Every year, Time Out ranks the neighbourhoods around the world with the most going on. For 2026, Downtown St. Catharines made Time Out's list of the world's coolest neighbourhoods at number 9 out of 40, ahead of districts in some of the world's biggest cities. Only one other Canadian neighbourhood made Time Out's list, Mount Pleasant in Vancouver, at number 35.
What put it on the map
The heart of it is St. Paul Street, where more than 100 heritage buildings are home to independent shops, cafés, bars and restaurants. Time Out also pointed to Montebello Park, one of the few landscapes in Canada designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of New York's Central Park, and to the farms and wineries just outside the city.
Local coverage named some of the businesses that make Downtown St. Catharines what it is, including oddBird, It's About Thyme, Fat Rabbit, Mindbomb Records, Merchant Ale House and Trust Beer Bar. According to CP24, the mayor credited the city's Downtown Creative Cluster Master Plan, which began more than 15 years ago.
And then the Michelin Guide
A week later, the good news kept coming. When the 2026 Michelin Guide for Toronto and region was released on September 22nd, two downtown St. Catharines restaurants received new recognition: Les Incompetents earned a Bib Gourmand, and oddBird was added to the Recommended list.
Go and see for yourself
The best way to enjoy a "coolest neighbourhood" is on foot. Start on St. Paul Street, wander into the shops you've walked past a hundred times, and finish with a meal or a drink at one of the independents that helped earn Downtown St. Catharines its place on Time Out's list.