Montréal: A foodie paradise
Mon dieu, we have eaten and drank well here in Montréal. So many wonderful memorable bites and sips. We’re off to the airport soon, dommage, and I’m already missing them. I’ll have a full eating guide coming soon, but here are some of my Montréal food and drink highlights.
Hungry for it all?
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Breakfast
I will dream about the exquisite sweet ricotta and brioche at Olive et Gourmando.
Cafés
In general, a great café culture is one of my Montréal food and drink highlights. Watching the world go by at Café Olimpico in Mile End made me happy.
Poutine and Street Food
Bless the squeaky cheese curds. My goodness, poutine is delicious and definitely has to make any Montréal food and drink highlights list (there are vegetarian options around!). I had my poutine with smoked meat at Restaurant Chez Claudette. Washed it down with a local beer, my life might be shorter for it, but I shall die happy. SO GOOD.
Bagels
Did you know that Montreal has excellent bagels? I did not, but they truly do. The kind worth heading out the way for, and I’m not a big bagel person. We sampled the two most popular places, St-Viateur Bagel and Fairmount Bagel, both in Mile End. In the interest of science, I got the same bagel (cinnamon raisin) at both places.
Both were outstanding, and the walk through Mile End to get them most pleasant, but in my humble opinion, St-Viateur Bagel wins for its contrast between the crust and the softness of the bagel inside.
Drinks
As with the café culture, Montréal has a great drinking culture, with loads of outdoor options in the summer months. You’ll be adding some wonderful sips too your own list of Montréal food and drink highlights.
For drinks and snacks, I loved La Buvette Chez Simone. Both the cocktails and wine are wonderful, and they also have some lovely snacks. If you can, get a seat on their patio, but the inside is lovely, too.
For their back patio alone, I would recommend Plan B, and the cocktails are good, too.
Dinner
We had some lovely dinners. The best bites and wines I had came from Le Vin Pappillon in Little Burgundy. Unique and delicious natural wines that the staff will happily describe for you (and will allow you to sample) and innovative, yet approachable small plates that are vegetable and fish forward, made this an evening to remember.
If you wanted, this could easily be a glass of wine and a snack place before going elsewhere, but I think that you’re going to want to have a few more bites. The dessert will make you happy, too. Try to reserve for their patio (we didn’t get it, but looked longingly at it).
Ice Cream/Sorbet
My favorite frozen treat came from Havre Aux Glaces at the Marché Jean-Talon. If they have it, get the guava, because it’s one of the best sorbets I’ve ever tasted.
Tour/Market
I’m not generally a big tour person, and I am so grateful to my wonderful friend for giving me a ticket to the Beyond the Market tour with her. Not only did we get a tour of the Marché Jean-Talon, which you absolutely have to go to, but we also visited places I never would have experienced without it. Highly recommended for the small groups and knowledgeable and friendly guides.
What are your Montéal food and drink highlights?
While these are the highlights, and there’s so much more in my full guide. Subscribe today to get your guide!
What were your favorite bites and sips in Montréal? Let us know in the comments!
