Montreal: Eating Before You Head Out
Eating well in Montreal takes about a day to sort out, which works fine when the city is a base and you’re heading out again tomorrow. Here’s what to eat in the city itself, and what’s worth eating on the day trips around it.
The 4 names to know in the city
Schwartz’s Deli, on Boulevard Saint-Laurent, has been smoking meat the same way since 1928. A sandwich runs about $9.75, and it’s the closest thing Montreal has to a required stop.
La Banquise, in the Plateau and open close to 24 hours, is the poutine institution, with more than 30 combinations of fries, cheese curds, and gravy on the menu.
Fairmount Bagel and St-Viateur Bagel, a block apart in Mile End, are the two sides of a decades-old rivalry. Fairmount opened first, in 1919; St-Viateur followed in 1957. Both wood-fire and boil their bagels in honey water, which is why they’re denser and sweeter than a New York bagel.
Beyond those four, look for tourtière, the Québécois meat pie associated with winter, and the local BYOB custom, “apportez votre vin,” at restaurants that don’t hold a liquor license but let you bring your own bottle with no corkage charge. Montreal also has a genuinely mature craft-beer scene, with Dieu du Ciel the best-known name.
On your day trips
Sugar shacks (cabane à sucre) are the single most seasonal food experience on this list, running late February through April only. A sugar-shack feast built around fresh maple syrup is worth planning a whole day trip around if your dates line up; outside that window, it’s simply not available.
The Eastern Townships are wine country, one to two hours southeast, and a wine-route stop is the natural lunch or afternoon plan if you’re out that way, best timed to overlap with fall foliage season.
Montérégie and Mont-Saint-Hilaire, the closest true day trip at 40-45 minutes out, are apple and cider country. An orchard visit with cider tasting fits easily into a half-day, best in early fall.
Real costs to plan around
Quebec’s sales tax is 14.975% (5% GST plus 9.975% QST), added at the register on every meal, in the city or out on a day trip. Tipping has crept up to 18-20% pre-tax at sit-down restaurants. Budget for both before you look at a menu price and assume that’s the final number.
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For where to stay near the food and the trains, see our best places to stay guide , or check the full 8 day trips guide for timing each of these regions.