Top 10 Must-Try Dishes In Montreal
1-Boulangerie Cheskie
Google 4.7 Stars (1,2K Reviews)
From black and white cookies to cheese crowns, Cheskie serves all manner of Jewish sweets. But its decadent chocolatey coils of sweet dough — i.e., the babka — are the hallmark at this beloved kosher bakery, open since 2002 in Montreal’s Mile End.
359 Rue Bernard O,
(514) 271-2253
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheskies
2-Wilensky's Light Lunch Inc
Google 4.7 Stars (1,1K Reviews)
Open since 1932 and still in the family, Wilensky’s toes the line between lunch counter and time capsule. The Special is the most iconic menu item: all-beef salami, all-beef bologna on a kaiser roll with optional cheese and mandatory mustard. Seriously, please don’t ask them to leave off the mustard.
34 Avenue Fairmount O
(514) 271-0247
3-Café Olimpico - Mile End
Google 4.6 Stars (3.5K Reviews)
Fine, a latte is not exactly a “dish,” but Italian coffee shop Olimpico is a true Montreal icon — it’s cheap, it’s hot, and the atmosphere can’t be beaten. For an alternative that’s similarly notable but less touristy, consider Little Italy’s Caffe Italia.
124 Rue Saint-Viateur O
(514) 495-0746
4- Panini at Café Milano Montréal
Google 4.5 Stars (2,8K Reviews)
Over 50 years old, St-Leonard landmark Café Milano remains a hub for Montreal’s East End Italian community and one of the city’s primo sandwich shops. Diners can’t go wrong with a panino stuffed with steak, sausage, or capicollo — and a mandatory espresso and cannoli for dessert. Now with locations in Laval and the West Island.
5188 Rue Jarry E, Saint-Léonard
(514) 328-0561
5-Chalet Bar-B-Q
Google 4.5 Stars (2,2K Reviews)
This NDG rotisserie has been spinning chicken since 1944, so you know they have the skills to pull off this Quebec staple of juicy sliced chicken on plain white bread, smothered in gravy and topped with peas. Elegant, it is not, but that’s why so many love it.
5456 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest,
(514) 489-7235
6-Drogheria Fine
Google 4.5 Stars (1,3K Reviews)
This tiny pocket of a place on Fairmount Avenue makes one thing only — and it does so very well: piping hot, sauce-drenched, pillowy gnocchi served from a takeout window for 5$. There’s the option of adding red pepper flakes and a generous dusting of Pecorino Romano and taking home a jar of Nonna-approved sauce, too.
68 Av. Fairmount O
(514) 588-7477
https://lasalsadellanonna.com/
7- Dic Ann's Hamburgers
Google 4.5 Stars (954 Reviews)
Founded in Montreal North over 60 years ago and now with several locations around the city, Dic Ann’s is Montreal’s home-grown burger chain. They’re known for obscenely thin patties and almost as slim buns, but the spicy meat sauce on the burger is what makes the magic happen.
1345 Bd du Curé-Labelle
(450) 687-1925
8- Gibeau Orange Julep
Google 4.2 Stars (8,4 Reviews)
This three-storey-high orange sphere acts as something of a beacon alongside the Décarie autoroute; while some stop by to pick up a poutine or burger, the Julep’s signature offering is its eponymous drink, best described as part-way between an orange juice and a milkshake.
7700 Decarie Blvd
(514) 738-7486
9-St Urbain Bagel Bakery
Google 4.0 Stars (236 Reviews)
Some New Yorkers may snub our thinner, sweeter, and less-bready version of the bagel, but along with smoked meat and poutine, it’s one of the city’s most celebrated foods. With several locations, St-Viateur is Montreal’s big bagel success story, although roughly half the population swears by its main competitor, Fairmount, a few blocks away.
263 Rue Saint Viateur O
(514) 276-8044
https://www.stviateurbagel.com/
10- Meli-Melo Market
Google 3.9 Stars (578 Reviews)
The Haitian diaspora makes up a significant part of Montreal’s population, and this part-grocery store, part-casse-croûte is a long-standing staple in the community. The griot is a favourite — cubes of marinated, spiced, and fried pork shoulder.
640 Rue Jarry E, Montréal, QC H2P 1V7, Canada
(514) 277-6409
https://www.facebook.com/marchemelimelo.caraibe/