St-Viateur Bagel & Café - Montreal, Quebec

When your sister-in-law is a born and bred Montrealer, you know her recommendation for bagels will be spot-on. @stviateurbagels has been her lifelong favourite (but that’s not to say she doesn’t also appreciate the city’s other famous brand – Fairmount), so their landmark shop which offers a dine-in menu of BagelWiches ... was our brunch destination today. Montreal’s bagels are immediately recognisable from their slightly thinner shape and larger hole. Texture-wise, I found the density of the bagels just nice, with an enjoyable chewiness that didn’t tire the jaw. The fact that they’re baked in a wood-fire oven meant they exuded a subtle smokiness and had another dimension of tastiness. This was the case with all the variants we chose: 1. The “Breakfast Sandwich” in a Rosemary & Sea Salt Bagel ($13.50) - The omelette, grilled bacon, tomato and pesto was a conventional but tasty combo. 2. The “Traditional” in a Poppy Seed Bagel ($13.50) – My number one! Stole my heart in one bite this did. Love, love, love the signature bagelwich of smoked salmon, cream cheese, tomato, onion, capers and lemon. 3. The “Wow!” in a Rosemary & Sea Salt Bagel ($13.50) – A vegetarian creation that featured a truckload of mildly spicy marinated eggplant, lettuce, creamy goat’s cheese, sun-dried tomato and pesto. 4. The “Le Steak”in a Rosemary & Sea Salt Bagel ($13.50) – The portion of roast beef (medium done) was generous. And it paired deliciously with the Swiss cheese, caramelised onions, lettuce, tomato, olive oil, oregano and Dijon mustard. 5. The “Club Sandwich” in a Poppy Seed Bagel ($13.50) – One cannot go wrong when slices of smoked turkey are married with bacon, tomato, lettuce and mayo. 6. Le “Joe Bagel” ($11.50) – On hindsight, the Sesame Bagel might have been more interesting a flavour combination with the ricotta cheese, fig jam and balsamic glaze. Because as lovely as the Cinnamon & Raisin Bagel was, it did feel a bit sweet overall. But that’s just me. After eating, we bought some merchandise to take home with us. Read more

Lovely atmosphere, tasty bagel! What more can you ask for? The texture of the bagels here, and generally in Montreal, is very different from what we have in Toronto, and I love it here. We ordered the traditional bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese, as well as the all seeds ... bagel and rosemary and sea salt bagel. Update: We visited here again after our delightful first experience and tried out different bagel sandwiches this time. We also bought some bagels to take home. We ordered the Le Steak, Wow!, and Le Joe Bagel. All were very delicious, with the Le Steak being our favorite. Read more

It was one of the best bagels I have ever had, competitive to New York. The way they make the bagels is a work of art. Food, service, and atmosphere were amazing. The place is very clean and organized. Busy lines, but they move quickly.

Such yummy bagels! The shop was of course busy with tourists but the employees have the system down well to move the line quickly. Everyone was kind and the food was fabulous. It was a great start to a day exploring Montreal.

Ordered bagels set with customized flavors, and luckily the blueberry flavor just came out of the oven! So amazing the texture! Please try the fresh one if you get a chance! Even bought a jar of salmon sauce! So happy experience! Also the staff here are all friendly!