Food · Montreal · Canada
What to eat in Montreal
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Montreal, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Montreal-style bagel, Smoked meat and Poutine. Start at the Mile End bagel bakeries in the morning, then walk down Boulevard Saint-Laurent to Schwartz's for a smoked-meat sandwich. Menus often include a table d'hôte, a two- or three-course set menu that is better value than ordering à la carte.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Montreal-style bagel
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 5
- Tipping
- Tip 15–20% of the pre-tax amount in restaurants and bars, and about 10–15% for taxis.
- Food experiences
- 4
10 foods to try
Bakery · Vegetarian
1.Montreal-style bagel
Smaller, denser and sweeter than New York bagels, Montreal bagels are hand-rolled, boiled in honey-sweetened water and baked in wood-fired ovens, usually coated in sesame or poppy seeds.
Where: St-Viateur and Fairmount in Mile End, both baking around the clock and selling them hot by the dozen.
Dish
2.Smoked meat
Beef brisket cured with spices, smoked and steamed, then hand-sliced and piled on rye bread with mustard; order it lean, medium or fatty.
Where: Schwartz's on Boulevard Saint-Laurent, open since 1928, and other delicatessens downtown.
Dish
3.Poutine
Quebec's comfort food of fries, fresh squeaky cheese curds and brown gravy, now topped with everything from smoked meat to foie gras in some restaurants.
Where: La Banquise on Rue Rachel in the Plateau, open around the clock, and casse-croûtes (snack bars) across the city.
Dessert · Vegetarian
4.Maple taffy (Tire d'érable)
Hot maple syrup poured onto clean snow and rolled onto a stick as it sets — the classic treat of the spring sugaring season.
Where: Sugar shacks outside the city in March and April, and stands at winter festivals and markets.
Dish
5.Sugar shack feast (Repas de cabane à sucre)
A hearty spring meal at a maple farm: pea soup, ham, baked beans, omelette, sausages, crispy pork rinds and pancakes, all drowned in maple syrup.
Where: Sugar shacks (cabanes à sucre) within about an hour of Montreal, usually open from late February to April; book ahead.
Dish
6.Tourtière
A spiced meat pie of pork, beef or game, traditional at Christmas and New Year but served all year in Québécois restaurants.
Where: Traditional Québécois restaurants in Old Montreal and specialist pie shops.
Dessert · Vegetarian
7.Pouding chômeur
'Unemployed man's pudding', a Depression-era cake baked in a pool of maple or brown-sugar syrup that turns into a sticky caramel sauce underneath.
Where: Québécois bistros and sugar shacks, often as the dessert of a set menu.
Street food
8.Steamies
Montreal hot dogs in steamed buns, ordered 'all-dressed' with mustard, chopped onion and coleslaw and eaten two or three at a time at old-school diners.
Where: Casse-croûtes and diners across the city, especially along Boulevard Saint-Laurent.
Dish · Vegetarian
9.Quebec cheese
Quebec makes hundreds of cheeses, many from raw milk, from washed-rind Oka, first made by Trappist monks, to soft cheeses from the Eastern Townships.
Where: Fromageries at Jean-Talon and Atwater markets.
Drink · Vegetarian
10.Ice cider (Cidre de glace)
A sweet dessert drink made from frozen apples or their frozen juice, created in Quebec around 1990 and now a regional speciality served chilled with cheese or dessert.
Where: SAQ liquor stores, the public markets and orchards in the Eastern Townships and Montérégie.
Food experiences
Bagel and smoked-meat walk
Start at the Mile End bagel bakeries in the morning, then walk down Boulevard Saint-Laurent to Schwartz's for a smoked-meat sandwich.
Sugar shack season
From about late February to April, maple farms around Montreal serve all-you-can-eat feasts and maple taffy on snow; some tours run from the city.
Bring your own wine
Many restaurants marked 'Apportez votre vin', especially on Avenue Duluth and Rue Prince-Arthur in the Plateau, let you bring your own bottle; buy one at an SAQ store or a dépanneur first.
Market picnic
Assemble Quebec cheese, charcuterie, bread and fruit at Jean-Talon or Atwater market and eat in a park or beside the Lachine Canal.
Quick bites and street food
- Montreal-style bagel — St-Viateur and Fairmount in Mile End, both baking around the clock and selling them hot by the dozen.
- Steamies — Casse-croûtes and diners across the city, especially along Boulevard Saint-Laurent.
Vegetarian options
Of the 10 foods in this guide, 5 are usually vegetarian: Montreal-style bagel, Maple taffy, Pouding chômeur, Quebec cheese and Ice cider. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Menus often include a table d'hôte, a two- or three-course set menu that is better value than ordering à la carte.
- Restaurants marked 'Apportez votre vin' let you bring your own wine.
- Prices exclude GST and QST, together about 15%, and tips of 15–20% go on top.
- Greet staff with 'Bonjour'; most Montrealers switch to English easily once you start.
- Book popular restaurants ahead during festival season and Grand Prix weekend.
Tipping
Tip 15–20% of the pre-tax amount in restaurants and bars, and about 10–15% for taxis. Card machines prompt you, often calculating on the total including tax.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bonjour | Hello / good day |
| Merci / Bienvenue | Thank you / You're welcome |
| L'addition, s'il vous plaît | The bill, please |
| Dépanneur | Corner shop selling beer, wine and snacks |
| Un allongé | A long espresso |
| Bonne soirée | Have a good evening |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Montreal famous for?
Montreal-style bagel, Smoked meat, Poutine and Maple taffy. Smaller, denser and sweeter than New York bagels, Montreal bagels are hand-rolled, boiled in honey-sweetened water and baked in wood-fired ovens, usually coated in sesame or poppy seeds.
+Is Montreal good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Montreal-style bagel, Maple taffy and Pouding chômeur.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Montreal?
Tip 15–20% of the pre-tax amount in restaurants and bars, and about 10–15% for taxis. Card machines prompt you, often calculating on the total including tax.