Bagels, smoked meat and five one-star Michelin tables, all in French.
Free cancellation on most tours, with live prices on the partner's site.
Montreal eats in French but rarely by the rules. The island's defining plates are immigrant ones: hand-rolled, honey-boiled bagels from St-Viateur and Fairmount, hand-sliced smoked meat at Schwartz's, Portuguese charcoal chicken off Rachel Street, and gravy-soaked poutine at La Banquise. Above that sits a serious French-Quebecois kitchen tradition, from the bistro canon at L'Express to Normand Laprise's Toque, and a young Michelin tier that arrived with the Quebec guide in 2025. You eat late here, drink natural wine freely, and pay in Canadian dollars. Winter drives the city indoors and underground, spring means sugar shacks, and every neighbourhood from Mile End to Little Italy guards its own strip of essential addresses.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Discover the Mile End neighbourhood in Montreal on a guided foodie walking tour. Enjoy 7 food/drink tastings, and learn about the history of Mile End and its culturall...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Taste your way through Montreal’s Mile End on a guided tour featuring warm wood-fired bagels, classic poutine, street-style gnocchi, and a savory Mediterranean secret dish.
Guided tour · 3h 30m
Get a taste of Montreal's Jewish heritage on this culinary walking tour. Explore the Mile End and Plateau neighbourhoods & taste a wide range of local foods, including...
The plates that define eating in Montreal.
The Montreal bagel is smaller, denser and sweeter than its New York cousin, hand-rolled, boiled in honey water and baked in a wood-fired oven until blistered.
Where St-Viateur Bagel, Fairmount Bagel
Taste itMontreal Mile End Food Tour: Bagels, Smoked Meat & PoutineC$119Where to eat Montreal bagel in Montreal →Montreal smoked meat is beef brisket cured with a peppery spice blend, smoked, steamed until tender and hand-sliced onto rye with yellow mustard.
Where Schwartz's Deli, Lester's Deli, Wilensky's Light Lunch
Taste itMontreal Mile End Food Tour: Bagels, Smoked Meat & PoutineC$119Where to eat Montreal smoked meat in Montreal →Poutine is Quebec's beloved plate of fries topped with fresh cheese curds and hot brown gravy, the curds warmed just enough to squeak while the gravy binds.
Where La Banquise, Au Pied de Cochon, Chalet BBQ
Taste itMile End Food Tour with Poutine & 7 Local DishesC$140Where to eat Poutine in Montreal →Tourtiere is Quebec's spiced meat pie, a double-crust pastry filled with minced pork seasoned with cinnamon, clove and allspice, served at Christmas.
Where to eat Tourtiere in Montreal →Tarte au sucre is Quebec's sugar pie, a shallow pastry shell filled with brown or maple sugar, cream and butter baked into a soft, fudgy filling.
Where Premiere Moisson
Where to eat Tarte au sucre in Montreal →Pouding chomeur, or unemployed man's pudding, is a Quebec Depression-era dessert of simple cake batter baked under a hot layer of maple or brown-sugar syrup.
Where to eat Pouding chomeur in Montreal →Cretons is a Quebecois pork spread, minced pork slow-cooked with onion, milk and warm spices then chilled into a coarse, savoury pate eaten on toast.
Where to eat Cretons in Montreal →Pate chinois is Quebec's shepherd's pie, three neat layers of seasoned ground beef, cream-style corn and mashed potato baked until the top browns.
Where to eat Pate chinois in Montreal →A BeaverTail is a hand-stretched, tail-shaped fried dough pastry dusted with cinnamon sugar or piled with toppings, a Canadian winter treat sold at markets.
Where to eat BeaverTail in Montreal →Soupe aux pois is Quebec's yellow split pea soup, simmered with salt pork, onion and herbs into a thick, smoky bowl of sugar-shack and winter tables.
Where to eat Soupe aux pois in Montreal →A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Montreal.
Joe Beef is the Little Burgundy landmark that rewrote Montreal dining, serving decadent, seafood-heavy French-Quebecois cooking on Rue Notre-Dame.
OrderThe lobster spaghetti and whatever seafood is chalked on the board.
Liverpool House is Joe Beef's brighter sibling in Little Burgundy, Montreal, pouring natural wine over Italian-leaning plates and lobster spaghetti.
OrderThe lobster spaghetti and a bottle from the natural list.
Vin Mon Lapin, from the Joe Beef family in Little Italy, Montreal, placed fifth on North America's 50 Best in 2026 for its snacks and natural wine.
OrderWhatever oyster or vegetable snack is on the handwritten card.
Damas brought high-end Syrian cooking to Outremont, Montreal, plating charcoal kebabs, muhammara and cherry-sauced meatballs in a jewel-box room.
OrderThe cherry kebab and a spread of cold mezze to start.
Larrys is the all-day Mile End cafe and wine bar from the Lawrence team, an easy Montreal spot for pastries by morning and small plates with wine by night.
OrderThe daily snacks off the chalkboard with a glass of something natural.
Beba is the Schor brothers' warm Verdun restaurant in Montreal, cooking Argentine plates through a Spanish and Italian lens on a quiet residential corner.
OrderThe grilled provoleta and whatever pasta is running that night.
The Plateau is Montreal's most walkable eating district, all triplex staircases, bistros and the smoked-meat and poutine landmarks of Saint-Laurent and Rachel.
