Cheap Eats in Montreal

St-Viateur Bagel ★ 4.8

mile-end · 263 Rue Saint-Viateur Ouest, Montreal, QC H2V 1Y1

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.

St-Viateur Bagel ★ 4.8

mile-end · 263 Rue Saint-Viateur Ouest, Montreal, QC H2V 1Y1

St-Viateur turns out Montreal's honey-boiled, wood-fired bagels around the clock in Mile End, sold hot by the dozen from a flour-dusted Saint-Viateur counter.

Tip: Eat a sesame bagel while it is still warm; day-old ones are for freezing and toasting later.

Fairmount Bagel ★ 4.6

mile-end · 74 Avenue Fairmount Ouest, Montreal, QC H2T 2M2

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.

Cafe Olimpico ★ 4.6

mile-end · 124 Rue Saint-Viateur Ouest, Montreal, QC H2T 2L3

Cafe Olimpico has poured Italian espresso in Mile End since 1970, a loud, cash-friendly Montreal institution where regulars argue over soccer at the counter.

Tip: It is cash-only and standing-room busy on weekends; take your cappuccino to the terrace out front.

Fairmount Bagel ★ 4.6

mile-end · 74 Avenue Fairmount Ouest, Montreal, QC H2T 2M2

Fairmount Bagel has wood-fired Montreal's oldest bagels since 1919, a 24-hour Mile End window turning out sesame and poppy rings a block from its rival.

Tip: Buy a hot dozen and settle the Fairmount-versus-St-Viateur argument for yourself on the walk home.

Wilensky's Light Lunch ★ 4.5

mile-end · 34 Avenue Fairmount Ouest, Montreal, QC H2T 2M1

Wilensky's is a nine-stool Mile End counter open since 1932, serving the fried bologna-and-salami Special exactly as it did in Mordecai Richler's novels.

Tip: They never cut the sandwich and never hold the mustard; order it their way or not at all.

Cafe Saint-Henri ★ 4.5

saint-henri · 3632 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montreal, QC H4C 1P4

Cafe Saint-Henri is one of Montreal's pioneering micro-roasters, roasting for its own cafes from a Notre-Dame Ouest flagship in its namesake neighbourhood.

Tip: The Notre-Dame flagship is the one to visit; ask what single-origin is on filter that week.

St-Viateur Bagel ★ 4.5

mile-end · 263 Rue Saint-Viateur Ouest, Montreal, QC H2V 1Y1

A hot St-Viateur bagel with cream cheese is Montreal's cheapest iconic bite, sold around the clock in Mile End for the price of pocket change.

Tip: Buy a dozen to take home; per bagel it is far cheaper than any cafe breakfast in the city.

Au Kouign-Amann ★ 4.4

plateau · 316 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est, Montreal, QC H2T 1P7

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.

Kem CoBa ★ 4.4

mile-end · 60 Avenue Fairmount Ouest, Montreal, QC H2T 2M2

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.

Dispatch Coffee ★ 4.3

mile-end · 4021 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2W 1Y4

Dispatch Coffee roasts light, modern coffee for its Montreal cafes, its Saint-Laurent flagship pairing a bright espresso bar with a busy retail bean counter.

Tip: The Saint-Laurent cafe is the roastery flagship; the subscription is a good way to take the beans home.

Wilensky's Light Lunch ★ 4.3

mile-end · 34 Avenue Fairmount Ouest, Montreal, QC H2T 2M1

Wilensky's Special is one of Montreal's great cheap eats, a griddled bologna-and-salami sandwich from a 1932 Mile End counter for the price of a coffee.

Tip: Add a hand-mixed cherry or lime soda from the fountain; the whole lunch still comes in under ten dollars.

Cafe Myriade ★ 4.2

plateau · 28 Avenue du Mont-Royal Ouest, Montreal, QC H2T 2S1

Cafe Myriade helped launch Montreal's third-wave scene, pulling precise espresso and pour-overs on Avenue du Mont-Royal for a laptop-and-book crowd.

