Poutine and Beyond: A Local’s Guide to Montreal’s Tastiest Treasures
Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - The Classics: Poutine, Smoked Meat, and Bagels
No visit to Montreal is complete without sampling some of the city's iconic dishes that have become classics over time. Topping the list is poutine - a messy but delicious concoction of french fries, cheese curds, and gravy that is uniquely Quebecois. While variances exist across restaurants, the best poutine features a perfect balance of crispy fries, squeaky cheese curds, and rich gravy. La Banquise is hailed by locals and tourists alike as serving up Montreal's finest poutine, dishing out over 30 varieties 24 hours a day. Their La Classique is the way to go for poutine purists, but consider trying their La Taquise with guacamole, sour cream and tomatoes for a fresh twist.
Another Montreal staple is smoked meat, and Schwartz's Delicatessen is the place to sample authentic Montreal smoked brisket. Here, thinly-sliced smoked meat is piled high on rye bread, creating the famous "Montreal hot sandwich." Schwartz's old-school vibe and rave reviews of their ridiculously tender brisket smoked to perfection draw huge crowds. Come early or be prepared to wait, but rest assured the meat is well worth it. The broth-braised brisket melts in your mouth, especially when paired with a side of their crispy fries or tangy coleslaw.
While poutine and smoked meat satiate meat cravings, Montreal bagels attract carb lovers. These smaller, sweeter bagels are boiled in honey-infused water before being baked in wood-fired ovens, yielding a perfectly crisp exterior and chewy interior. St-Viateur Bagel and Fairmount Bagel Bakery are neighborhood institutions vying for best bagel bragging rights, with both drawing lines around the block on weekends. Bagel enthusiasts debate Team St-Viateur vs Team Fairmount, but you really can't go wrong stopping by either bakery for a piping hot bagel right out of the oven, ideally with a shmear of cream cheese or lox and capers.
What else is in this post?
- Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - The Classics: Poutine, Smoked Meat, and Bagels
- Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - European Influences: French Bistros and Italian Trattorias
- Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - Local Fare: Quebec Classics Like Tourtière and Maple Syrup Treats
- Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - New Wave Eateries: Modern Takes on Montreal Cuisine
- Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - Microbrews and Distilleries: Craft Beer and Spirits
- Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - Café Culture: Cozy Cafés and Trendy Coffee Shops
- Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - Markets and Food Halls: Shopping for Ingredients
- Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - Sweet Treats: Bakeries, Chocolatiers, and Ice Cream Shops
Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - European Influences: French Bistros and Italian Trattorias
French cuisine features prominently on Montreal menus, reflecting the city's Francophone heritage. From cozy neighborhood bistros to acclaimed fine dining restaurants, excellently executed French fare abounds. For a casual taste, queue up at L'Express for quintessential French bistro dishes like steak frites, mussels mariniere, and tarte tatin. The checkered tablecloths, wine bottles lining the walls, and bustling ambiance transport diners straight to Paris. Foodies seeking a more elevated experience can indulge in Le Mousso's tasting menu. Chef Antonin Mousseau-Rivard puts a creative spin on French cuisine, with dishes like sea urchin ice cream with whiskey ganache showcasing innovation through meticulous technique.
Beyond French, Montreal's Little Italy tantalizes taste buds with authentic Italian cooking. Stroll along St. Laurent Boulevard and take your pick from the trattorias, cafes, and markets beckoning. For homemade pastas and rich tomato sauces, old-school classics like Mamma Rosa and Bottega Pizzeria satisfy cravings. Seek out cutting-edge flavors at Impasto, where Chef Stefano Faita spotlights quality ingredients to create inventive pasta and pizza dishes. His ricotta gnocchi comes highly recommended.
Wherever you dine in Montreal's Little Italy neighborhood, save room for dessert at Café Diplomatico. Their specialty is tiramisu, with the espresso-soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone cream drawing daytime and late night crowds. Enjoy with an expertly pulled espresso as you take in the cozy, retro vibes.
Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - Local Fare: Quebec Classics Like Tourtière and Maple Syrup Treats
While European influences shape much of Montreal's culinary scene, the province of Quebec has cultivated its own hearty, rustic dishes that showcase local ingredients. For a taste of true Quebecois comfort food, tourtière takes the prize. This traditional French Canadian meat pie stars ground pork, veal, or beef simmered with onions, savory spices, and potatoes or bread crumbs to soak up the juices. The mixture gets baked in a flaky pie crust, resulting in a wonderfully aromatic and juicy meat pie, perfect for cold winter nights.
