It’s officially cuffing season – the season when singles panic and after a summer without thinking about it, think about pairing up to spend the winter in the warmth. In French, it’s been translated as saison du parkamour (for the urge to park in the cozy apartment of someone you like) or saison de l’hibernation affective.
In Montreal, the season is almost violent because winter arrives so quickly, and because it’s so long and cold. Because we want to spend the season in the warmth, and because we love love, we’ve put together a list of the best possible first dates in Montreal…
The perfect date in Montreal
The most classic date – for a reason – is the inescapable dinner/cinema or, in variation, cinema/concert. Here are three very romantic combinations for a first date in Montreal;
1 Cinéma du Parc + Coco Disco Club
We start the date with a film at the Cinéma du Parc, which is underground and velvety and as charming as a ’90s movie theater. What’s more, the Cinéma du Parc often has midnight movie cycles, if you want to dine in first and refresh this classic date night.
After the film, we take a 20-minute stroll to get some fresh air, and to walk to the restaurant…
This is followed by dinner at the new French restaurant Coco Disco Club (where we’ve made a reservation), which serves an incredibly chic caviar platter with a packet of Pringles on ice and makes one of the best martinis in town.
Cinema? Cinéma du Parc, 3575 Avenue du parc – cinemacinema.ca
Restau? Coco Disco Club, 251 Avenue Duluth Est – cocodiscoclub.ca
2.Cinéma Moderne + Molenne
For those who only date incredibly cool people, we start with a movie at Cinéma Moderne – which screens new releases as well as documentaries and arthouse films to impress our date with our cinematic knowledge.
This is followed by dinner next door, at the new classic Molenne. It’s a restau with fresh oysters, small dishes to share and perfect fries, to discuss the film while leaning towards each other – because the restaurant is just noisy enough to become very romantic.
Cinéma? Cinéma Moderne, at 5150 Boulevard Saint-Laurent – cinemamoderne.com
Restau? Molenne, 5309 Boulevard Saint-Laurent – molenne.com
3.candlelight concert + Leila
For the originals, the music lovers and the most romantic among us, we replace the film with a half-classical, half-modern Candlelight concert at the Théâtre Rialto. You can listen to an orchestral version of songs from the 80s, Céline Dion, ABBA…
We recommend doing a little research before booking, because liking the same music is an excellent indicator of compatibility on the first date.
This is followed by dinner at Leila, a warm and trendy Mediterranean restaurant – to cut through the intense romanticism of the concert, because we’ve got a big crush , but we’re keeping a cool head – a 10-minute walk from the theater, with a Pasta & Vino evening every Wednesday evening in winter 2025.
Concert? Théâtre Rialto, 5723 Avenue du Parc –book tickets for a Candlelight concert here
Restaurant? Leila, 5439 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
We can’t guarantee the chemistry between you and your date, but we can guarantee a good evening,