Tip: The Mont-Royal branch has more seats than the tiny Mackay original; come mid-morning for a table.

Pikolo Espresso Bar ★ 4.2

downtown · 1635 Rue Clark, Montreal, QC H2X 2R4

Pikolo Espresso Bar is a two-level jewel near Montreal's Quartier des Spectacles, serving careful espresso and pastries to students off Rue Clark.

Tip: The mezzanine has the quiet seats; the ground floor fills with a takeaway rush around lunchtime.

Cafe Neve ★ 4.2

plateau · 151 Rue Rachel Est, Montreal, QC H2W 1E1

Cafe Neve is a laid-back Plateau coffee bar on Rue Rachel in Montreal, an early third-wave spot loved for its espresso, vegan cookies and calm vibe.

Tip: The peanut-butter cookie with a latte is the local order; it stays mellow enough to work for an hour.

Cafe Humble Lion ★ 4.2

downtown · 904 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, QC H3A 3R8

Cafe Humble Lion is a bright specialty coffee bar across from McGill on Rue Sherbrooke in downtown Montreal, pulling careful espresso for a student crowd.

Tip: It sits right by the McGill gates and gets busy between classes; mid-afternoon is the calm window.

Cafe Falco ★ 4.2

mile-end · 5605 Avenue de Gaspe, Montreal, QC H2T 2A4

Cafe Falco is a serene, Japanese-minded coffee bar hidden in a Mile-Ex studio building in Montreal, making siphon coffee and onigiri in a plant-lined room.

Tip: It is tucked inside an old garment building and closes weekends; go on a weekday morning for the calm.

Cafe Pista ★ 4.2

rosemont · 500 Rue Beaubien Est, Montreal, QC H2S 1S5

Cafe Pista grew from a bike-borne espresso cart into a Rosemont roastery cafe in Montreal, known for nitro cold brew and its lemonade-coffee Cafelimo.

Tip: The Beaubien roastery cafe is the hub; try the Cafelimo in summer and the cold brew on tap year-round.

Zab Cafe ★ 4.2

rosemont · 6201 Rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, QC H2S 2R8

Zab Cafe is a Petite-Patrie roaster in Montreal that shares roasting duties with Paquebot, pouring bright single-origins from a snug Saint-Denis cafe.

Tip: The Saint-Denis cafe is small and calm; a good spot for a pour-over and a bag of beans to go.

Paquebot ★ 4.2

old-montreal · 520 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2Y 2Y9

Paquebot is a specialty coffee brand born from a partnership with Zab in Montreal, running a string of cafes and pioneering nitro cold brew.

Tip: The Old Montreal cafe on Saint-Laurent is central; try the Cafelimo in summer and grab beans to go.

Wilensky's Light Lunch ★ 4.2

mile-end · 34 Avenue Fairmount Ouest, Montreal, QC H2T 2M1

Wilensky's has griddled its fried bologna-and-salami Special at a nine-stool Mile End counter since 1932, an unchanging Montreal snack served with mustard.

Tip: It comes with mustard and never cut; do not ask them to change it, that is the whole ritual.

Boustan ★ 4.2

downtown · 2020A Rue Crescent, Montreal, QC H3G 2B8

Boustan is a downtown Montreal institution for cheap, garlicky shawarma, its Rue Crescent counter feeding students and night owls well past midnight.

Tip: The Aladin potato pita is the cult order and barely dents a tenner; extra toum is free and essential.

Pho Tay Ho ★ 4.2

rosemont · 6414 Rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, QC H2S 2R7

Pho Tay Ho ladles deeply spiced beef pho for under fifteen dollars in Petite-Patrie, Montreal, a warming, filling bowl that locals rate among the city's best.

Tip: A large tai bowl plus a Vietnamese coffee is a complete meal for the price of a downtown lunch.

