Eating our way through Montreal

Earlier in May we ventured to Montreal, Quebec for an extra long weekend. We had no real plans and decided that we would keep it a spontaneous weekend of sight-seeing and eating our way through the city. You can check out our full Montreal itinerary to see exactly what we did, but in this post I’m talking about the food. And oh boy, was it ever good.

Montreal Essential Eats

In my trip planning research, I read (and heard from numerous people) that there were three things we had to try for our first visit to Montreal: Montreal bagels, smoked meat sandwiches, and poutine. Today I’m here to say whether it’s your first time or hundredth time, these classic Montreal specialties are good any time! So what were they like you ask? Well, let me take you on this food journey!

*Disclaimer: I cannot be held responsible for the sudden urge to travel to Montreal or the drool that may be running down your face. You’ve been warned.

Montreal Bagels

If you’ve never had a Montreal bagel (and I hadn’t!) prepare for something unlike regular grocery store bagels. The process to make these bagels includes boiling in a honey or sweetened water and then baking in a wood-fired oven. Montreal bagels are chewier, sweeter, thinner, and have a very dense consistency. In my opinion, it was much more filling than the bagels I’m used to eating. We visited St. Viateur Bagel and ordered half a dozen mixed bagels. I topped mine with plain cream cheese and my husband ate his plain. Both ways were delicious. We saw others eating theirs with smoked salmon, peanut butter and jam, cheese and simply with butter. I don’t think you could really go wrong as long as it tastes good to you!

The St. Viateur experience was something else! I never felt more pressure to figure out my order and pay. When we arrived they were lined up out the door. When we got inside, it was difficult to see what was in the fridge to top your bagel (so I actually had to go back in to buy cream cheese!) and the staff were like an assembly line shouting for bagel orders and preparing them before you got up to pay. If you plan to go, check out their bagel varieties before you arrive!

Smoked Meat Sandwiches

I didn’t know what to expect when I heard raving reviews about the Montreal smoked meat sandwiches. Someone described it to my husband as a giant pile of smoked meat between two slices of crispy rye bread that you couldn’t eat as a sandwich. Why? Because it was going to be “that big” no matter where you got it from. I didn’t believe it, but figured we might as well give it a try. We were not disappointed! We decided to get ours from Reuben’s Deli and that was definitely a good choice. The menu was quite extensive, so if you didn’t want to have smoked meat there was variety.

My husband and I both wanted to try the smoked meat so he got the “Famous Super Sandwich” and I tried the “Original Reuben Sandwich”. Like I said in my previous post… delicious! Give this place a try if you are in the area!

Poutine

We have both had poutine too many times to count, so we weren’t sure why this was on everyone’s list. Maybe it would be a more exciting culinary experience for tourists experiencing it for the first time. I don’t have anything negative to say about the poutine we had (don’t get me wrong!). The fries were crispy, the gravy was tasty and the cheese curds were real squeaky curds – the makings of a perfect poutine. But I didn’t find anything special about the poutine that was different from Toronto or anywhere else I’ve had one. Moral of this story – give it a try if you’ve never had it before. If you have had a poutine, don’t expect anything too grandiose or you may be disappointed.

Other Suggestions

Over the weekend we tried a few other restaurants that we found while walking through Old Montreal. If you’re interested in moderately priced restaurants or craft beer, then these might be of interest to you.

• Pub BreWsky – They had some great locally brewed craft beer. My husband and I each got flights of beer along with our dinner (the falafel wraps – very tasty) and really enjoyed what the waiter recommended. As I mentioned in my previous post, we sat inside and our clothes smelled terrible for days because of grease from the kitchen. If you’re going to eat or drink there, stay out on their covered patio.
• Stash Cafe – This restaurant served traditional Polish food, and it tasted like it was made by a polish grandma. We had the cheddar and potato pierogi to start and my main dish was Polish sausage with traditional sauerkraut and Polish potato salad. My husband tried the chicken with potatoes and a garden salad (he’s healthier than I am). They had a variety of vodka cocktails on their menu and Polish beers to round out your experience. I have been dreaming of those pierogi for weeks now, and I really need to go back.
• Mary’s Popcorn Shop – Looking for a quick snack while you browse Old Montreal? This gourmet popcorn shop has you covered. They top their popcorn with real ingredients – not powder! If you like sweet, try the maple pecan. If you like savory then try the cheddar. Actually, try them all! They offer a few kernels to sample before you make your choice.
• Taverne Gaspar – On our final night we went out for a late dinner and ended up at Taverne Gaspar. It was a lovely little pub and I really liked the decor and serving ware (that’s just a side note). We had a charcuterie board and it came with a variety of meats, cheeses, grapes, spreads, crostini, nut mix, and sweet pickles. On the side we ordered olives and a poutine. Note: this was a lot of food for just two people! If I go back, I’d definitely get that charcuterie board again.

Dining in Montreal Tips

1. Research where you want to eat on TripAdvisor. You can search by price, style of cuisine, location etc. We used this every day and found it extremely helpful.
2. Make reservations in advance. We didn’t make reservations at all, but wish we did. On our last night we tried to go to two restaurants (that were full or booked) and ended up scrambling to find somewhere to eat.

And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed reliving my culinary adventure through Montreal. If you have a restaurant recommendation of your own, leave it in the comment section below! You know, for research purposed.