FYI: they accept cards now! I was fully expecting them to be cash only like they have been for…read moreyears but that is no longer the case. These bagels are delicious! My favorite in the world (for context, I was in NYC just a few weeks ago where I tried several from popular places). The sesame bagels here are slightly sweet on the outside with a rich, umami roasted sesame flavor from the seeds and wood firing. I recommend buying a tub of cream cheese or whatever other supplies you'd like from the cooler to make your own sandwich or to dip your bagel. Of course, they're great on their own, but a little chive cream cheese really brings it to the next level. I always stock up during each trip to Montreal and bring some to friends and family back home and everyone always looks forward to that!

I found La Maison du Bagel on the Netflix show: Feed Phil…read more We were recipients of a just-out-of-the-oven sesame bagel. Best bagel I've had the privilege to enjoy. Service, was fast, friendly and efficient.

One if the famous bagel shops in Montreal. We didn't get a just- out-of-the-oven bagel but the…read moresesame seed bagel was still good. Service was fast, friendly and efficient.

These are definitely my favorite Montreal bagels…read more As a NYC native, I think I am qualified to judge bagels. NYC bagels are definitely the best but these bagels are right up there as well. The biggest difference has to be the hint of sweet that comes from the honey. I did really like that hint of sweetness in my bagel. I was especially enamored with the poppy ones, the aroma and flavor of those were really punchy. The onion and garlic were also very aromatic. I also enjoyed these bagels as the natives do, ripping and dunking them in the cream cheese. The Tre Selle containers of cream cheese were lighter and less dense than the Philadelphia cream cheese I normally get with my bagels. Supposedly it's not a dense because it has less preservatives. I tried the bagel crisps and other items but the bagels are definitely the draw. I ended up grabbing a dozen for my trip back to the states. Fairmount doesn't have as many locations as the main competitor in the area and these is no where to eat in. This is strictly a grab your bagels to go, the ambiance is compact once inside.

We went early and there was no line. This location takes card and we also were able to sit on the…read morepatio. Great service through the whole meal and the bagels were quick to come out. We ordered the "Le Joe Bagel", which was the one on Netflix, a spicy everything bagel (new), a maple apple bagel, and a rosemary & sea salt bagel with jalapeno cream cheese (new). I would say that the "Le Joe Bagel" was a little sweet for us since it had fig in it. The spicy everything bagel was good and the jalapeno cream cheese had a good kick to it too. But my favorite was the maple apple bagel since it was just simple and nice. The bagel itself looks smaller than a New York bagel but it's more dense and gives a good pretzel feel to it. I tend to like that more than the full bread feel from New York. We didn't try other bagel spots but I don't feel like I would need to or want to. It was great. I'd come back

Actually some of the best bagels I've had in a minute…read more The crunch was 10/10 and everything tasted so fresh. We had to order delivery bc they don't take card and we had 0 cash on us, which was a bit of a bummer. Lowkey taxing to have to pay for delivery but the food did NOT disappoint. If they took card it would be a 5, but for now it's a solid 4.

Montreal is well known (for those who know bagels) as one of the best places in the world to get…read morethem...so the feud between NYC and Montreal is legendary. Located in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, the St Viateur bagel factory has been in the same place for decades. This brand along with Fairmount, are the two best known bagel shops in the city. As you walk in, you can see the workers churning fresh bagels at all times of the day. I got the cinnamon raisin bagel, which was not freshly baked, whereas my husband got the sesame bagel, right off the line and it was warm and delicious....the best thing is to get whatever is fresh off the line and that will make anyone happy.....fresh and warm..... Cream cheese can be bought right there, but there's no place to eat it, so grab a bench nearby or a coffee at one of the nearby coffee shops and enjoy your St Viateur bagel.

Had the sesame bagel, fresh and piping hot. No cream cheese needed! Chewy goodness that had a hint…read moreof sweetness (Montreal bagels are boiled in water with honey). These hand rolled bagels are made fresh in house in a wood fire oven. I've had fresh New York bagels before and the Montreal ones are waaaaay better! P.S. I was thrilled to learn that these bagels are available in the freezer section of my local Central Market

