While Andrew Torriani was born in Holland and raised in South Africa, he has lived in Montreal off and on since 1982. He started working at The Ritz-Carlton, Montreal as a student and now runs the historic 1912 hotel as its general manager.
Founded in 1642 — even predating the formation of Canada — Montreal is one of the oldest cities in North America, and Torriani has watched it grow significantly since his student days. “When you would drive off the island, you would see open fields,” he says. “Today, you see a really well-developed surrounding area.”
Despite the expansion, he says Montreal retains its quaint charm. “You’re in Europe without the jet lag,” Torriani says. “When people come into the city, they are fascinated by how much of a different feel and culture you have so close.”
Forbes Travel Guide chatted with Torriani to learn more about the culture, from his insider picks on where to find the city’s iconic foods — poutine and smoked meat, of course — to a secret surf spot beloved by locals.
What are Montreal’s best attractions?
The Old City has a really great feel to it. You feel the nostalgia and the past. It’s not huge, but there’s some beautiful churches and things that go back to the beginning. That’s one of the things that is particularly intriguing.
What are some of the best under-the-radar activities or attractions?
The restaurant scene in Montreal is phenomenal. A new generation of chefs started doing these small little restaurants. If you look at Mon Lapin, for instance, which won “best in Canada restaurant,” is a tiny box type of restaurant.
We’re a cultural clash. We’re like New York in this way. There are like 75 different spoken languages that you could find when you’re walking around Montreal. It brings huge variations on food.
Another thing is Cirque du Soleil. The original Cirque du Soleil started here. When they do something new, they still do it under a tent in Montreal.
What is one dish everyone should try in Montreal?
It’s going to sound so cliché, but it’s poutine. And I know that poutine’s all over the world now, but it’s not really like Montreal poutine. It’s become a generic dish. There’s a place called La Banquise, which is a poutine-only restaurant that people line up for. You can have smoked meat in the poutine.
The other food dish would be Montreal smoked meat. It’s different from what you would see if you went to New York. Here, Schwartz’s makes that world list because it’s made in a unique way. It has a different taste from other smoked meat. It’s another iconic place that people would just go to line up.
What are the can’t-miss restaurants in Montreal?
Mon Lapin would be one. The original Milos is here. Joe Beef is one because it’s unique. It’s very local.
A lot of them are the “terroir” type of restaurants, where the food is procured within 100 kilometers [or 62 miles] of the city. They also use Quebec products as much as possible, which changes the way the meat tastes and everything else.
What’s the best way to experience the art scene there?
Right near the hotel, we have one of the best museums in North America, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. It’s seven museums put together. It has the most incredible art exhibitions. But we’ve also got the McCord. We are a big art city. Our art scene is a lot bigger than you would see normally in a city of our size.
What are great neighborhoods worth exploring?
Old Town and then another place called Griffintown, which is a bit like down near the High Line in New York. It was an old construction area that’s developed into a foodie destination, and it’s on a canal. It’s great for doing walks and you can pop into little pubs.
What are the best beaches in Montreal?
We have a number of them. There’s one called Verdun Beach. There’s Jean-Doré Beach on Île Sainte-Hélène, which is an island.
But what we do have, which is fascinating, is a natural wave in the middle of the St. Lawrence River [near architectural attraction Habitat 67] that people come from all over the world to go and surf. It’s real old school because there’s a little cabana on the side where you walk down this muddy road. It’s not for the faint of heart. Apparently, you have to be a good surfer.
Where can people find adventures in the city?
There’s an old train track that rides up to Mont Tremblant that people bike up. If you want to go for a nice, beautiful bike ride, there’s that.
In the winter, snowmobiling. In Quebec, we have these highway snowmobile tracks that you can go on for great little trips that take you from auberge [inn] to auberge in the middle of the winter on a snowmobile. It’s quite fantastic on a bright sunny day in January, even though it’s freezing cold. And they do sledding as well. You drive maximum an hour to go to any of these types of things.
What’s your favorite green space in the city?
If you look at the map, you’ll see that the center of our city is a mountain, Mount Royal, and there’s a park on the top. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the same person who did Central Park. It’s a very cool space.
I encourage everybody to walk up the mountain. It’s a slow, winding walk, which gives you that great sense of, “Okay, I did some exercise.” But it’s not a long walk — it’s about 7 kilometers [or 4.3 miles] to get to the top. There’s some shortcuts you can take.
At the hotel, we do this experience where we set up a picnic for you there. You walk up and can propose to your future spouse or just sit next to the lake.
Where can you find the best views in the city?
There’s a place called the Lookout, which is on the mountaintop. That’s the pièce de résistance where you end your walk. There’s actually two lookouts up there. One that gives you a spectacular view going south.
Then, if you walk on a little bit of a trail, there’s a second lookout overlooking the back side of the city. You get to see the entire city because the city restricts the height of buildings to not ever exceed the height of the mountain. The St. Lawrence is very wide in this area. You’re up on the top of the mountain, you see this huge river in front of you and then you see the other part of Montreal across the river.
What is the best season to visit Montreal?
It used to be summer. And we’re a really big festival city. We have a Coachella type of environment. We have heavy metal. We have jazz. We have the F1.
But with global warming, more and more people are starting to come in winter. Ten years ago, you probably had a 40% occupancy in January and February. And now we’re starting to see an occupancy around 60%, which is significantly more.
What are the must-visit festivals in the city?
Jazz Fest is one of them. F1 is something different. It’s intoxicating. There’s a very fun vibe. Almost everybody lets their hair down during that period. On the Friday of Grand Prix, we do a massive party with about 800 people.
What are the best souvenirs to bring home from Montreal?
I’d definitely say maple syrup. It’s real pure maple syrup here. It tastes different, and you notice it.
Where is the best place to go shopping in the city?
There’s two: downtown on Sainte-Catherine Street, there is just store after store. There’s a brand-new mall, Royalmount in Midtown. It’s a huge complex of great high-end stores and food.
