It’s been eight years since we lost ourfavorite foodie: the great Anthony Bourdain,Tony tohis friends. The chef and host of shows exploring cuisine (and localpoetic zeitgeist) was not only one of our firstinternet boyfriends—thebad-boy chef—but also an inspiration for the good life.
Anthony Bourdain, his books, his cooking, and his shows are a window to the world. The chef is the only person who could have convinced us to try an oyster when we were kids and found the idea of eating a slimy thing in saltwater repulsive.
That’s how he must have discovered his passion for cooking and for life—by eating an oyster as a child. We’ll get to see Bourdain on the big screen, portrayed by Dominic Sessa in TONY.
TONY, the movie
The film is directed by Matt Johnson, with Dominic Sessa playing a young Anthony Bourdain—alongside Leo Woodall, Antonio Banderas, and Emilia Jones.
The film follows a young Anthony Bourdain during the summer of his 19th year. Tony arrives in Provincetown and is quickly swept up in the chaotic world of the restaurant business—it’s a formative, transformative summer.
TONY will be released in theaters on August 21, 2026, in Montreal.
ANTHONY BOURDAIN’S FAVORITE SPOTS IN MONTREAL
Anthony Bourdain visited Montreal several times: for his show*Parts Unknown* in2013, for his show*No Reservations* in2006, and for his show*The Layover* in2011. He described Montreal as a “very dangerous place for chefs” (which is a good thing) and as his favorite place in Canada.
SCHWARTZ’S
Schwartz’s, opened in 1928, is a Montreal institution, and, as Bourdain said, “You can’t not come here when you’re in Montreal,” before taking a bite out of one of theirsmoked meat sandwiches…
Where? 3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
WILENSKY’S
The sodas are mixed by hand, and Bourdain tried the“special with cheese,” asmoked meatsandwich with cheese. Moe Wilensky opened the restaurant in 1932, and since then, it has been an icon of theMile End Jewish community.
AU PIED DE COCHON
The restaurant, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021, blends fine dining with the traditional “sugar shack” menu of the Quebec countryside. Anthony Bourdain described it as“pure goodness and excess.”
Chef Martin Picard and Bourdain formed a wonderful friendship, and even went hunting together for one of his shows.
