10 Things You Must Eat in Montreal

Growing up in Toronto, I got to visit Montreal a few times and always found the city so charming. I loved the cobblestone streets, funky art scene and awesome places to eat in Montreal. Colin and I first visited together in 2016 after we attended a wedding in Toronto. And then, in the fall of 2021, we went back to Montreal on the first leg of our honeymoon.

Having been to Montreal a few times and having seen most of the major sites already, we only had one priority for this trip: TO EAT! Montreal is a foodie haven, known around the world for their bagels, smoked meat, poutine and more.

If you’re heading to Montreal, Canada soon, don’t miss these amazing restaurants and must eats in the city!

Dinner at Cadet

Cadet is a really cool restaurant located just off Montreal’s main art square. It’s dimly lit and quite busy, so be sure to make a reservation ahead of time. The menu changes often, so I can’t tell you exactly what to order. But I can say they get rave reviews and we really enjoyed our meal!

Cadet mostly serves small plates of food that are perfect for sharing. Colin and I tried a few things and our favourites were the calamari, potatoes, pork belly and lamb.

Smoked meat at Lester’s Deli

Montreal is the home of smoked meat and the go-to place is Schwartz’s Deli. We visited Schwartz’s on our 2016 trip but this time, we decided to check out the local spot for smoked meat, Lester’s Deli. Lester’s definitely felt more authentic. It had a family-run feel to it, complete with a manager/owner who took his business calls from one of the dining tables and went around the restaurant pranking people with a bottle that fake-squirted mustard. It also wasn’t as busy as I remember Schwartz’s being.

But how’s the food? To be honest, I’m really not a smoked meat person. I didn’t love it at Schwartz’s and I didn’t love it at Lester’s either. I thought the ice tea was good! Colin, who does like smoked meat, thought both were delicious. So side with the locals, avoid the crowds, and head to Lester’s!

Pizza at Pizza Il Focolaio

We just so happened to book a hotel a few doors down from this amazing Italian pizza place, Pizza Il Focolaio. Every time we walked by, it was lined up out the door, so we opted for takeout. And we understood why it was so busy – the pizza was great! We also ordered dessert. Colin’s carrot cake was great while my tiramisu sucked – so give that a pass.

Poutine at La Banquise

We visited Montreal’s famous poutine restaurant, La Banquise, on our 2016 visit. I remember it being very busy and that there were lots of varieties of poutine to choose from. Unfortunately, I’m not a poutine fan (I know, I’m a bad Canadian!). But again, Colin to the rescue! He does love poutine and thoroughly enjoyed our meal at La Banquise.

Poutine at Montreal Pool Room

Since we had already tried La Banquise in 2016, for our 2021 Montreal trip, Colin sought out something more local. And we definitely found it at the Montreal Pool Room. This place feels like an old-school diner, complete with the grouchy guy behind the counter and the fact that they only take cash. But what it lacked in charm it totally made up for in tasty poutine (at least, according to Colin).

Lunch at the Time Out Market

If you’re looking for an elevated food court meal, you’ll find it at Montreal’s Time Out Market. This food market is actually located in a mall, but don’t get confused like we did and head downstairs to the mall food court. Instead, head to the top floor where you’ll find the very chic Time Out Market. Not only is this a cool place to eat but there are lots of delicious options across many cuisine types. Colin got a burger, I went for Vietnamese bun, and we were both happy!

Montreal bagels at St Viateur or Fairmount

Even if you’ve never visited Montreal, you’ve probably heard of Montreal bagels. They’re dense, delicious and will put whatever you’re buying from your local grocery store to shame. Even the cheap bagels in Montreal (aka the ones our hotel served at their continental breakfast) are delicious. But if you want the best of the best, you have to visit Montreal’s most famous bagel houses: St Viateur and Fairmount.

Everyone has a favourite. So get in line, get a bagel and decide if you’re Team St Viateur or Team Fairmount.

Gnocchi at Drogheria Fine

If the line for bagels is too long and you need something to tide you over, head next door to Drogheria Fine for one of the tastiest meals you can get for $5. This tiny stall only serves one thing – gnocchi in red sauce. It’s homemade, it’s tasty, it’s fast and it’s affordable. It’s also very filling! If you’re on a budget, this is a great place to eat in Montreal.

Croissants at Guillaume

In case you’re still not full, just a short walk from gnocchi and bagels is a delicious-smelling bakery that will draw you in on scent alone, Boulangerie Guillaume. Grab a croissant, and any other bread or pastry that catches your eye, and take a seat in the picturesque courtyard to enjoy that fresh baked goodness.

Spaghetti at Foiegwa

Foiegwa is a very cool restaurant in Montreal. It’s a little out of the way, the dining room is a little on the small side, and the menu is little too. But the flavour of their famous homemade spaghetti is BIG! Multiple people recommended the spaghetti at this restaurant, so our expectations were high when we sat down to try it. And it totally lived up to the hype! This black truffle, egg yolk and parmesan pasta is incredible.

BONUS: Fresh mango drinks at Presotea

Presotea is a chain of bubble tea stores that we absolutely fell in love with. We just happened to pass one on our way back to the hotel one day when the giant mountain of mangoes in the window caught my eye. Impulsively, I decided to go in and order a lychee bubble tea frozen drink with fresh mango. And it was so freaking good! We ended up getting Presotea three times during our three nights in Montreal and, honestly, I wish we had gone for four!

Note: I just learned there’s Presotea here in Vancouver. Hopefully it’s as good as the ones in Montreal!

Places to eat in Montreal (that we didn’t get to)

There were a few more places to eat in Montreal that, sadly, we weren’t able to visit on this trip. But we’ll add them to our list for next time!

Jean Talon Market is a really cool food market in Montreal, more known for produce and groceries than cooked meals. It was a bit far away and we didn’t have plans to cook, so we didn’t make it on this most recent trip. But I have heard they do food tours there, which would be fun.

I had my heart set on getting a cookie from Felix et Norton but sadly, they were closed. The same thing happened to us at Kem CoBa, an artisanal soft serve ice cream store that was closed for the season, and Chocolats Geneviève Grandbois, a chocolate shop that was closed on Mondays. Had we angered the dessert gods??

My friend recommended the Milky Way Cocktail Bar as a fun place to go for fancy cocktails, but warned about the high price tag. As we’re not big drinkers and usually on a budget, we skipped it. We also didn’t have any crepes on this trip but in 2016 we visited Crêperie Chez Suzette and enjoyed it!

Where else to eat in Montreal?

Still looking for more places to eat in Montreal? Fair! It’s definitely a city you don’t want to leave hungry. Here are a few more places that made our shortlist, but sadly we didn’t get to visit:

• Brasserie Dieu du Ciel
• Vices & Versa
• Benelux
• Leche Desserts
• Arthur’s Nosh Bar
• Crèmerie Dalla Rose
• Boustan Notre-Dame
• Décarie Hot Dogs
• Dilallo Burger
• Boucherie Lawrence
• Terrasse Nelligan
• The Coldroom

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Drooling all over your screen yet? Same here. I hope you enjoyed this little gastronomic tour through Montreal and found some awesome eats for your next trip.

Where do you love to eat in Montreal? Or where do you most want to eat in Montreal if you haven’t been yet? 

 

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