Where to Eat in Montreal

Montreal is widely known for its diverse food culture. It’s history of food goes way back to the waves of immigrants that found their way to Canada beginning with the French and proceeding through the World Wars and beyond. With each new wave of immigrants, like most cities, came a new wave of cuisine and food culture. Although this could be said for many major cities there’s just something different about Montreal. It’s multiculturalism is felt throughout the city in the different neighbourhoods but by far the Mile End neighbourhood is one of the best spots to experience a wide range of different foods.

In my last trip to Montreal I had the opportunity of attending my very first food tour with Local Montreal Food Tours. The tour made me want to do a food tour in every city I go to! There were quite a few places that we ventured to on and off the tour. While I don’t necessarily classify myself as a ‘foodie’ I do love to dine out and so I made sure to do my research before travelling.

La Distillerie 

This was our first stop in Montreal. After researching the best places for drinks near our hotel (we stayed near the Latin Quarter), we found this gem. It’s a very small bar so make sure you arrive earlyish. Although because the bar really only does drinks the turnover is fairly quick. The drinks are huge and come in so many different flavours! While you can’t order food here, you can order snacks. We had the bag of salt and vinegar popcorn and were not disappointed. La Distillerie was definitely one of – if not my favourite place to grab a drink in Montreal.

St. Viator Bagel

This was one of the stops on the food tour but I would have been sure to make it a stop regardless. As a big lover of carbs, and therefore bagels it would have been a shame not to make a pitstop. The family owned business has been open for over fifty years and have been churning out hand tossed bagels for years. An interesting fact about St Viator (and most Montreal bagels) is that they are not made with sugar like New York bagels, so they taste a bit healthier.

Les 3 Brasseurs

Les 3 Brasseurs, or The 3 Brothers is a local brewery located in Old Montreal. It’s a great place to pop into if you need a quick refresher after walking so many kilometres around the beautiful old city. There are a lot of options no matter what kind of beer you’re into. I would not however recommend the Cesar that comes with beer – it was too weird of a mix for me.

Vieux-Port Steakhouse 

Also located in old Montreal, Vieux-Port Steakhouse is a bit more expensive than the other restaurants we had dined at but we thought we’d splash out for one night to celebrate our anniversary. The wine selection was great and the steak was to die for. With The Keg right next door Vieux-Port Steakhouse gives up a good rival for the favourite chain restaurant.

Schwartz

This local deli is pretty synonymous when it comes to eating in Montreal. Having opened in 1928, this family owned deli has been filling the stomachs of Montrealers and travellers alike for years. I must warn you though, if you plan on heading over during lunch time or dinner, good luck. We went at 2 in the afternoon on a Monday and still had to wait in line for about half an hour.

Dieu de Ciel

Located in the Mile End district of Montreal, Dieu de Ciel is a great place to grab a pint. The small brewery has quite the collection of beer. The waitresses were really helpful as well in terms of what I would likely enjoy. We only popped in for a quick afternoon drink but I would for sure recommend the spot.

While we barely even touched the surface in terms of restaurants and dining out in Montreal, everywhere that we went was fantastic. If you’re looking to loose weight while vacationing, I’m not sure I would advise you to travel to Montreal, the food and drink options are far too tempting.