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

The Plateau-Mont-Royal and its northern neighbour, Mile End, are the part of Montreal most visitors picture: brick triplexes with outdoor spiral staircases, cafés on every corner, and more small restaurants per block than almost anywhere in the country. This is where a lot of Montrealers actually eat, so it rewards wandering. Here is how the area fits together and what to look for on each street.

Where are the Plateau and Mile End?

The Plateau sits on the east side of Mount Royal. Its traditional edges are Sherbrooke Street to the south, Parc La Fontaine to the east, Laurier Avenue to the north, and Saint-Laurent Boulevard to the west. Mile End continues north and west from there, with Saint-Laurent, Saint-Viateur, Fairmount and Bernard among its main food streets.

The Orange Line metro runs underneath, with Sherbrooke, Mont-Royal and Laurier stations the most useful stops. Most people walk or cycle once they arrive, because the best food is spread out along side streets.

What is the history of the Plateau and Mile End?

The Plateau took its current shape around 1900 as a working-class neighbourhood, largely French-Canadian in the east and largely Jewish in the west. Saint-Laurent Boulevard, known locally as the Main, was for generations the symbolic line between English-speaking Montreal to the west and French-speaking Montreal to the east. The writer Michel Tremblay set many of his stories among the Plateau's working families.

Mile End began as a village around a tavern at the corner of Mont-Royal and Saint-Laurent and became part of Montreal in 1910. It has been a landing place for wave after wave of newcomers: Eastern European Jews, Italians, Portuguese and Greeks, and later Hasidic families and artists. That is why a synagogue, an Italian social club and a Portuguese bakery can share a block, and why the food is so varied.

Which streets should you eat on?

Street	What to expect
Saint-Laurent Boulevard	The old Main: delis, bars, late-night snacks and everything in between
Saint-Denis Street	French bistros and terrasses, with a more literary, French-language feel
Mont-Royal Avenue	The everyday high street: cafés, bakeries, groceries and casual restaurants
Duluth Avenue	Small, cosy bring your own wine restaurants
Saint-Viateur and Fairmount	Mile End's bagel streets, cafés and bakeries
Bernard Street	Cafés, wine bars and neighbourhood restaurants at the top of Mile End

What should you eat in the Plateau?

The Plateau is bistro country. Look for a table d'hôte, the fixed-price menu that bundles a starter, a main and often a dessert and coffee for little more than the price of a main course, especially at lunch. Many dining rooms on and around Duluth Avenue are bring your own wine restaurants, so buy a bottle on the way and check the sign on the door.

It is also one of the best brunch neighbourhoods in Canada. Weekend brunch spots stretch from De Lorimier Avenue all the way west to Avenue du Parc, and lines form early on Saturdays and Sundays. Go before ten, or come on a weekday.

What should you eat in Mile End?

Mile End is the home of the Montreal bagel, and two bakeries that have been rolling them for decades sit within a few minutes' walk of each other on Saint-Viateur and Fairmount. Beyond bagels, look for Portuguese custard tarts and grilled chicken, Greek and Italian cafés, specialty coffee, natural wine bars and neighbourhood restaurants that change their menu with the season. It is a good area for a long, unplanned afternoon of small stops rather than one big meal.

How do you plan a food day in the Plateau and Mile End?

1. Start with coffee and a pastry on Mont-Royal Avenue.
2. Walk north up Saint-Laurent into Mile End and pick up bagels warm from the oven.
3. Sit down for lunch with a table d'hôte at a bistro, where it is usually the best value of the day.
4. Spend the afternoon in Parc La Fontaine or on the slopes of Mount Royal.
5. Pick up a bottle and finish with dinner at a bring your own wine restaurant on Duluth.

When is the best time to visit?

Summer is the liveliest season. Mont-Royal Avenue is usually closed to cars for part of the summer and fills with benches and terrasses, though the dates and stretches change, so check before you go. Autumn is ideal for walking. Winter is quieter on the street but the restaurants are full, and a bowl of soup and a hot drink in a small Plateau café is very much part of the experience.

What should you know before you go?

• Say bonjour. Service starts in French, and most staff switch to English happily if you need it.
• Bring cash for small bakeries, though cards are widely accepted.
• Book on weekends. Small dining rooms fill fast, especially bring your own wine places.
• Tip on the amount before tax at sit-down restaurants.

Mosey is built for exactly this kind of neighbourhood: you can rate the places you ate at and the dishes you ordered, with photos, keep a list of the spots you want to try, and follow friends whose taste you trust.

More guides to read next:

• Atwater Market guide: what to buy and eat by the Lachine Canal
• The best neighbourhoods for food in Montreal, and what to eat in each
• Bring your own wine in Montreal: how "apportez votre vin" restaurants work

More in the Canadian food guides and the ranked lists of places.