Great smoked meat sandwich!…read more Honestly my first thought was to compare this sandwich to the many pastrami sandwiches I've had in NYC but that would be comparing apples to oranges. Even Schwartz will tell you it's not the same product although it is very similar. Both institutions cure, spice, smoke and steam the meat but that's where the similarities end. Although I don't know for sure, I've heard the cut of meat is different. Katz uses a naval cut, which is noticeably fattier and juicy. Schwartz's smoked meat doesn't lack in fattiness but it's far less fatty and juicy. Another fact on the first bite is -the flavor. Katz's flavor profile on the pastrami is a knockout punch while Schwartz delivers a jab. Schwartz's smoked meat delivers a different flavor profile all together. That's not to say Schwartz isn't great because it's half the price on Katz essentially and you don't have to tip your slicer here. That's not to say Schwartz doesn't bring their own brand of chaos. On my way out the slicer shouted he'd serve no one until the line was straightened out to his liking. LOL. It's all good though, that line was a mess and Sometimes tourists need a stern talking to. I'd get in a straight line for sure for this sandwich! I got my sandwich from the takeout next door versus waiting for table service. The line was 20 deep at 3pm and I just didn't have the patience on a drizzling afternoon. I'd revisit for another one of these smoked meat sandwiches.

Schwartz is a small deli with a lot of history, and I love places like this where you can sit right…read moreat the counter. The service there was great, and it had that classic old-school deli atmosphere. I hadn't had a pastrami sandwich in a while, and while this one was very good, I wouldn't personally call it great. I found the meat a little dry, but adding coleslaw and a pickle definitely helped. I also tried their classic black cherry soda, which was excellent. If I'm comparing it to places like Langer's or Katz's, I'd probably rank Schwartz below both of them. I think Katz has better pastrami with more fat and a juicier texture overall, and Langer's #19 is still my favorite deli sandwich because you're getting more ingredients and flavors than just pastrami and mustard. Overall though, Schwartz is definitely worth checking out. You probably won't be blown away, but it's still a really solid experience with a lot of character.

While on vacation, in June, I tried my first bagel in Canada…read more There was an impressive selection of cream cheeses and toppings, available. The bagels are smaller than a typical NYC bagel; that's not a bad thing! They were tasty and just enough for Breakfast. The place is clean and the staff cordial.

I had to try a bagel when I was in Montreal. Can I even say I was in Canada if I didn't eat a…read morebagel? We grabbed a sesame bagel with cream cheese, lox and red onion and a chocolate chip with blueberry cream cheese; both bagels were delicious and gobbled up so fast, I almost didn't get a picture! Service was great, they were very friendly and patient with us while we decided what we wanted. We sat at a clean table near the bagel shop and people watched while we snacked. Clean and delicious!

6/4/25 - went for take out Breakfast. Picked up a few…read moredifferent bagel combinations for myself and companion. There is some seating out side of the counter area. One thing: they are not as big nor dense as New York City bagels. These are enough for a decent Breakfast with coffee, and juice, and not feeling weighed down. We're on vacation. The staff is bilingual, helpful when the last time you used French was before the turn off the century =)

"Her cheeks like the red rose that blooms in the spring Her…read morehair like a lily that grows in young valley She was only a hard-working factory girl" (Sinead O'Connor) La Fabrique de bagel translates into "The Bagel Factory" and there are nine of them in the Montreal area specializing in (you guessed it) the Montreal-style bagel). So, what is a Montreal bagel and how is it different from any other bagel? Well, they are smaller, thinner, denser, and sweeter, with a larger hole in the middle than most other bagels. Back in the day, they were always baked in a wood-burning oven. Today, those types of ovens are illegal, so they engaged a team of bagel production experts to reconfigure a cooking process and replicate the test and texture of their old-school wood fire baked ancestors. And their bagels can be enjoyed in eighteen different varieties, and that is a pretty awesome selection. We decided on an Everything Bagel with jalapeno cream cheese (C$5.25) and a Plain bagel with salmon cream cheese (C$5.25). Our drinks were a Small Americano (C$3.50) and a small drip coffee (C$2.75). My Everything bagel was wonderful. Chewy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a subtle "hint of sweetness" taste. It was everything you'd ever want in a bagel. And the jalapeno cream cheese was great. I order this a lot and sometimes I end up with a dissapointingly bland cream cheese with the lightest green tint to it, as though someone used an eye dropper to administer a few milligrams of pickle juice. But not here, there were actual hunks of raw jalapeno in the cream cheese that left no doubt in your mind what you were eating. They sure delivered the old zip I expect in anything with the word "jalapeno" in its description. You order on their assembly line (the servers were great), then grab a table out in the common area outside the store. PRO TIP The store can be tricky to find. It's inside an office building on a lower level which resembles a shopping mall. What a great thing for the office workers to grab some food without confronting the harsh Montreal winter weather.

