Montreal South West (Le Sud-Ouest) is the area west of Downtown, on both sides of the Lachine Canal (Canal de Lachine), bordered by the districts of LaSalle, Verdun and Westmount.

It is made up of the neighborhoods of Petite-Bourgogne-Griffintown (Little Burgundy), Saint-Henri, Pointe-Saint-Charles, Côte-Saint-Paul and Ville Émard.

Historically a blue collar neighborhood, it used to be called "Smokey Valley" because of a high concentration of heavy industry and other sources of pollution. Those days are long gone, and the Lachine canal cleanup and conversion into a park and bike path, as well as many of the old industrial buildings being gentrified and turned into luxury condominiums have changed the face of Sud Ouest forever.

Get in

By metro

Lionel-Groulx, the transfer station for the Orange and Green lines is at the northern edge of the South West, two blocks from Atwater Market and easy walking distance to the Lachine Canal bike path. Don't get confused by the Atwater metro, several blocks north, across the busy Autoroute Ville-Marie. The Charlevoix metro is on the south side of the Canal on the Green line. Further west, Place-Saint Henri is on the Orange line.

By bus

The 36 Notre-Dame runs east-west from Bonaventure metro and train station in downtown and the Atwater 108 runs north-south from Atwater metro across the canal, terminating at Lasalle metro station.

See

• 1 Musée des ondes Emile Berliner, 1050 rue Lacasse (at rue de Richelieu; metro Place-Saint-Henri; bus 17, 36, 78, or 191), ☏ +1 514 932-9663, info@moeb.ca. Fri-Sun 2PM-5PM, Wed by appointment. Museum dedicated to the heritage of the audio industry in Canada and the world. It also pays tribute to Emile Berliner, the inventor of the Grammophone. Located in the former RCA Victor factory complex in St-Henri. $5 adult, $3 student, $10 family, $3 (per person) group. (updated Jul 2015)
• 2 Parisian Laundry, 3550 rue Saint-Antoine ouest (at rue Bel-Air; metro Lionel-Groulx, bus 78, 108, 191, or 211), ☏ +1 514 989-1056. Tu-Sa noon-5PM. Contemporary art gallery located in the Parisian Laundry building. Free. 

Do

• Lachine Canal National Historic Site (Lachine Canal Bike Path). A beautiful 14.5 km-bike path that runs along the Lachine Canal from downtown to Parc René-Lévesque in Lachine. (updated May 2015)
• 1 H2O Adventures (Lachine Canal Nautical Centre), 2985B rue Saint-Patrick (at rue d'Argenson, entrance on the canal/bike path side of the building; metro Charlevoix, bus 57, 101, or 107), ☏ +1 514 842-1306, toll-free: +1 877 935-2925. May: M-F noon-8PM, Sa-Su 9AM-8PM; Jun-Aug: 9AM-8PM daily; Sep: M-F noon-7:30PM, Sa-Su 10AM-7:30PM. Offers kayak, pedal boat, and canoe rentals, plus beginner kayaking lessons, along the Lachine Canal; it's located just across the canal from the Atwater Market. Kayaking lessons $39 M-F, $45 Sa-Su. Rental prices vary based on type of boat and amount of time. 

Buy

• 1 Atwater Market (Marché Atwater), 138 ave Atwater (between rue Sainte-Émile and rue Saint-Ambroise; metro Lionel-Groulx, bus 36, 108, or 211), ☏ +1 514 937-7754. M-W 7AM-6PM, Th 7AM-7PM, F 7AM-8PM, Sa-Su 7AM-5PM. 
• 2 Boutique La Gaillarde, 4019 rue Notre-Dame ouest (between rue du Couvent and place Saint-Henri; metro Place-Saint-Henri; bus 17, 36, 78, or 191), ☏ +1 514 989-5134. M-F 11AM-7PM, Sa-Su 11AM-5PM. Cooperative of young fashion designers who transform used clothing and recycled fabrics into amazing clothing, jewelry, handbags and other accessories. Boutique has new, vintage, and used clothing, and fair-trade goods. 
• 3 Perfide, 4217 rue Notre-Dame ouest (between rue Saint-Ferdinand and rue Saint-Philippe; metro Place-Saint-Henri; bus 17, 36, 78, or 191), ☏ +1 514 509-0731. Tu-F 11AM-6PM, Sa-Su noon-5PM. 
• 4 Harricana by Mariouche, 3000 rue Saint-Antoine ouest (at ave Atwater; metro Lionel-Groulx; bus 78, 108), ☏ +1 514 287-6517, toll-free: +1 877 894-9919, info@harricana.qc.ca. M 10AM-5PM, Tu-F 10AM-6PM, Sa 10AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM. With the motto "Made from your mother's old fur coat," Harricana takes stuffy old furs and recycles them into hip accessories, vests, and coats — even stuffed animals. 

