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Montreal Dining

Montréalers conduct much of their business and their social lives in the city’s eating places , and Montréal food is as varied as its population, ranging from the rich meat dishes of typical Québécois cuisine to bagels bursting with cream cheese. Masses of restaurants line the area around rue Ste-Catherine downtown, though American fast-food chains seem to be taking over, while Vieux-Montréal has an ever-expanding number of places to eat, though here most are touristy and slightly overpriced. The best for food, and upbeat atmosphere, is in the more French area of the metropolis, around the Plateau and Quartier Latin . Montréal comes a close second to New York as the bagel capital of the world, and they are sold everywhere from grimy outlets to stylish cafés - particularly delicious when fresh, warm and crammed with cream cheese and lox (smoked salmon).

For those on a tight budget the delis, diners and cafés are perfect, and if you’re really broke the so-called pizza war downtown has got slices of pizza down to 99¢. Apportez votre vin establishments, of which there are many on rue Prince Arthur and ave Duluth, are the cheaper restaurant alternatives.

Snacks and Cafes

Ambiance , 1874 rue Notre Dame ouest. Old French tearoom and antique shop.

**Bagel Etc.88 , 4320 boul St-Laurent. Trendy New York-type diner. Excellent bagels from the simple cream cheese to caviar and extravagant breakfasts. Daily 8am-5pm.

Beauty’s , 93 ave du Mont-Royal ouest. A brunch institution with wonderful 1950s decor. Be prepared to get up early on the weekend to avoid the lineup.

Ben’s Delicatessen , 1475 rue Metcalfe. Lithuanian Ben Kravitz opened his deli in 1908 and his sons and grandsons still run this Montréal institution. Its gaudy 1930s interior still draws a few people in the wee hours for delicious smoked meat and diner fare, but the wall of fame attests to happier days.

La Binerie Mont-Royal , 367 ave du Mont-Royal est. Four tables and a chrome counter seat the hundreds of people who visit this well-known café daily. The menu consists of beans, beans and more beans with ketchup, vinegar or maple syrup. Also served is pork, beef, tourtière (a minced porkpie) and pouding chômeur - “unemployed pudding” - a variation on bread pudding.

Briskets , 705 rue Ste-Catherine ouest and 1073 Beaver Hall. Plain decor with wooden tables, popular with students. Smoked meat to eat in or take away. Closed Sun.

Café Ciné-Lumière , 5163 boul t-Laurent. Antique Parisian decor, cheap French food and a wide selection of mussels. Black-and-white films are regularly projected onto the back wall.

Café El Dorado , 921 ave du Mont-Royal est. Coffees from all over the world, and fine desserts.

Café Laika , 4040 boul St-Laurent. The sleek interior draws urbane hipsters from the Plateau for daily specials and cafés au lait .

Café Santropol , 3990 rue St-Urbain. Mostly vegetarian café on the corner of Duluth. Spectacular during the summer when its flowered and fountained back terrace is a welcome oasis from the busy streets, Santropol still retains its charm in winter thanks to its cozy atrium. Huge sandwiches, quiches and salads are offered as well as various herbal teas and coffees.

Fairmount Bagel Bakery , 74 ave Fairmount ouest. Possibly the best bagel outlet in Montréal, offering a huge variety of bagels. There is nowhere to sit, but arm yourself with a bag of bagels, a pot of cream cheese and some smoked salmon (lox), sit on the nearest curb and you’ll soon be in bagel heaven. Open daily 24hr.

Faubourg Ste-Catherine , 1616 rue Ste-Catherine ouest. A gigantic restored building on the corner of Guy. Downstairs is a wealth of food stalls from cookies to fresh veg; upstairs a fast-food mall to surpass all others - everything from fresh salmon to crepes and cookies.

Kilo , 5206 boul St-Laurent. Creating the most divine cakes, particularly the cheesecake, this patisserie is expensive but worth every cent. Open late on weekends.

Reuben’s Deli , 892 and 1116 rue Ste-Catherine ouest. An excellent deli with great jars of pimentos in the window and a wealth of smoked meats. Frantic atmosphere and friendly service. A favourite with local business types, and thus packed at lunchtime.

Schwartz’s Montréal Hebrew Delicatessen , 3895 boul St-Laurent. Schwartz’s is a Montréal institution: a small, narrow deli serving up colossal smoked-meat sandwiches, with surly service thrown in as part of the package. Line-up out the door on weekends.

Wilensky’s Light Lunch , 34 ave Fairmount ouest. Used for countless filmsets because the decor hasn’t changed since 1932 and that includes the till, the grill and the drinks machine. The Wilensky Special includes four types of salami and costs around $4. Closed weekends.

Restaurants

Montréal’s ethnic diversity is amply displayed by the variety of cuisines available and Montréalers try to outdo each other by indulging in exotic fare from Japanese rotis to earthy Portuguese grub. The city has its own Chinatown just north of Vieux-Montréal, a Little Italy around Jean-Talon Métro, a Greek community whose cheaper restaurants are concentrated along Prince Arthur - but for more traditional Greek cuisine head further north along avenue du Parc where a number of Greek-Canadians live. Most prominent of the ethnic eateries are the Eastern European establishments dotted around the city. Opened by immigrants who came to work in the garment factories, their speciality is smoked meat , which has become a Montréal obsession, served between huge chunks of rye bread with pickles on the side.