Pho Tay Ho ★ 4.1

rosemont · 6414 Rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, QC H2S 2R7

Pho Tay Ho is the Petite-Patrie pho specialist in Montreal, ladling deeply spiced beef broth over rice noodles that locals rank among the city's best.

Tip: Cash is easiest and the broth is the point; skip the appetisers and order the big bowl.

Cafe Osmo ★ 4.1

downtown · 51 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, QC H2X 1X2

Cafe Osmo is a Japanese-inflected coffee and matcha bar on Rue Sherbrooke in Montreal, teamed with Marusan for onigiri and pastries near the Plateau border.

Tip: The matcha and the onigiri are the specialties; it is a calm spot to work between downtown and the Plateau.

Melk ★ 4.1

ndg · 5612 Avenue de Monkland, Montreal, QC H4A 1E3

Melk is a neighbourhood coffee bar on Monkland Avenue in NDG, Montreal, an easy all-day cafe for espresso, pastries and a laptop-and-stroller west-end crowd.

Tip: The Monkland Village branch has room to sit and work; there is a smaller downtown outpost on Stanley too.

Pourquoi Pas Espresso Bar ★ 4.1

downtown · 1447 Rue Amherst, Montreal, QC H2L 3L2

Pourquoi Pas is a tiny, welcoming espresso bar in the Village near downtown Montreal, a longtime neighbourhood favourite for careful coffee and a chat.

Tip: It is small and friendly rather than a work cafe; go for a proper espresso and a chat with the barista.

Notre-Dame-des-Quilles ★ 4.1

rosemont · 32 Rue Beaubien Est, Montreal, QC H2S 1P8

Notre-Dame-des-Quilles is a beloved Mile-Ex dive in Montreal with two vintage bowling lanes out back, pouring cheap drinks and pizza to a local crowd.

Tip: The two mini bowling lanes in the back are the whole gimmick; go on a quiet night to actually get a game.

Boustan ★ 4.1

downtown · 2020A Rue Crescent, Montreal, QC H3G 2B8

Boustan has fed downtown Montreal since 1986, a late-night Rue Crescent counter with garlic-heavy shawarma and the fried-potato Aladin pita past midnight.

Tip: Ask for extra toum garlic sauce and pickled turnip; it stays open long past the bars for a good reason.

Boustan ★ 4.1

downtown · 2020A Rue Crescent, Montreal, QC H3G 2B8

Boustan keeps its garlicky shawarma coming past 2am on Rue Crescent in Montreal, a downtown late-night fixture for students spilling out of the bars.

Tip: The Aladin potato pita soaks up the night; ask for extra toum and pickled turnip on the way out.

Pho Tay Ho ★ 4.1

rosemont · 6414 Rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, QC H2S 2R7

Tip: Go for the beef pho and a Vietnamese coffee; cash keeps the fast-moving lunch line moving.

Cafe Larue & Fils ★ 4.0

villeray · 244 Rue de Castelnau Est, Montreal, QC H2R 1P5

Cafe Larue & Fils roasts its own beans for a small family of Villeray cafes in Montreal, a welcoming neighbourhood roaster near the Jean-Talon Market.

Tip: The Castelnau cafe near Jean-Talon is the flagship; the house roast is sold by the bag at the counter.

La Panthere Verte ★ 4.0

mile-end · 160 Rue Saint-Viateur Est, Montreal, QC H2T 1A8

La Panthere Verte serves quick, cheap vegan falafel pitas and bowls across Montreal, a reliable meat-free lunch for well under fifteen dollars in Mile End.

Tip: The falafel pita with green sauce is the value pick; bowls cost a little more but feed you longer.

La Panthere Verte ★ 3.9

mile-end · 160 Rue Saint-Viateur Est, Montreal, QC H2T 1A8

La Panthere Verte fries crisp falafel and stuffs zesty vegan pitas in Mile End and across Montreal, a green-minded counter for a fast, meat-free lunch.

Tip: The falafel pita with green sauce is the order; it is fully vegan even when it does not taste it.