When winter begins to subside, the taps on maple trees begin to flow and the short but sweet sugaring season begins, leaving a small window from late February to the end of April to visit and feast at a sugar shack (or cabane à sucre) near Montreal. Nothing is more fitting for this time of year, when diners gather to eat syrup off snow (tire d’érable or tire sur la neige) and copious amounts of traditional Québécois breakfast and brunch dishes.
With its short season, the centuries-old traditions of the sugar shack industry have historically struggled even before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the closure of dining rooms in 2020 and 2021 and pivots to takeout haven’t made anything easier. This year’s season remains a hopeful one though, with dining rooms operating at half capacity since January 31, and reaching full capacity by March 12.
Sugar shack meal boxes via Ma Cabane à la Maison, a program that delivers to pick-up points across the province, are available again this year, while other popular sugar shacks, like Cabane à Sucre Au Pied De Cochon, are selling maple feats for takeout and delivery on their own websites. But the focus of this map is on the full range of the dine-in sugar shack experience, so throw on your best flannel, get ready for an up to two-hour drive, and respect your reservations.
For updated information about the coronavirus situation and related regulations, please visit the official sites of the Quebec government and Montreal’s public health authority (Santé Montréal).
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