Eat

Parts of the South West neighborhood are emerging as one of Montreal's great eating areas--though it's yet to overtake the Plateau in terms of sheer number of restaurants.

Budget

• 1 Paul Patates, 760 rue Charlevoix (at rue de Coleraine; metro Charlevoix, bus 57 or 61), ☏ +1 514 937-2751. M-W 10AM-7PM, Th-F 10AM-8PM, Sa 11AM-7PM. One of the best poutines and the best spruce beer in Montreal. 
• 2 Bombay Tandoori, 2520 rue du Centre (between rue Charlevoix and rue Ropery; metro Charlevoix, bus 57 or 107), ☏ +1 514 937-5189. Cheap, good Indian food in a room with tons of character. 
• 3 Quebec Smoked Meat, 1889 rue du Centre (between rue Shearer and rue Jardin; metro Charlevoix; bus 57 or 107), ☏ +1 514 935-5297. One of the top three smoked meats in town. Get yourself sandwich fixings and eat by the canal just a few blocks to the north. 
• 4 Charcuterie Wayne, 1766 rue du Centre (between rue Shearer and rue de la Sucrerie; metro Charlevoix, bus 57 or 107), ☏ +1 514 939-5530. Great home-made Polish food. Not a sit-down place, just a deli. Amazing pierogis. 
• 5 Barserie Capri, 2172 rue Saint-Patrick (at rue de Laprairie; metro Charlevoix; bus 57 or 107), ☏ +1 514 935-0228. M-W 8AM-midnight, Th-Sa 8AM-3AM. Cheap ribs, fare, and beer. A great place in town to watch the hockey game. 

Mid-range

• Tejano BBQ Burrito, 511 Rue de Courcelle, ☏ +1 514 303-3500. Good quality burritos and some other Mexican fare. Only a few spots to sit inside. (updated May 2015)

Splurge

• 6 Restaurant Joe Beef, 2491 rue Notre-Dame ouest (between rue Vinet and rue Charlevoix; metro Lionel-Groulx; bus 36 or 108), ☏ +1 514 935-6504. Tu-Sa 6PM-close. British bistro/pub gone nouveau, featuring roasts, ribs, and seafood accompanied by seasonal produce. If that sounds too heavy, head to the oyster bar in the back. 
• 7 Liverpool House, 2501 rue Notre-Dame ouest (between rue Charlevoix and rue Vinet; metro Lionel-Groulx, bus 36 or 108), ☏ +1 514 313-6049. Tu-Sa 6:30PM-close. A second offering by the owner of Joe Beef, Liverpool house offers Italian-inspired meals under walls covered in paintings and odd artifacts. 

Drink

• 1 Centre St-Ambroise (Terrasse St-Ambroise), 5080 rue Saint-Ambroise (between rue Saint-Rémi and ch de la côte-Saint-Paul on the Lachine canal bike path; bus 36, 37, 78, or 191), ☏ +1 514 939-3060. Open May-Sep. Hidden along an unlikely strip of shipping yards, this outdoors microbrewery (part of the McAuslan Brewery complex) takes advantage of its remote location to host everything from outdoor movies to folk concerts of all-night DJ events. 
• 2 Le Black Jack, 3814 rue Notre-Dame ouest (at rue Turgeon; metro Place-Saint-Henri; bus 36 or 191), ☏ +1 514 937-3269. Cheap beer and punk rock. 

Stay safe

Petite-Bourgogne used to be, for Montreal, a high-crime area. Be careful after dark, especially around closing time, when the bars empty out.

Routes through South West

Ville-Émard ← Verdun ←	W  E	→ Westmount → Downtown
Saint-Laurent ← Notre-Dame-de-Grâce ←	N  E	→ Downtown → Laval