If there ever were a time to eschew the throngs of last-minute shoppers on Sainte-Catherine Street and steer clear of overloaded mall parking lots, this would probably be it. Instead, make a beeline to these Montreal restaurants (or their websites), where you’ll find stocking-stuffer-appropriate wool tuques, drinkware for both the wine and coffee aficionados in your life, and even a cocktail-scented car freshener. (Online shop Brunette, linked throughout this guide, has a great selection of gift-worthy merch, too.)

Can’t find what you are looking for? A panettone is always a good idea, and so is a gift card — something most establishments in the city will be happy to produce and that a website like Treater makes even more effortless.

Note: If an item that piques your interest isn’t linked out, it’s only available on-site, at least for now.

Hats

Pizza Toni — Cap

Mile End slice shop Pizza Toni and sibling Falafel Yoni have nailed the art of branding, so it’s no surprise their merch — like these caps, available in beige, black, white, and olive green — would be on point, too. ($30 on-site, $45 on Brunette)

orange beanie with word “satay” stitched in green

Satay Brothers — Tuque

This embroidered wool tuque — also available in more subdued black with yellow lettering — is sure to satisfy any Singaporean food lover in your life. ($25)

McKiernan — Tuque

McKiernan t-shirts, totes, visors, and even baby onesies are available on Brunette, but this cuffed knit tuque screams “Montreal winter” best. ($30)

two denim caps on top of pac-man arcade machine

Gentile Pizza Parlour — Cap

This upscale Westmount pizza parlour is stocked with some seriously nostalgia-inducing merch, like this denim cap with cheerful yellow stitching. ($45)

Mollo — Tuque

Custom-made in Montreal, this black knit winter beanie from Pointe-Saint-Charles coffee shop Mollo is ideal for those who like their latte piping hot and taken to go. (30$)

Tops

Pumpui — Longsleeve

The merch from St-Zotique’s hit Thai eatery, Pumpui, is among the most sought-after in the city — and this long-sleeve option sports its very first design (by Mathieu Dionne and Florian Pétigny). ($45)

Dépanneur Le Pick Up — T-Shirt

This beloved Mile-Ex sandwich spot has an online shop stocked with tops, including this one donning a vintage Le Pick Up illustration of muffins deep in a make-out session. ($20)

Comptoir Sainte-Cécile — Hoodie

The design of this stylish black hoodie from favourite Villeray sandwich-and-more counter comes courtesy of Pony, the alias of illustrator Gabrielle Laïla Tittley. ($42)

El Pequeño — T-Shirt

The city’s tiniest cocktail bar has created some fun graphic tees — like this light pink one with a popping Hotel Havana graphic — that are sure to generate some big smiles. ($36)

back of seated girl wearing graphic grey sweatshirt with jeans

Arthurs — Crewneck Sweatshirt

For that person who won’t let up about Arthurs’ sprinkle cookies and ultra fluffy pancakes — so that’s just about anyone who’s ever had them. ($55)

Dalla Rosa — Pistachio Tee

The next best thing to Dalla Rosa’s roasted pistachio ice cream (which you can also buy online) is this limited-edition t-shirt, designed by Daniel LaForest and printed at Saint-Henri gallery-shop-café The Letterbet. ($25)

Denise — T-Shirt

Visit very cool Park-Ex wine bar Denise for a collection of gorgeous graphic tees and sweatshirts featuring designs by Vanda Daftari. ($22)

Tote Bags

St-Viateur Bagel — Tote bag

An affordable price tag makes this tote bag from one of Montreal’s two undisputed bagel heavyweights the perfect stocking stuffer; it could also double as a Christmas gift bag. ($8.75)

Dispatch — Tote

Montreal café and roaster Dispatch has built an empire from what began as a coffee truck and now counts several brick-and-mortar spots, an online coffee subscription, and some stellar merch, like this organic cotton tote bag embellished with its recognizable periwinkle blue logo. ($15.66)

Café Entre-Deux — Tote

Eater Award winner and new NDG staple Café Entre-Deux is stocked up on merch, including this forest green tote, taken up a notch with an interior pocket. ($40)

Brunette/Website

Otto — Tote

Since opening Montreal’s first yakitori restaurant downtown in 2016, the Otto team has added a bistro and bar to the mix — this tote bag bears the logo of their youngest. ($25)

