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Fairmount bagel at Arts Café
Mallory Frayn

10 Places That Do Justice to Montreal Bagels

Restaurants and cafés serving up bagels and lox, breakfast sandwiches, and more

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Fairmount bagel at Arts Café
| Mallory Frayn

Up there with smoked meat as an iconic Montreal food is the bagel. Thinner and crustier than its New York counterpart, it’s a satisfying, doughy treat when served fresh from the wood-burning ovens of the local bagelries, the two stalwarts being Fairmount and St. Viateur.

That said, there’s more to experience than standing on the sidewalk struggling to smear cream cheese on a warm bagel with flimsy plastic knives (indeed, some visitors are disappointed by the fact that the bagel bakeries won’t put anything on the bagel for them). But the following local restaurants will cut open that bagel, and serve up a meal with it. There’s all the classics, like bagel and lox, as well as more creative options like eggs benedict with bagels instead of English muffins — and they all do justice to Montreal’s beloved bagels.

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St-Viateur Bagel & Café

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Why not go straight to the source to enjoy a myriad of bagel delights? In addition to their bakeries on St. Viateur, the company also has a number of sit-down cafés featuring their iconic bagels. The menu goes well beyond traditional bagel and lox platters, serving up a variety of bagel sandwiches from BLTs to smoked meat. (There’s other locations in NDG and in Dollard.)

Arts Café

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Given Arts Café’s location (just down the street from Fairmount Bagel), it’s no surprise that their gravlax plate takes advantage of that. Served open-faced with a smear of lemon cream cheese, generous ribbons of house-cured trout gravlax, and a sprinkling of fried capers, the combination of toppings does justice to the bagel beneath.

Café Névé

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For a quick café option, complete with coffee to-go, Café Névé’s smoked salmon bagel is a solid option. Housemade smoked salmon with all the fixings on top of a St. Viateur bagel is a great way to start the day off right.

Beautys Luncheonette

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Being the very first wholesale customer of St. Viateur bagels, there’s no better place to go and enjoy them than Beautys. “The Special” has been a staple since the beginning; a straightforward bagel and lox combo, served in sandwich format with cream cheese, tomato, and onion.

Beautys Luncheonette
Randall Brodeur

Bagel Etc.

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As the name suggests, Bagel Etc. indeed offers quite the selection of bagel-centric dishes. Their take on huevos rancheros is made with bagels instead of tortillas, all of their Benedicts use bagels in place of English muffins, and their “Benny Goodman” takes advantage of the bagel hole as a nest for a soft cooked egg. Fairmount bagel is the bagel of choice here.

Bagel Etc.
Bagel Etc.
Randall Brodeur

Fletchers (Museum of Jewish Montreal)

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This spot on St. Laurent inside the Museum of Jewish Montreal is open for brunch Friday through Sunday, and thankfully, bagel boards grace the menu. They’re served with salmon, but the twist is that it’s cured with lapchang souchong tea for a smokier take on the classic bagel and lox.

Hinnawi Bros Bagel & Café

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When it comes to Montreal bagel sandwiches, Hinnawi Bros definitely offer substantially more varieties than any other contender with almost 20 to choose from. And it’s not just about quantity — for a grab-n-go spot, there are far worse options to choose from. Try Le Montréalais with egg, cream cheese, ham, Swiss cheese, lettuce, cucumber, and tomato. (Other locations include Mackay, near Concordia University, and Président-Kennedy, near the McCord Museum.)

Rosélys

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This restaurant inside the newly-renovated Fairmont Queen Elizabeth is taking things a notch above the rest and making their own in-house, mini, Montreal bagels to accompany their daily breakfast buffet. The best part is that they’re part of a build-your-own bagel bar, complete with an array of toppings, from jams and jellies, to smoked salmon and other cured fish options.

Snowdon Deli

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It’s not just about the smoked meat at Snowdon Deli, this institution pays homage to the Montreal bagel as well. Bagel breakfast sandwiches are on the menu, as well as bagel and lox in either sandwich or platter format.

Arthurs Nosh Bar

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Arthurs in St. Henri does the bagel thing about as traditionally as possible, yet with impeccable execution. “The Classic” is a bagel adorned with house smoked salmon, cream cheese, pickled onions, capers, and dill. Simple and delicious.

St-Viateur Bagel & Café

Why not go straight to the source to enjoy a myriad of bagel delights? In addition to their bakeries on St. Viateur, the company also has a number of sit-down cafés featuring their iconic bagels. The menu goes well beyond traditional bagel and lox platters, serving up a variety of bagel sandwiches from BLTs to smoked meat. (There’s other locations in NDG and in Dollard.)

Arts Café

Given Arts Café’s location (just down the street from Fairmount Bagel), it’s no surprise that their gravlax plate takes advantage of that. Served open-faced with a smear of lemon cream cheese, generous ribbons of house-cured trout gravlax, and a sprinkling of fried capers, the combination of toppings does justice to the bagel beneath.

Café Névé

For a quick café option, complete with coffee to-go, Café Névé’s smoked salmon bagel is a solid option. Housemade smoked salmon with all the fixings on top of a St. Viateur bagel is a great way to start the day off right.

Beautys Luncheonette

Being the very first wholesale customer of St. Viateur bagels, there’s no better place to go and enjoy them than Beautys. “The Special” has been a staple since the beginning; a straightforward bagel and lox combo, served in sandwich format with cream cheese, tomato, and onion.

Beautys Luncheonette
Randall Brodeur

Bagel Etc.

As the name suggests, Bagel Etc. indeed offers quite the selection of bagel-centric dishes. Their take on huevos rancheros is made with bagels instead of tortillas, all of their Benedicts use bagels in place of English muffins, and their “Benny Goodman” takes advantage of the bagel hole as a nest for a soft cooked egg. Fairmount bagel is the bagel of choice here.

Bagel Etc.
Bagel Etc.
Randall Brodeur

Fletchers (Museum of Jewish Montreal)

This spot on St. Laurent inside the Museum of Jewish Montreal is open for brunch Friday through Sunday, and thankfully, bagel boards grace the menu. They’re served with salmon, but the twist is that it’s cured with lapchang souchong tea for a smokier take on the classic bagel and lox.

Hinnawi Bros Bagel & Café

When it comes to Montreal bagel sandwiches, Hinnawi Bros definitely offer substantially more varieties than any other contender with almost 20 to choose from. And it’s not just about quantity — for a grab-n-go spot, there are far worse options to choose from. Try Le Montréalais with egg, cream cheese, ham, Swiss cheese, lettuce, cucumber, and tomato. (Other locations include Mackay, near Concordia University, and Président-Kennedy, near the McCord Museum.)

Rosélys

This restaurant inside the newly-renovated Fairmont Queen Elizabeth is taking things a notch above the rest and making their own in-house, mini, Montreal bagels to accompany their daily breakfast buffet. The best part is that they’re part of a build-your-own bagel bar, complete with an array of toppings, from jams and jellies, to smoked salmon and other cured fish options.

Snowdon Deli

It’s not just about the smoked meat at Snowdon Deli, this institution pays homage to the Montreal bagel as well. Bagel breakfast sandwiches are on the menu, as well as bagel and lox in either sandwich or platter format.

Arthurs Nosh Bar

Arthurs in St. Henri does the bagel thing about as traditionally as possible, yet with impeccable execution. “The Classic” is a bagel adorned with house smoked salmon, cream cheese, pickled onions, capers, and dill. Simple and delicious.