Right or wrong, I have one rule when I’m on vacation: screw the diet. I'm proud to report that I most definitely followed that rule while exploring the Montreal food scene.
If you ever visit Montreal, you’ll quickly realize that this pretty city has a lot to offer. But, real talk, all I took advantage of was the food. That and the Notre-Dame Basilica, of course. I kid you not, I ate so much grub that I put on five pounds in a week. Note to self: time for a juice cleanse!
So, with that being said, I’d like to help you gain weight on your vacation too. The Montreal food scene is famous for three things: poutine, bagels and smoked meat. The restaurants below are where you can find the best of each.
La Banquise
But first, poutine!
As a lover of puns, I want to say that Vladimir Poutine is the place to go. But, the locals say differently. You’ll want to head to La Banquise for your fries, cheese curds and gravy. Since I’m new to the poutine scene, I was shocked to see that they had amped up options too, including a dish with everyone’s favourite expensive treat - the avocado!
St. Viateur
All day, every day: bagels.
To anyone who's tried them, it's obvious that Montreal's bagels are the best – boiled in honey water and baked in wood-fired ovens, they’re impossible to hate. But, drama alert: there’s a feud in the Montreal bagel scene.
The city is divided on which bagel shop is best, so you’ll have to hit up two locations. Head to St. Viateur for breakfast and Fairmount Bagel for lunch. Carb lovers rejoice.
Chez Schwartz's
Treat yo self: eat the smoked meat.
Nom, nom and more nom. You must go to Schwartz’s for a Montreal smoked meat sandwich. Not only is it the oldest deli in Canada, but Celine Dion is co-owner, so you might just get a celebrity sighting. Oh and I forgot to mention, you can cross the street immediately after to treat yo self with Ripples Ice Cream. I told you I ate a lot this week.
Enjoy the eats!
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