Tourtière dates back hundreds of years to when French settlers in Quebec needed to stretch limited ingredients into hearty, warming meals during the cold months. Over time, tourtière became a Christmas Eve tradition, when families would gather together and enjoy it as a holiday feast centerpiece. Sample tourtière in all its glory by visiting Resto La Banquise, a legendary Montreal institution renowned for its perfected version baked fresh daily. Opt for takeout so you can dive right in, or dine in and pair your tourtière with another local Quebec classic - poutine!
While tourtière represents the savory side of Quebec cuisine, maple syrup showcases the province's abundant natural sweetness. Quebec produces a whopping 70% of the world's maple syrup, with maple sugar being originally pioneered centuries ago by First Nations peoples before Europeans adopted the techniques. Maple syrup remains intrinsic to Quebec's identity and livelihood, with maple sugaring season each spring drawing enthusiasts to cabanes à sucre (sugar shacks) near Montreal and Quebec City.
Beyond pancake drizzling, innovative chefs incorporate maple syrup into contemporary Quebec desserts and confections. For a delicious taste, head to Olive et Gourmando, a cozy bakery café in Old Montreal. Their maple syrup and vanilla crème brûlée is legendary, featuring a crisp burnt sugar topping that cracks satisfingly to reveal maple-infused custard beneath. The subtler maple flavors shine through for a dessert that epitomizes Quebec's natural bounty.
For maple sweets on the go, stop by Juliette et Chocolat. Their mouthwatering creations range from maple butter crunch bars to truffles with maple caramel fillings. The Pied de Cochon features dark chocolate ganache enhanced with just the right hit of maple – a sophisticated yet distinctly Quebec treat. Even the best poutine needs a sweet finish sometimes!
Quebec also produces over three quarters of the world's wild blueberries, which get celebrated in decadent desserts. Bistro Elle et Compagnie serves an indulgent wild blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream, while Romados Manitas de Filippi delights with wild blueberry and mascarpone cannoli. The tart, jammy wild blueberries balance beautifully with creamy fillings.
Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - New Wave Eateries: Modern Takes on Montreal Cuisine
While Montreal holds fast to culinary traditions, the dining scene also stays fresh through new wave eateries putting modern twists on classic cuisine. Creative chefs tap into Montreal’s cultural melting pot to fuse diverse flavors in inventive ways that attract buzz. Foodies appreciate these restaurants for shaking up familiar fare to make it exciting again.
Joe Beef provides a prime example of ingenious blending, intermixing Quebec, European, and even Asian ingredients and cooking methods. Dishes like their spaghetti homard-lobster deftly combines Italian pasta with chunks of sweet lobster meat swimming in garlic butter. Their Double Down Sandwich audaciously stuffs foie gras and ground veal between deep fried seafood cakes. Diners delight in the playful culinary juxtapositions that surprise the tastebuds.
At hip Le Red Tiger, Chef Marc-André Royal takes familiar Chinese dishes to new heights by incorporating top-notch, often local ingredients. His General Tao features Quebec-raised chicken in a sauce infused with tonka bean, clove, and star anise. The luxurious Peking duck gets elevated with a starter of duck consommé preceding the wrapped pancakes. The buzzy vibe coupled with tantalizing tastes keep Le Red Tiger packed nightly.
For Japanese fare with a twist, Kampa Park’s Aburi style sushi gets seared atop flaming hay from Quebec farms, imparting irresistible smoky flavors. Their hamachi ponzu sees fresh yellowtail partially seared and dressed with yuzu ponzu sauce for a delightful interplay of temperatures and flavors. The sake and whiskey bar help diners fully embrace the modern izakaya experience.
Meanwhile, Chef Antonio Park delights crowds at Lavanderia with whimsical takes on Italian food that range from Sicilian arancini to pizzas with vodka sauce and caviar. Food presentation becomes art, like the theatrically served Spaghetti O’Clock entrée with tableside dry ice unveiling tomato-infused spaghetti strands. Lavanderia’s industrial-chic ambiance and unexpected flavors make it one of Montreal’s hottest reservations.
Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - Microbrews and Distilleries: Craft Beer and Spirits
Montreal’s microbrewery scene has exploded in recent years, with hip new craft breweries and distilleries popping up across the city. These small-batch brewers and distillers bring tremendous creativity and passion for quality ingredients, resulting in unique local beers, ciders, and spirits that showcase Montreal’s innovative tippling talents.
Dieu du Ciel! provides a stellar example of outstanding craft brewing. They launched in Montreal in the late 90s, before microbrews were trendy, driven by their pure love of brewing. Their signature Péché Mortel imperial coffee stout achieves perfection in balancing rich coffee flavors with semi-sweet cocoa and hints of dark fruit. It repeatedly wins awards as one of the world’s best stouts. Dieu du Ciel! also rotates fun seasonal offerings, like their winter spiced ale Aphrodisiaque infused with vanilla beans and cinnamon. Their Mile-End brewpub packs in the after-work crowd, while their newest location on Avenue Laurier provides more spacious digs to sample flights of their fantastic brews.
Distillerie Montreal also deserves a spot on any craft alcohol tour. They specialize in gin liqueurs made from a base of proprietary gin, which gets infused with local Quebec botanicals like juniper and orris root for complex flavors. The resulting liqueurs make tantalizing additions to cocktails. Their creamy Maple Gin adds warming notes of caramelized maple syrup, while their refreshing Cucumber Gin incorporates fresh-pressed cukes into each batch. Their tasting room in the Latin Quarter provides the perfect opportunity to sample their full liqueur line-up.
No microbrewery crawl is complete without a stop at Isle de Garde, which is the first brewery in North America to exclusively barrel-age and soured beers. Their Funky Maple Wine gets its trademark tartness from a wild yeast fermentation that lasts over a year before maple syrup gets blended in. If you love full-bodied, high ABV beers, their spiced Imperial Sweet Stout aged in rum barrels is a revelation. Isle de Garde keeps production small, meaning beer nerds line up on weekends to get their hands on releases.
Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - Café Culture: Cozy Cafés and Trendy Coffee Shops
Beyond being a city of incredible food, Montreal also boasts a thriving café culture with cozy neighborhood spots rubbing shoulders with chic third-wave coffee houses. No matter your vibe, the city’s cafés provide that perfect perch to refuel with a caffeine jolt, whether stopping in on a cold morning or ducking in from an afternoon of exploring.
For a low-key hangout exuding vintage charm, head to Olympico in the Mile End. This old-school diner has slung strong, affordable coffees since opening in 1974, earning a cult following. Its worn leather booths, antique soda dispensers, and memorabilia covering every inch offer a funky retro backdrop. Regulars love that the vibe stays chill here - lingering over bottomless refills is encouraged. Aside from great coffee, Olympic serves up tasty no-frills breakfast and lunch fare, dishing out heaping omelets, crispy bacon, and homemade muffins that hit the spot.
At the other end of the spectrum, new wave coffee houses like Café Névé and Structure take java more seriously, procuring exclusive bean micro-lots and meticulously controlling brewing for complex flavors. Café Névé’s baristas exude expertise as they prepare your Chemex or espresso with precision, while you soak up the sleek, minimalist space. For something truly exclusive, get whisked into their backroom Cupping Lab for an immersive coffee education that illuminates café culture's Third Wave.
Meanwhile, Aussie-inspired café Structure built their vibe around community and quality, emphasizing sustainable practices. Their dedication shows in the carefully roasted beans they source globally and transform into smooth flat whites, flawless espresso martinis, and Instagram-worthy matcha lattes. It’s an airy, welcoming spot to set up with a laptop for remote work or meet friends. Plus, Structure's sweet and savory brunch options like fluffy pancakes and avocado toast earn equal acclaim.
Of course, no discussion of Montreal cafés is complete without mentioning the local cafe chain that helped shape coffee culture here - Café Van Houtte. Since opening their first neighborhood shop in Montreal in 1988, Van Houtte fueled the city’s early latte love before expanding across the province. Even with global evolution in specialty coffee, Van Houtte's French press service and dependable brews still draw loyal regulars. Its familiar green neon sign promises a comfortable retreat to relax over café au lait.
Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - Markets and Food Halls: Shopping for Ingredients
Beyond established eateries, Montreal's markets and food halls provide a bounty of ingredients for home chefs or travelers seeking local flavors. Exploring sprawling public markets like Jean-Talon and Atwater introduces the sights, sounds, and aromas that captivate food-loving visitors.