Ubicada en pleno corazón de Saint-Laurent, en el Mile-End, esta panadería es una joya. Tienen una…read morevariedad espectacular de panadería, todo se ve y sabe de excelente calidad. Además, los precios son bastante accesibles para el nivel de los productos. Lo único malo es que no cuentan con mucho espacio para comer en el lugar, pero aun así es totalmente recomendada.

Boulangerie Guillaume caught my eye unexpectedly. I did not have this place on my list of bakeries…read moreto try while in Montreal, but as I was walking in the area I noticed many people holding their distinctive yellow bags. I was intrigued, and since I can always go for some carbs I decided to head in and check this place out. Unlike most bakeries I visited, Boulangerie Guillaume has a much more modern look, and is larger than a standard bakery. Walking in, I was immediately greeted by stairs which led up to the main production area. All of the bakes were arranged on the back-wall perimeter of the space separated from the pedestrians by a glass wall. The color scheme was mostly black to contrast the bright yellow of the bags and signage. The arrangement of the bakes, combined with the color scheme and modern aesthetics, resulted in a stunning, visually striking presentation. I wasn't too hungry, but I can always go for some sweets and their date square looked good. I went with that, along with a cappuccino. The square was delicious - the dates were high quality, and the crust underneath was moist while maintaining its integrity. The cappuccino was also good, a great complement to the bake. Service was efficient, and overall I had a great experience at Boulangerie Guillaume. I definitely want to return to explore more of their menu - I noticed they had some savory items so perhaps for some lunch. Definitely one of the best bakeries I visited in Montreal.

St-Viateur one of the best, if not the best bagel in the Montreal area. We've got one traditional…read moresesame bagel with cream cheese and one with smoked salmon. We also took a dozen of fresh hot bagels. The bagels are made on the spot in a wood oven. The bagels were still hot out of the oven and they're very tasty and full of flavors. Service was quick and professional. There is a small standing area where you can eat your bagel on the go. It would be nice if they have a larger sitting area where you can enjoy your bagels. This location in Laval in the northern suburbs of Montreal is a mostly industrial/commercial area.

A birdie recently told me that Montreal bagels are better than New York's (where I am from), so…read morewhen I visited Montreal during an extended weekend, I gave bagels from St-Viateur a try. Holy crappola... they were unbelievably good! The portions were not thick and ginormous like some of the ones I've had back home. They were the perfect size, not too thick and still soft and chewy inside with a toasted exterior. My entire family wanted sesame bagels with cream cheese, except mine had additional lox and capers. We enjoyed them so much we are planning to return for more tomorrow morning!

After having tried Montréal's iconic bagel places, was eager to go for a bagel at Kettlemans, the…read moreOntario chain's first Montréal location that happened to be (1) opened 24 hours and (2) a relatively short walking distance from my hotel. With large picture windows, seating, and bagel production able to be watched, it ended up to be a good choice. Chose Kettlemans Pumpernickel Bagel with Light Cream Cheese, a Cinnamon Puff, and a Coffee. The friendly attendant provided a pager while he prepared my baked goods. Kettlemans house coffees happen to be Lavazza, so selected the Dark Roast option. The great, super fresh Bagel also was half coated in Sesame. All was perfectly delicious at Kettlemans - plus sitting there enabled me to see one of their bakers rolling bagels, people watch, and charge my phone! Noted they had other enticing specialty treats that, had I not been on vacation with a full agenda, would have tried. Might consider next time trying their Sesame Bagel Dog! Definitely would recommend checking out this Kettlemans!

So everyone's boasting about Montreal bagels and that they blow New York bagels away. So we had to…read morecheck for ourselves. Kettleman's is a cute little bagel and sandwich shop. They make their bagels right there in their shop and each bagel is baked in their wood fire oven. It smells fantastic. The menu is in French but if you go to their website, you can view the English menu. You pick a sandwich and choose the bagel. We weren't feeling too adventurous so we went with turkey and ham & cheese. The sandwiches were very good but there was nothing smeared on the bagels -- no mayo or cream cheese. There may have been a little dollop of mayo on top of the lettuce. As for the bagels, they are really good and very fresh. They're thinner and smaller than New York bagels and there's a slight sweetness detected. I still prefer the fluffier NY bagels but that's a debate for another time. Overall a nice place for lunch.