Montreal Walkable Food Tour From Latke to Poutine

Here’s everything I ate in just 1 day of walking around in Montreal – from latka to poutine! Montreal is an incredibly walkable city, with iconic eats across the streets from each other. Dom, my mom, and I are ready to explore! We start the day with what might be my favorite brunch ever, and ended at La Fountaine Park for the ultimate poutine taste test. If you’re a strolling foodie like us who loves finding iconic local foods on foot, this is the Montreal food tour for you!

Best Brunch Ever? – Arthur’s Nosh Bar

I’m not a morning person, and I really hate lines, but Arthur’s Nosh Bar might be a reason for me to get up early in line for breakfast. This fun, trendy spot serving comfort food with a modern twist was probably my favorite spot from this trip. Every one of their dish was so yummy I still think about them today.

If I had to eat one breakfast everyday, it might just be their Latke Smorgasbord ($17), with soft, creamy scrambled eggs, fresh smoked salmon, and a touch of caviar. It’s a simple plate, but there’s so many ways to combine these flavors in a bite. Creamy, fresh, yet incredibly light, it’s the perfect bite every bite.

Their McArthur Chicken schnitzel sandwich ($22) is like a reimagined McChicken, but 100x better. Perfectly juicy and crispy chicken with crunchy iceberg slaw on challah makes for a balanced, meaty sandwich. It’s pretty hefty – so make sure to share.

I’ve never been a huge fan of pancakes – until Montreal. Arthur’s Syrniki ($18), cottage cheese pancakes were so delicious, i still dream about it today. In fact, i went home and made my own. Each bite was like a fluffy maple syrup pillow with the slight crunch of flaky Maldon salt – the perfect balance of sweet and savory.

Arthur’s has a pretty long wait time, even on a week day when we visited. The food was so good that I definitely come back again to try their extended weekend menu if I’m in town, even with the long wait. It’s an 8 minute walk from Place-Saint-Henri station, in a fun neighborhood to explore. You can walk around while you’re waiting for your table. They’ll text when your table’s ready!

Cordova Coffee Shop

Fall is the perfect time for pumpkin spice latte, and Cordova Coffee Shop was the perfect after-shopping coffee break. I had to grab a PSL for myself, while my mom got an iced coffee. My latte was creamy, and definitely pumpkin-spiced – so fitting with the weather.

Cordova Coffee Shop is small inside, but has an super open outdoor patio. It is a relaxing spot to be sipping coffee and chatting away. If you come by in the evening, they also serve cocktails and Spanish tapas. Whether you’re a coffee person or a cocktail person, Cordova has something for you.

OSMO X MARUSAN Cafe-Terrasse

After our mini-hike on Mont-Royal Park, we headed to OSMO X MARUSAN Cafe-Terrasse for a quick snack. This trendy Japanese-style cafe serves tamago-sando, curry, and a variety of coffee and teas, bringing back back memories of our Japan trip. This cafe was definitely a place my dad would have adored, with a great vibe, great location, and great matcha. My dad was supposed to join us on this trip, and I really would love to share this moment with him.

For drinks, we got a matcha latte ($5), a yuzu lemonade ($5), and an iced matcha ($4). The matcha here was so creamy and not grassy at all, just like the ones we loved in Japan. This matcha spot brought back so many memories of my Japan trip with my dad, I know he would have loved it here.

We also got a tamago-sando ($12) to share. Here at OSMO X MARUSAN Cafe-Terrasse, they do tamago-sando a little differently. Deep fried soft boiled eggs are sandwiched between soft milk bread with their signature mayo, making it a tasty snack. If egg sandwiches aren’t your thing, they also have chicken, katsu, and roast beef to choose from.

OSMO X MARUSAN Cafe-Terrasse is super close to the Sherbrooke / Saint-Laurent station. If you’re in the area in need of a quick refreshment, stop by for a matcha and tamago-sando.

Portuguese Chicken Poutine – Ma Poule Mouillée

Next, we headed on a poutine adventure, because you can’t visit Montreal without tasting this Quebec classic. Ma Poule is a casual Portuguese grill known for its grilled chicken, meat sandwiches, and of course – their giant Portuguese style rotisserie chicken poutine. Walking in, all you can smell is the grilling chicken.

Ma Poule Mouillée makes their chicken poutine with a layer of crispy fries and cheese curds. Then, chopped juicy rotisserie chicken is piled on top and covered with brown gravy. They’re saucy, chunky, and super affordable at $14. It was so big, we had to bring our leftovers back to the hotel – and it was just as good reheated. Dom said this is his all time favorite poutine.

Besides poutines, Ma Poule Mouillée also has some yummy dessert options, like Portuguese egg tart and millefeuille. If you have the stomach for if after your chicken and poutine, this is a great way to end the meal.

We were really lucky when we visited that there wasn’t much of a line. It’s totally normal for the lines to go out the door at Ma Poule’s, but it moves really quickly, so don’t get scared off. This counter-serve poutine and sandwich hotspot is only a 10 minute walk from Mont-Royal station, right next to La Fontaine Park. Definitely grab a poutine to-go, pick a spot in the park, and enjoy!

Smoked Meat Poutine – La Banquise

Right nearby was our next stop, the Montreal smoked meat poutine at La Banquise. Recommended by Anthony Bourdain, La Banquise is probably one of the most famous poutine places in the world. They’re a poutine-focused restaurant open 24/7, with over 30 different kinds of poutines. They offer two different sizes – regular and large, but the regular was plenty for us to share.

We ordered a regular sized smoked meat poutine ($13.50) that came piled high with smoked meat and drowned in thick gravy. The key to really good poutine is perfecting the three main ingredients: crispy fries, fresh cheese curds, and hot savory gravy. La Banquise nails them all. If smoked meat is not your thing, there are tons of toppings to choose from like mushrooms, bacon, and sausage.

When it came to which poutine was better, both were incredible—crispy fries, squeaky cheese curds, and rich gravy. But, La Banquise might be the winner for me with their gravy and fries. If you’re curious about which place has a better poutine, definitely come by Montreal and try them side by side!

Creative Ice Cream Flavors – Unicone

We ended our day, and our walking tour, with some ice cream from Unicone. Unicone has some of the most unique rotating flavors I’ve ever seen, like baklava, corne de gazelle, and key lime pie. Their ice cream is smooth, and just the right amount of sour and sweet in their flavors.

They offer scooped and soft serve ice cream at a pretty affordable price. We grabbed a key lime pie and passionfruit swirled cone, and the key lime pie flavor was a real highlight for Dom. It’s a nice spot to sit, chat, and enjoy some ice cream. Unicone is an 8 minute walk from Sherbrooke station, so try it out if you’re in the area.

Travel Canada and the US With me!