The counters in Montreal worth queuing for: bread, pastry, and the morning ritual.
Bakery counters in Montreal worth queuing for: levain breads, laminated pastry, regional bakes and the morning ritual.
St-Viateur has hand-rolled and wood-fired Montreal bagels around the clock since 1957, the Mile End benchmark for the honey-boiled, denser city style.
Tip: Buy them hot by the dozen; a sesame bagel straight from the wood oven needs nothing but your hands.
Worth the queue: Sesame bagel, hot from the oven
Fairmount Bagel is Montreal's oldest bagel bakery, wood-firing sesame and poppy rings around the clock on Avenue Fairmount since 1919 a block from St-Viateur.
Tip: Pick a side in the Fairmount-versus-St-Viateur debate by buying a hot dozen from each and comparing.
Worth the queue: Sesame bagel
Hof Kelsten is Jeffrey Finkelstein's bakery on Saint-Laurent in Montreal, turning out challah, rye and babka plus a lunchtime smoked-meat sandwich.
Tip: Come for the challah on Friday and the babka any day; the counter also does a serious matzo-ball soup.
Worth the queue: Challah and rye bread
Mamie Clafoutis is a French bakery on Rue Saint-Denis in Montreal, filling its cases with laminated croissants, tarts and country loaves through the day.
Tip: The almond croissant and the namesake clafoutis are the buys; it stays open later than most bakeries.
Worth the queue: Almond croissant
Au Kouign-Amann is the tiny Plateau pastry shop in Montreal that made the caramelised Breton kouign-amann a local ritual, baked warm in small daily batches.
Tip: Go by 09:30 for a warm kouign-amann; when the day's batch sells out, that is it until tomorrow.
Worth the queue: Kouign-amann
Kem CoBa is the Mile End ice cream shop in Montreal whose salted-butter soft serve and rotating sorbets draw a summer line down Avenue Fairmount.
Tip: The salted-butter and one fruit sorbet twist is the order; it is seasonal, so check before a winter trip.
Worth the queue: Salted-butter soft serve
Guillaume is a modern Mile End bakery on Saint-Laurent in Montreal, prized for its sourdough loaves and a chocolate croissant many rank among the city's best.
Tip: Bread sells out by afternoon; morning is best for the croissants and the seasonal fruit danishes.
Worth the queue: Chocolate croissant
La Bete a Pain is chef Marc-Andre Royal's bakery-cafe on Rue Fleury in Montreal, part boulangerie and part counter for sandwiches, quiche and viennoiserie.
Tip: It works as a bakery and a lunch stop; the baguette sandwiches and quiche are the midday move.
Worth the queue: Sourdough baguette
Automne Boulangerie is a Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie bakery in Montreal whose long-fermented sourdough and buttery croissants earned a citywide following.
Tip: Weekend mornings sell out fast; go early for the croissants and grab a loaf while they last.
Worth the queue: Croissant
Premiere Moisson anchors the Atwater Market bakery corner in Montreal, a Quebec chain baking country breads, viennoiserie and a classic tarte au sucre.
Tip: Pair a loaf here with cheese and charcuterie from the market stalls for a canal-side picnic.
Worth the queue: Sugar pie (tarte au sucre)