In This Guide
The strawberries hit Mile-Ex around mid-June, and when they do, the whole neighborhood shifts. Terrasses spill out of converted garages onto cracked sidewalks. The air near the old rail yards smells like grilled halloumi and sunscreen. I walked through last July on a Tuesday afternoon and couldn't believe how many people were just sitting outside at 3 p.m., eating fruit out of cardboard pint boxes like it was a civic duty.
Mile-Ex isn't trying to sell you anything grand. It's a strip of Montreal wedged between the CP rail corridor and Parc Jarry, roughly bounded by Avenue de Castelnau to the north and the Rosemont tracks to the south. Warehouses got turned into studios, then cafés, then bars with DJs on Friday nights. The neighborhood still feels more like a work zone than a destination, which is exactly why I keep coming back.
1. The terrasses along Saint-Urbain are the real draw
Forget the Plateau's cramped café patios. The terrasses in Mile-Ex have room because the buildings used to be machine shops and freight depots. Brasserie Harricana, at 95 Rue Jean-Talon Ouest, runs a massive outdoor space in the back that feels like someone threw a party in a lumber yard — long communal tables, string lights, and a rotating food truck parked against the fence. A pint of their house lager runs about $8 CAD.
Dieu du Ciel's original location on Laurier gets all the press, but their Mile-Ex outpost on Rue de Castelnau has a quieter terrace and the same beer list. Strawberry wheat ale shows up sometime in June and disappears by late July.
Skip Alexandraplatz on weekend evenings unless you want to stand in a clump of people waiting for a table while someone's Bluetooth speaker competes with the bar's sound system. Go on a Wednesday around 5 p.m. instead — you'll actually get a seat and hear yourself think.
Pro tip:Most terrasses in Mile-Ex don't take reservations. Show up before 5:30 p.m. on weekdays or accept that you're standing.
2. Where to actually get the strawberries
Jean-Talon Market is a ten-minute walk south from the heart of Mile-Ex, and during strawberry season it turns into a red-and-green spectacle. Île d'Orléans berries are the ones you want — smaller than the grocery store variety, soft enough that they bruise if you look at them wrong, and sweet in a way that makes California strawberries taste like packing foam. A quart usually runs $6-$8 CAD depending on the week and the vendor.
I'll be honest: I think the obsession with Île d'Orléans berries is mostly justified, but the Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade ones are just as good and often a dollar cheaper. Vendors near the market's north entrance tend to carry them. Ask.
Bring cash. Some vendors take cards now, but the older stalls don't, and those are the stalls with the better fruit.
Pro tip: Get there before 10 a.m. on Saturday. By noon the parking lot is a nightmare and the best flats are picked over.
3. Lunch at Elena, dinner anywhere else
Elena, at 5090 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest — wait, that's in Saint-Henri. The Mile-Ex pizza spot y'all want is Moleskine, at 3412 Avenue du Parc. Thin crust, good char, straightforward toppings. A margherita runs about $16 CAD. The space is narrow and loud, which works better at lunch when the crowd thins out.
For dinner, I'd rather walk five minutes to Dinette Triple Crown at 6704 Rue Clark for fried chicken and a can of Boréale on their patio. The half-bird with coleslaw is around $22 CAD and it's more food than you need.
Stay in Montreal
Top-rated hotels near Montreal
Best locations · Verified reviews · Free cancellation
View deals
Expedia →4. Parc Jarry in the long light
Montreal in late June gets sunset around 8:45 p.m., and the long northern light stretches Parc Jarry's shadows until everything looks like a film still. The park is big enough that you can walk for twenty minutes without looping back on yourself, which puts it ahead of most Montreal green spaces.
The tennis courts on the west side host the National Bank Open every August, but in June they're just public courts. Book a slot through the city's online system — it's free but fills up fast on weekends. Bring your own racket.
I made the mistake of trying to jog through the park on a Saturday morning during a soccer tournament once. Fourteen games running simultaneously on every flat surface. I gave up and sat under a maple tree with a coffee from Dispatch on Rue Saint-Viateur instead.
Pro tip: Enter from the northeast corner off Rue Jarry — the main entrance on the south side dumps you into the busiest section.
Stay in Montreal
Top-rated hotels near Montreal
Best locations · Verified reviews · Free cancellation
View deals
Expedia →5. Getting there and dealing with weather
Drive time from downtown Montreal is about 15 minutes without traffic, 30 with it. The 80 bus runs along Avenue du Parc and drops you in the middle of things. De Castelnau metro station on the blue line is the closest stop, roughly a seven-minute walk to most of what I've mentioned.
Weather matters more than any guide will tell you. Late June averages around 24°C but humidity can push the felt temperature past 30°C by early afternoon. Thunderstorms roll in fast — I've watched a terrasse empty in under two minutes when the sky turns green. Bring a light rain shell or at least check Environment Canada's hourly forecast before you head out. Nobody wants to eat strawberries in a downpour.
If it does rain, duck into the Centre de Design de l'UQÀM satellite space on Rue de Gaspé or just accept that you're getting wet. The rain is warm.
Essential tips
Strawberry season peaks mid-June through mid-July. By August, you're getting late-harvest berries that are bigger but less flavorful.
De Castelnau metro (blue line) is your best bet. The blue line runs less frequently than the orange — every 5-8 minutes at peak, up to 12 minutes off-peak.
Carry cash for Jean-Talon Market. Several produce vendors still don't accept cards, and the ATM inside the market charges a $3 fee.
Montreal humidity in late June is no joke. Cotton will stick to you by 2 p.m. Linen or a synthetic blend is a better call for a day of walking.
Ready to visit Montreal?
Book your hotel, flights, and activities through our Expedia-powered search.