Montreal: Food and Drink

Montreal offers an enviable selection of restaurants and dining experiences, which is no surprise as Montreal is Canada's premier cultural city. Famous for bagels, maple syrup and poutine (french fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds) visitors to Montreal can expect not only fantastic French and Canadian cuisine but also a diverse array of other cultures such as Italian, Chinese, Indian, Russian and Thai.

Montreal's downtown offers first class restaurants and has some very good and reasonably priced bistros with fixed-price menus (always worth a look if not a taste). For budget minded visitors Montreal serves sandwiches (the smoked meat such as pastrami or corned beef is a must) and lite eats called casse croute; also check out Montreal's Little Italy or Chinatown. If you're in the mood for something sweet try a queues de castor “beaver tail” (a deep fried pastry in the shape of a heart dipped in cinnamon). Sampling local wine from the vineyards of Cantons-de-l'Est is worth a go or sample wine from the Niagara Region or British Columbia. Montreal, as is Canada, is famous for its ice wines. Pair your wine with cheese as Montreal offers an incredible variety of cheese that cannot be bought outside Quebec. Try the Mimolette Jeune, Valbert St-Isidor, Cru des Erables or Oka. Restaurants generally serve food until 10 or 11 pm.