Montreal Food Tour

Montreal's food tour almost designs itself. Jean-Talon Market in Little Italy, the bagel ovens of Mile End and the delis on Boulevard Saint-Laurent, the old street locals call the Main, are strung along the same axis a couple of kilometres apart. You can walk it with a guide or on your own, and the choice depends less on the food than on what you want explained.

Guided or self-guided?

Guided food walks run in several neighbourhoods. The ones in Old Montreal are the easiest to find and the least interesting to eat through, with a lot of maple fudge and not much of the city's everyday food. If you join a group, choose a Mile End, Plateau or Jean-Talon route, where tastings happen in family businesses and the guide can tell you why a Jewish deli and an Italian market ended up a few streets apart. That history, Montreal's waves of Jewish, Italian and Portuguese immigration along the Main, is the real value of a guide.

If you already know the story, or would rather eat full portions than tastings, go on your own. The route below is how we would do it.

A morning-to-lunch route

1. Jean-Talon Market, mid-morning. Start in Little Italy, near the Jean-Talon and De Castelnau metro stations. Walk the outer rows of farm stalls first to see what is in season, strawberries in June, corn and tomatoes in August, apples and squash from September, then go inside for Quebec cheeses, ice cider (cidre de glace, pressed from frozen apples) and maple products. Graze rather than sit down; you have two more stops.
2. Mile End bagels. Walk south about half an hour, or take a short bus ride, to Rue Saint-Viateur and Rue Fairmount. Montreal bagels are hand-rolled, boiled in honey-sweetened water and baked in wood-fired ovens, so they come out smaller, denser and sweeter than New York ones. Buy one hot, sesame or poppy seed, and eat it on the pavement. The rivalry between St-Viateur and Fairmount is real; try both and pick a side.
3. Smoked meat on the Main. Continue down Boulevard Saint-Laurent into the Plateau. Montreal smoked meat is brisket cured with spices for days, then smoked and steamed and piled into rye bread with yellow mustard. Delis cut it from lean to fatty; "medium" is the middle ground most regulars order, with a pickle on the side. The oldest delis draw long queues at lunchtime.

Poutine, fries with squeaky cheese curds and brown gravy, fits in at any point, though it is really an evening food.

Who it suits

Anyone with an appetite and good shoes. It is a poor fit for strict dietary needs, since smoked meat, bagels and cheese curds leave little room for substitutions, and in deep winter the walking between stops is hard going.

For a guided walk, book a few days ahead in summer and during festivals, when groups fill. Before paying, check:

• which neighbourhood the route covers, and how many tasting stops it includes
• whether the tastings add up to a meal, so you know whether to eat beforehand
• group size, and whether the tour runs in English, French or both
• how dietary needs are handled; ask before booking, not on the day
• what happens in bad weather, since most routes are outdoors

On your own, there is nothing to book. Jean-Talon is open daily all year, with walls put up around the central hall in winter, and the two famous bagel bakeries keep very long hours. The classic delis don't take reservations, so arrive before or after the lunch rush. Staying in the Plateau or Mile End puts the whole route on your doorstep, as our where to stay guide explains.

• Go in autumn if you can choose. Jean-Talon is at its most generous from late August to October, as our best time to visit guide describes.
• Walk it north to south. Starting at the market and ending at the deli keeps the heaviest food for last and leaves you closer to downtown.
• Share at the deli. A smoked meat sandwich is large. Split one and keep room.
• Carry a card and some cash. Most stalls take cards, but the odd small vendor prefers cash.
• Buy bagels to take home last. They are at their best within hours, and freeze well.
• Learn a few food words. Menus are in French first: fromage (cheese), érable (maple), viande fumée (smoked meat).
• Fold it into a bigger day. Our three-day itinerary links the market, Mile End and the Plateau with Mount Royal.