Food guides for Montreal, Quebec

Atwater Market guide: what to buy and eat by the Lachine Canal

Atwater Market is Montreal's art deco market hall by the Lachine Canal, open all year with butchers, cheese shops and farmers' stalls. How to get there, what to buy and how to make a day of it.

Best Bakeries in Montreal: Croissants, Sourdough and Babka

A guide to the best bakeries in Montreal: where to compare croissants, sourdough and babka, what to order first and how to shop for bread and pastry.

The best neighbourhoods for food in Montreal, and what to eat in each

Montreal is one of the great food cities of North America. Where to go for bagels, smoked meat, markets, bring-your-own-wine bistros and late-night poutine, neighbourhood by neighbourhood.

Best Pho in Montreal: Noodle Soup and Vietnamese Food

A guide to the best pho in Montreal: the broth, the noodles and the herbs, Chinatown and Côte-des-Neiges bowls and how to order well on a cold day.

Bring your own wine in Montreal: how "apportez votre vin" restaurants work

Montreal is famous for "apportez votre vin" restaurants, where you bring your own bottle. How they work, where to find them, what to bring, and the etiquette that matters.

Brunch in Montreal: Where to Go and How to Skip the Line

A guide to brunch in Montreal: how weekend lines work, how to skip them, which neighbourhoods to try, what the menus look like and what to order.

Build Your Montreal Comfort Food List: A Method

Build a Montreal comfort food list with a method: what to judge in a pâté chinois, a pea soup and a pudding, how to take notes and how to share favourites.

Date Night Restaurants in Montreal: Old Montreal and More

A guide to date night restaurants in Montreal: candlelit rooms in Old Montreal, a hotel dining room, bistros and how to choose a table for the occasion.

Food Allergies in Montreal: Bagels, Smoked Meat, Poutine

Food allergies in Montreal: how a sesame bagel, spiced smoked meat with mustard, poutine and tourtière raise questions, plus the French words worth knowing.

How much do you tip in Montreal? Quebec tipping, GST and QST explained

In Montreal, tip 15 to 20 percent of the pre-tax bill at a sit-down restaurant. How GST and QST appear on the bill, and Quebec's pre-tax rule for card terminals.

How to check a Montreal restaurant's food safety record

Montreal does not post inspection grades on restaurant doors, but convictions for food safety offences are public. Who inspects restaurants, where to look up the record, and how to read it.

How to order in French at a Montreal restaurant: useful phrases

You do not need fluent French to eat well in Montreal, but a few phrases go a long way. What to say when you arrive, order, ask for the bill and pay, plus the Quebec words on the menu.

Jean-Talon Market guide: what to eat and buy in Montreal's Little Italy

Jean-Talon Market is one of Montreal's biggest and best-loved public markets, open year-round in Little Italy. When to go, what to eat and buy, and how to combine it with the neighbourhood.

Little Italy Montreal food guide: espresso, pizza and delis

Montreal's Little Italy runs along Saint-Laurent Boulevard between Jean-Talon and Saint-Zotique. Where it is, what to eat, how to pair it with Jean-Talon Market, and when Italian Week happens.

Montreal bagels: what makes them different and where to get them

Montreal bagels are smaller, sweeter and denser than New York's, boiled in honey water and baked in wood-fired ovens. The great rivalry, how to order, and how to eat them.

Montreal Chinatown food guide: dim sum, noodles and bakeries

Montreal's Chinatown is compact, walkable and one of the oldest in North America. Where it is, its history, what to eat on De La Gauchetière and around it, and how to fit it into a day.

Montreal food festivals: MTLàTABLE, Montréal en Lumière and more

Montreal has food events in every season: a restaurant week in the autumn, a winter festival built around gastronomy, Italian Week in summer and sugar shack season in spring. How each one works.

Montreal Food Halls and Time Out Market

Montreal food halls explained: Time Out Market at Centre Eaton, Le Central by the Quartier des spectacles, Le Cathcart under Place Ville Marie, with tips.

Montreal Public Markets: Jean-Talon, Atwater and More

A guide to Montreal public markets: the Art Deco halls of Jean-Talon and Atwater, the smaller Maisonneuve and Lachine markets and how to shop like a local.

Montreal smoked meat: how to order it and what makes it special

Montreal smoked meat is cured, spiced, smoked and steamed brisket piled on rye with mustard. How it differs from pastrami, how to order lean, medium or fatty, and where to eat it.

Montreal terrasses and pedestrian streets: where to eat outside

Every summer, Montreal closes several commercial streets to cars and fills them with terrasses. When terrasse season runs, which streets usually go car-free, and how to get a table outside.

Old Montreal food guide: how to eat well and avoid the tourist traps

Old Montreal is beautiful and full of restaurants, but the busiest squares are not where the best meals are. How to tell a tourist trap from a good table, and where to go instead.

Plateau-Mont-Royal and Mile End food guide: where and what to eat

The Plateau and Mile End are where many Montrealers eat every day: bistros, brunch, bagels, Portuguese bakeries and bring your own wine dining rooms. A street-by-street guide to eating there.

Poutine in Montreal: where it came from and how to spot a great one

Poutine is fries, fresh cheese curds and gravy, and Montreal takes it seriously. Its Quebec origins, what makes a great one, the best variations, and when to eat it.

Sugar shack season in Quebec: what a cabane à sucre meal is like

Every spring, Quebec's sugar shacks serve huge maple-soaked feasts and maple taffy on snow. When the season runs, what you eat, and how to plan a trip from Montreal.

Verdun Montreal Restaurants: Wellington Street and Beyond

A neighbourhood guide to Verdun Montreal restaurants: how Wellington Street works, where to find burgers, Peruvian food and terraces, and how to plan a visit.

Villeray Montreal Restaurants: A Neighbourhood Guide

A guide to Villeray Montreal restaurants: brunch rooms, a Syrian Armenian bistro, a market full of snacks and how to spend a relaxed day near Jean-Talon.