Best for: Smoked meat, Poutine, Bistro
Mile End is bagel country, home to St-Viateur and Fairmount, plus a dense run of cafes, wine bars and Greek grills along Avenue du Parc.
Best for: Bagels, Cafes, Wine bars
Petite-Italie wraps around the Jean-Talon Market, packed with espresso bars, trattorias and the produce stalls that feed half the city's kitchens.
Best for: Italian, Market, Coffee
Vieux-Montreal pairs cobblestone tourism with some of the city's most polished dining rooms, from brasserie classics to hotel tasting menus.
Best for: Fine dining, Brasserie, Cocktails
Downtown Montreal runs from the Golden Square Mile to the Quartier des Spectacles, mixing Portuguese and Japanese institutions with après-work wine rooms.
Best for: Portuguese, Japanese, Wine bars
Leafy Outremont keeps things quietly upscale, from Syrian fine dining at Damas to Laurier Avenue's long-running French rooms and delis.
Best for: Syrian, French, Deli
Montreal bagel
The Montreal bagel is smaller, denser and sweeter than its New York cousin, hand-rolled, boiled in honey water and baked in a wood-fired oven until blistered
Montreal smoked meat
Montreal smoked meat is beef brisket cured with a peppery spice blend, smoked, steamed until tender and hand-sliced onto rye with yellow mustard
Poutine
Poutine is Quebec's beloved plate of fries topped with fresh cheese curds and hot brown gravy, the curds warmed just enough to squeak while the gravy binds
Tourtiere
Tourtiere is Quebec's spiced meat pie, a double-crust pastry filled with minced pork seasoned with cinnamon, clove and allspice, served at Christmas
Tarte au sucre
Tarte au sucre is Quebec's sugar pie, a shallow pastry shell filled with brown or maple sugar, cream and butter baked into a soft, fudgy filling
Plateau-Mont-Royal
The Plateau is Montreal's most walkable eating district, all triplex staircases, bistros and the smoked-meat and poutine landmarks of Saint-Laurent and Rachel
Mile End
Mile End is bagel country, home to St-Viateur and Fairmount, plus a dense run of cafes, wine bars and Greek grills along Avenue du Parc
Little Italy
Petite-Italie wraps around the Jean-Talon Market, packed with espresso bars, trattorias and the produce stalls that feed half the city's kitchens
Downtown
Downtown Montreal runs from the Golden Square Mile to the Quartier des Spectacles, mixing Portuguese and Japanese institutions with après-work wine rooms
A sample of Montreal hotels from our booking partner, who list 627 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.
Destination Stays Griffintown Montreal
A stay at Destination Stays Griffintown Montreal places you in the heart of Montreal, within a 5-minute dri...
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Destination Stays Montreal Downtown
A stay at Destination Stays Montreal Downtown places you in the heart of Montreal, steps from Sainte-Cather...
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Auberge Alternative du Vieux-Montréal - Hostel
A stay at Auberge Alternative du Vieux-Montréal - Hostel places you in the heart of Montreal, steps from M...
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Hotel Arena Palace Montreal
With a stay at Hotel Arena Palace Montreal in Montreal (The Village), you'll be steps from Sainte-Catherine...
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Gite du Survenant
With a stay at Gite du Survenant in Montreal (Hochelaga-Maisonneuve), you'll be within a 10-minute walk of ...
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DestinationStays-University of Montreal
With a stay at DestinationStays-University of Montreal in Montreal (Cte-Des-NeigesNotre-Dame-De-Grce), you'...
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Samesun Montreal Central
A stay at Samesun Montreal Central places you in the heart of Montreal, steps from Sainte-Catherine Street ...
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Baymont by Wyndham Montreal Airport
With a stay at Baymont by Wyndham Montreal Airport in Montreal (Saint-Laurent), you'll be a 2-minute drive ...
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Travelodge by Wyndham Montreal Airport
Located in Montreal (Saint-Laurent), Travelodge by Wyndham Montreal Airport is within a 15-minute drive of ...
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Best Western Plus Montreal Downtown-Hotel Europa
A stay at Best Western Plus Montreal Downtown-Hotel Europa places you in the heart of Montreal, steps from ...
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Hotel Faubourg Montreal Downtown Hotel
A stay at Hotel Faubourg Montreal Downtown Hotel places you in the heart of Montreal, steps from University...
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Best Western Plus Hotel Montreal
A stay at Best Western Plus Hotel Montreal places you in the heart of Montreal, steps from Sainte-Catherine...
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Also compare: Zen Hotels in Montreal from USD 65/night · Holidu in Montreal from USD 52/night · LateRooms in Montreal from 38/night
Stays are listed by our booking partners, not editor picks. We earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Montreal, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Peak food season: May to October for terrasses and markets; late winter for sugar shacks and Montreal en Lumiere.
Local dining hours: Lunch 12:00-14:00, dinner 18:00-22:00. Many kitchens close Monday and Tuesday.
Tipping: Tipping is expected: 15 to 20 percent before tax on table service. Taxes (GST plus QST, about 15 percent) are added at the till, not shown on menus.
Montreal's signature dishes include Montreal bagel, Montreal smoked meat, Poutine, Portuguese charcoal chicken, Tourtiere. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
TableJourney editors map Montreal by district. Plateau-Mont-Royal, Mile End, Little Italy, Old Montreal are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Editor picks in Montreal include Toque!, Jerome Ferrer - Europea, Mastard, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
TableJourney covers 7 editor-picked food tours in Montreal, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
TableJourney's Montreal dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.