Jean-Talon Market in Little Italy remains Montreal's liveliest and largest public market. This covered hall packs in over 200 vendors purveying everything from just-plucked local produce and artisanal cheeses to freshly baked breads, spices, and gourmet treats. On busier days, it's shoulder-to-shoulder browsing the stalls. Shoppers bemusedly navigate narrow aisles congested with other market-goers filling bags with juicy August peaches, organic tomatoes, or harissa rubbed olives. For many, simply people-watching is entertainment enough.
Beyond produce, Jean-Talon's meat and fish vendors display local game and whole fish varieties scarcely seen in standard grocers. Charcuteries like La Salle d’Affinage tantalize with their cured meats aging gracefully on curing racks. Peak behind the scenes as they fabricate slow-cured saucisson or carve generous slices of jambon de Bayonne for taste-testing. Fromageries like Fromagerie Hamel lure cheese-lovers with their aromatic offerings and creamy, housemade fresh cheese curds.
While smaller in scale, year-round Atwater Market in the Sud-Ouest neighborhood also deserves a browse. Their farm-fresh produce and artisanal products convey a lively yet less hectic vibe. Watch skilled cheesemongers wrap wedges of Oka, then grab a freshly baked baguette next door to assemble the perfect picnic lunch.
Beyond public markets, Montreal's downtown food halls deliver quick bites with a side of local flavor. Place Ville-Marie's Time Out Market Montreal collects several of the city's best chefs and restauranteurs under one roof. Sample poutine from La Banquise or noodles from prolific restauranteur Michele Forgione. Or head to Le Cathcart, where stalls like Olive et Comestibles highlight local, seasonal fare through sandwiches, salads, and shareable small plates. Pull up a seat and sip natural wine while tucking into veggie-laden plates that capture Quebec's fields and forests at their finest.
Poutine and Beyond: A Local's Guide to Montreal's Tastiest Treasures - Sweet Treats: Bakeries, Chocolatiers, and Ice Cream Shops
No food tour of Montreal could ever be considered complete without dedicating ample time to the city's plethora of sublime sweets shops. From old-world artisanal bakeries to avant-garde chocolatiers, Montreal offers a Web of wonderous dessert destinations that entice and excite even the most discerning palates. For travelers with a sweet tooth, allocating at least a day to indulge in the city's fabulous confectionary experiences proves essential.
To sink your teeth into classic Quebecois baked goods, begin at Première Moisson, a local chain of French-style bakeries known for crusty baguettes, picture-perfect pastries, and the flakiest croissants outside of Paris. Their showcase overflows with glistening eclairs, fruit tarts crowned with glazed berries, and irresistible chocolate-dipped madeleines. For a true local specialty, try their flaky sugar pie tarts with that iconic Québécois maple twist.
Next, a pilgrimage to Maison Christian Faure provides a behind-the-scenes look at artisanal chocolate making, from sourcing premium cocoa beans to the final exquisite creations. Watch through windows as chocolatiers fill molds for their Gold Collection bonbons. Then step into the elegant boutique to admire these glossy handmade chocolates, which burst with creative flavors from rosemary ganache to bourbon caramel. Treat yourself to a sampling of bonbons or a Velvet Passion cake.
When only over-the-top sweetness will satisfy, Dodge these cream puff behemoths from Maison de la Crème Montréal. Their eclair-like choux puffs overfill with rich flavours like salted caramel and chocolate hazelnut. Just one will fulfill any sugar craving. For a truly decadent experience, try their Crème Brûlèe puff, with crunchy burnt sugar topping giving way to creamy vanilla custard inside.
No discussion of Montreal sweets is complete without shouting out the city’s mother lode of exceptional ice cream parlors. Whether you seek experimental flavors or a classic scoop, the options overflow. At trendy Barocco Gelato, wild ingredient combinations like black sesame and goat cheese or matcha with shards of chocolate pretzels attract crowds. Looking for a taste of home? Theargmin's scoops up near-perfect renditions of American favorites like chunky cookie dough and peanut butter ripple. Or hit up timeless institutions like L’Artic Glacier on Mont Royal for a quintessential Quebec treat: drizzling pure, velvety maple syrup over creamy vanilla soft serve. The sweet tooth adventures never end in this city!