the Turkish restaurant Avesta, Middle Eastern flavours galore at Château Kabab and Al Taib, and the delicious dosas of Lakshana’s Chettinad South Indian Restaurant. The massive Asian supermarket Marché Newon also features a mind-blowing variety of products and produce to reproduce some of those feasts back at home.

A unique itinerary of books, balls and bars

Given its concentrated student population, sports history and bustling nightlife, Shaughnessy Village also offers a full slate of unforgettable experiences. We’d suggest picking up a book from the curated selection at Argo Bookshop and settling in for a read at one of the local cafés or Cabot Square. Later in the afternoon, hit up Putting Edge, a glow-in-the-dark indoor mini-golf mainstay on Guy Street for a round or two. Montréal Bowling is also an excellent place for a group outing, whether to play a few rounds of bowling, to watch the latest hockey match or to grab some great food and drink. After a filling dinner from one of the spots listed above, hit some high notes at La Muse or Le Mic karaoke bars, join fellow sports fanatics at Forum Sports Bar or Station des Sports or soak up the neighbourhood pub ambiance at Pub Andrew’s, Moose Bawr and Billard Fats Pub. Clearly, what Shaughnessy Village lacks in size is more than compensated in its tucked-away treasures.