Clarke Café — Tote

Though named after a Mile End street, Clarke Café is now a staple in Pointe-Saint-Charles, where anyone sporting this tote will fit right in. ($20)

Drinkware

Mano Figa — Wine Glass

The official merch for Mano Cornuto’s wine club, Umarelle — a word used to describe older Italian men who tend to get mesmerized by construction sites — includes this gorgeous wine glass, available at the Italian snack bar’s adjoining coffeeshop, Mano Figa. ($55 for six)

Brunette/Website

Beautys — Mug

For that Beautys stalwart who wishes they could start every day at the iconic breakfast diner. ($20)

Café Vito — Espresso cup

Buy a bag of espresso beans and a cup and saucer to match at this tiny Italian coffee shop and quintessential Villeray hangout. ($5)

Café Saint-Henri — Tumbler

If you are planning to gift a tumbler this year, why not one from Café Saint-Henri? Theirs keeps beverages cold or hot and comes in a clean-lined design from socially-conscious drinkware brand Miir. ($39.50)

Boxermans — Corkscrew

Wine has always been a focal point at Boxermans, making this branded corkscrew especially apropos. Pair with one of their sleek wine glasses for a perfectly themed gift. ($15)

Vin Mon Lapin — Wine Cooler

Little Italy’s leading wine bar is committed to ensuring patrons are downing expertly chilled wine — even when they aren’t on-site. Unlike a typical ice bucket, this jacket is easy to transport and much less fussy. ($25)

Foodstuff

Menu Extra — Montreal Miso

Chefs Camilo Lapointe Nascimento and Francis Blais have drawn attention with masterfully crafted pithiviers, virtual cooking classes, and special events, but there’s one more piece to the Menu Extra puzzle: This fermented miso made with local ingredients, like butternut squash, yellow peas, and barley. ($21)

Les Filles Fattoush — The Essentials of Middle Eastern Cooking

This Middle Eastern cooking kit includes Aleppo spices, pomegranate molasses, sumac, and zaatar, all procured from Syria but packed by Les Filles Fattoush, a catering team of women who came to Canada as refugees. ($50)

Schwartz’s — Steak and Beef Spice

Gift a small, mustardy part of world-renowned Schwartz’s delicatessen to a loved one with this jar of steak spice. ($6)

Café Bloom — Jam

Head to this cozy Pointe-Saint-Charles coffee shop for the fruit lover in your inner circle; it’s selling jams made in-house, in flavours like blackberry and lavender, raspberry and cardamon, and clementine marmalade. ($8)

J’ai Feng — Chili Oil

The brand-new Beaubien Street specialty grocery shop and lunch counter makes its own tingly chili oil with dried Chinese peppers (chaotian jiao and er jing tiao) — a great gift for that spice enthusiast on your list. Also available as part of a gift set sold on-site. ($15)

Other

Olimpico — Candle

Arguably Montreal’s finest espresso pusher, Olimpico is selling cappuccino-scented candles encased in 8-ounce reusable coffee cups, making it the kind of holiday gift that truly keeps on giving. ($35)

Le Super Qualité — Tiffin Box

Regulars at this super Montreal Indian restaurant will recognize these four-tiered stainless steel tiffin boxes as its eco-friendly takeout option — but it also happens to be an excellent holiday gift. ($25)

box of sal, oil, and black oil dispenser on a wood table

Etna Pastificio — Olive Oil Dispenser

This stunning, handmade ceramic oil dispenser is available at Etna Pastificio (the new sibling pasta shop to Villeray’s aperitivo bar of the same name), where it can also be coupled with some Maldon salt, a small dish, and a bottle of top-quality extra virgin olive oil. ($65 for the dispenser, $128 for the gift set).

Atwater Cocktail Club — Car Freshener

Set a loved one up for some especially festive drives with this quirky stocking stuffer: a car freshener that smells like Atwater Cocktail Club’s Smoke Show cocktail, made with white rum, blackberry liqueur, lemon, thyme, and blueberries.

Patisserie Rhubarbe — Shadow game

This cutout by Montreal-based art duo mere phantoms reflects a shadow of the Patisserie Rhurbarbe storefront onto a background surface — for the young or young at heart. ($12)