Mile End: Montreal Bagels and Marché Jean-Talon

We’re in Mile End to taste test Montreal bagels, and explore what there is to eat around Marché Jean-Talon, one of North America’s largest public markets. How could we visit Montreal without trying the famous bagels? Today we’re walking through Mile End, Montreal’s lively arts district, to find a Montreal bagel worth stocking up to take home back to Vancouver, while eating all the goodies along the way, like perogies and gnocchi!

Mile End: Montreal’s Arts District

Classic Hand-rolled Bagels – Fairmount Bagel

First up, we arrived at Fairmount Bagel, one of the oldest bagel shops here in the city. Open since 1919, they’re a family run business known for their classic Montreal bagels ($1.10 – $1.30), with flavors such as sesame, poppy seeds, onion, and more. If you haven’t had one, Montreal bagels are smaller, denser, and slightly sweeter than New York bagels, with that signature chewy texture.

We grabbed one each of their most popular flavors: sesame and poppy seeds. I personally LOVE the flavor of their bagels, especially the sesame. These Montreal Bagels are handed rolled, boiled in honey water (rather than plain water like New York bagels), and baked in a traditional wood fire oven. The process gives it a chewy texture with just the right amount of crunch. The honey water, unique to Montreal Bagels, gives it the slightly sweeter signature flavor.

Fairmont Bagel is more of a dedicated bagel shop, so they don’t make any bagel sandwiches. To enjoy a classic Salmon lox, you’ll have to buy the smoked salmon and cream cheese separately. It’s a bit of a process, but if lox is your thing it’s pretty worth it!

Fairmount Bagel is about a 15 minute walk from Laurier station, so it’s easy to stop by and grab a quick treat while you’re in Mile End. These bagels lasted so well – we had some later in the day and it was still just as good. If you’re looking for bagels to stock up on before you leave Montreal, Fairmount’s bagel lasts well and tastes great! They’re actually open 24/7, so you can fresh bagels any time of the day.

Viral $5 Gnocchi Box – Drogheria Fine

Right next door, there’s Drogheria Fine, the TikTok famous $5 gnocchi, served steaming hot in a cardboard take-out container. The shop is tiny – there’s no seating inside, just stoves and a counter for preparing boxes of gnocchi. The boiling pots of tomato sauces behind the cashier’s counter filled the space with the warm small of tomatoes and spices.

Drogheria Fine‘s gnocchi are $5 per order, but you can add pepper flakes($0.50) or cheese ($1.00). There’s only one flavor: their signature slow cooked tomato sauce. The gnocchi themselves are super fluffy and soft. My favorite part might be the sauce – rich, garlicky, and perfectly seasoned. If you happen to grab some bagels next door, dip it into this sauce – they pair perfectly together!

Traditional Homemade Perogies – Perogie Lili

I’ve been craving perogies for the past few days, and I’m glad we came across Perogie Lili. This little handmade perogies shop has both the classic Ukranian recipes, as well as fun seasonal flavors. Perogie Lili definitely satisfied the perogies cravings!

The Classic Perogies ($7.50) are topped with caramelized onions, sour cream, and chives. It’s creamy and super rich – so good! We also got their dessert perogies, the Sour Cherry Perogies ($10). They’re sweetened with honey, with whole maraschino cherries inside. The sweet-sour cherry taste perfectly goes well with the plainer flavors of the bouncy dough. It was so juicy, it exploded everywhere! If you’re walking by in the Mile End area, definitely check out Perogie Lili!

Italian Pastries – Cafe Olimpico Mile End

We took a quick coffee break back at Cafe Olimpico . It’s our second visit to a Cafe Olimpico this trip, but this time at the Mile End location instead of the Old Montreal location, I LOVE the Mile End cafe. It’s located inside a 1970’s style pool hall, and has tons of indoor and outdoor seating.

This time, we grabbed a Tiramisu and a pistachio cookie to snack on. The coffees here are so good, and don’t miss out on their amazing Caffè Crema – creamy, cooling, and not sugary sweet. It’s the perfect mix of a creamy coffee flavor! The Mile End Cafe Olimpico is 18 minute walk from Rosemont station, so come grab a coffee and a pastry.

Tons of Bagel Varieties – St-Viateur Bagel

The next bagel shop we visited was St-Viateur Bagel, another local favorite and family-owned gem that’s been around since 1957. The moment you walk in, you’re welcomed with the irresistible aroma of freshly baked wood oven Montreal bagels. You can see the line of bakers rolling, stretching, boiling, and baking the bagels right in front of you.

Compared to Fairmount Bagel, St-Viateur Bagel offer even more variety of flavors. For our taste test, we decided to stick with one each of the two classics: sesame seeds and poppy seed bagels. I love that the bagels here are slightly chewier, and the poppy seed one is honestly better here. They also make bagel sandwiches – so if you’re a sandwich person, this should definitely be your first choice!

This St-Viateur Bagel is located in the Mile End area, about 7 minute walk from Saint-Laurent / Saint-Viateur station, There are tons of other locations around Montreal, so you won’t have to only visit Mile End to try this famous Montreal treat.

Largest Public Market – Marché Jean-Talon

We spent the rest of our day with a visit to Marché Jean-Talon, one of North America’s largest public markets. Open all year round, Marché Jean-Talon has been a local favorite since 1933. Walking around, the stalls are lined with baskets of fresh, colorful produce and tons of homemade goodies. I’m convinced that Montreal’s emphasis on fresh ingredients is one reason why the food here is so exceptional.

I’m so jealous of the people living in Montreal, because the produce here are simply so fresh! I’d have so much fun with all of these seasonal ingredients if I lived nearby. Just a simple corn on the cob was so sweet and so juicy – it exploded everywhere! I also couldn’t resist grabbing a homemade apple cider as I’m walking through this giant market.

For a large public market, Marché Jean-Talon is super clean, and has tons of seasonal produce. It’s a great place to check out and wander around. Some of the food options inside the market can be a bit pricy, so I’d probably try some of the options nearby for food instead! It’s a short walk from Jean-Talon station, you won’t miss it!

Authentic Armenian Pizza – Lahmajoune Villeray

Dinnertime rolls around, and we decided to wake up our tastebuds with some Middle Eastern treats and pastries here at Lahmajoune Villeray. Everything here was delicious, freshly made, and packed with flavor, super fresh. It might be one of my favorite meals here in Montreal! The restaurant was impeccably clean, and the entire menu was ridiculously affordable and tasty.

The menu is full of delicious, but cheap treats like Deep Fried Kibbeh filled with ground meat ($2.50), which was pillowy and savory. Of course, at Lahmajoune Villeray, we can’t miss out on their namesake Lahmajoune ($12.99 for 6), a super thin Armenian pizza with meat sauce. It’s so thin – almost like a cracker, with a hearty meaty flavor brightened by lemon juice drizzled on top. It’s my first time trying this Armenian snack, and I definitely will be having more of it in the future!

The restaurant doesn’t have many seating inside, so it’s best to buy a few items to eat while sitting on the benches outside, or while you’re walking. Lahmajoune Villeray was a perfect way to end the trip. It’s next to the market, a 7 minute walk away from Jean-Talon station. If I’m back near the Market, I’d drop by again for their lahmajoune or a kibbeh!

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