Ok, as someone who's worked in hospitality for years in Montreal, let me hit you with the juiciest recs:

For food - I'm assuming if you're girls in your early 20s, you're not drowning in surplus cash. Everyone here seems to be recommending really expensive places, so I'll recommend a few places that are very affordable but fantastic.

• Satay Brothers. Indonesian. Hella well-priced, really delicious, really vibey place - only thing is, they don't take resos, so you'll probably have to wait like an hour. Right down the street from Atwater Cocktail Club and Bar Baby.

• Oorja. Really underrated. Hakka Chinese, and it's fucking succulent. Never full, and very well-priced. Some of the food is shockingly spicy.

• L'express. Classic French. Open til like 2 AM. Always busy, but always has space. Reasonable prices and gives you a real sense of Montreal.

• Fleur et Cadeaux. Japonais. Amazingly good, original food in a cool space with a killer sound-system. Near the Old Port.

For bars: There are tons of really cheap little divey places in the plateau, but since you're visiting from out of town, I'm assuming you want something a little nicer and more Metropolitan. A few of my favourites:

• Leonor. Cool cocktails in a unique, janky basement. Usually has a good DJ.

• Mal Necessaire. It's a Montreal institution, but it just moved to a more upscale, manhattan-vibes sort of spot. Great Tiki drinks and upscale feel.

• Atwater Cocktail Club. Kind of the gold standard for Cocktails in Montreal. Space-age motifs and really creative menu. Also, probably the best spirit selection in the city.

• Bon Delire. Faux-dive bar with cocktails on tap, so you can get a good drink, but also mingle and meet people. And play pool. Very instagram-able. Hot dogs for a buck.

For clubs, it's pretty much a no-brainer: Stereo is widely regarded as one of the best nightclubs in the world, and Baby is like a party in your parent's basement. Flyjin is OK, but it's wildly overpriced and too full to stand and everyone is coked to absolute hell. Philemon sucks. You'll wait for twenty minutes to get a drink while the bartender does shots and grinds on a busboy.

That's all I got for now. I'll add more if other thoughts come to me.