Must-Eat Spots on Canada’s East Coast: A Guide to Montreal’s Top Three Budget Eats (Part 2)

Text & Photos /Papa Seahorse

Although Fairmont Bagel is open 24/7 all year round, the lack of seating is a slight downside. If you want to sit down and enjoy Montreal’s signature bagels at your leisure, you’ll have to head to St-Viateur Bagel, another institution as renowned as Fairmont Bagel.

St-Viateur Bagel & Cafe
Mr. Myer Lewkowicz, an immigrant from Poland, opened the first St-Viateur Bagel in 1957. Over the past 50-plus years, the business has grown to include four bagel bakeries and three cafés with seating.

On this day, Papa Seahorse visited the St-Viateur Bagel & Café on Mont-Royal Avenue. A large cartoonish bagel relief on the restaurant’s exterior wall waved at me from afar. Stepping inside, the bustling sounds of patrons mingled with the faint aroma of freshly baked bagels. Behind the counter was the bakery itself—young bakers on one side kneaded dough, while on the other, baking staff used long wooden poles to flip bagels over the fire, transferring the freshly baked ones to a holding trough. Hot bagels rolled down a chute with a plop, where another worker gathered them to be bagged or placed on shelves for sale.

As a full-fledged café, the menu includes not only bagel sandwiches but also salads, desserts, and a variety of hot and cold drinks, offering plenty of choices. I ordered a sandwich combo, which came with a choice of soup or salad. The traditional sandwich (Traditionel) arrived with a one-centimeter-thick layer of cream cheese spread on the bagel, a few slices of purple onion, several thick slabs of smoked salmon stacked on top, and a sprinkle of capers—the unique chewiness of the bagel, the briny taste of the smoked salmon, and the richness of the cheese created a flavor that was both smooth and springy, bold yet simple on the palate. One bite and I couldn’t help but praise it aloud.

The other option was the A La Coque Deluxe omelet sandwich. Though not as indulgent as the salmon sandwich, it had a pastoral charm—nearly three-centimeter-thick omelet paired with grilled ham, layered with tomatoes and lettuce, and drizzled with pesto... All the ingredients came together in the mouth, their freshness reminiscent of walking barefoot along an Italian country road lined with olive trees, the Mediterranean sun gently warming your skin.

After the main course, if you still have room, consider ordering a fruit cup (Fruit Salad). Admire the yellow, green, and red hues through the glass, then savor the slightly tart fruit medley to perfectly round off this bagel feast.

Poutine La Banquise

When you hear “poutine,” you might not know what it is, but “cheese curds and gravy fries” should ring a bell.
Poutine originated in Quebec, on Canada’s East Coast, in the 1950s. While its exact birthplace is debated and lost to history, one thing is certain: poutine has become a Canadian classic. You can find this hot, hearty, and indulgent snack in any corner of North America—even at McDonald’s.

Calling it an indulgent snack is no exaggeration—crispy golden fries, thumb-sized cheese curds, and beef gravy form a trio packed with calories. In recent years, poutine makers have added even more ingredients, such as chicken, salmon, ham, sausage, even liver pâté or truffles, creating an explosion of flavors and calorie counts. The term “culinary competition” doesn’t even begin to describe this beloved national dish.

If you’re in Montreal and craving poutine, 90% of locals will point you to Poutine La Banquise. Established in 1968 as a humble hot dog and fry stand, the fate of this eatery changed in the 1980s when someone decided to specialize in poutine. Today, it offers over 30 varieties, making it synonymous with Montreal’s poutine scene.

From the outside, bright yellow walls and orange-blue awnings give La Banquise a youthful vibe. Inside, the décor is pop-art inspired—graffiti on the walls, handwritten messages covering the floor-to-ceiling windows, and a harmonious mix of red brick, exposed ceiling beams, and gnarled tree branches.

Even at 4 p.m., the place is packed. Most patrons are young, though there are also middle-aged couples dining alone or families with young children. With so many options on the menu, it’s hard to choose—so I asked the waitress for help. A slightly plump, spicy-looking server recommended La T-Rex and L’Asterix—the former, true to its name, is a carnivore’s dream, loaded with ground beef, Italian sausage, bacon, and hot dogs; the latter is stacked with mushrooms, bacon, pepper sauce, and finished with yogurt. When the two oval-shaped poutines arrived, I gasped—it was just the small size. At the next table, a young man had ordered the large portion, his food piled high like a small mountain.

Taking a deep breath, I dug in with my fork. The fries were crispy, the cheese soft and gooey, and the gravy tied all the ingredients together. It felt like a brass band marching in my mouth: now the mushrooms burst with aroma, now the sausage juices sprayed... The potatoes and cheese acted like timpani drums, driving the insatiable appetite behind every delicious bite... Guilt and pleasure battled endlessly in my mind—a feast where senses and reason clashed constantly.

Do I like Montreal? With food this tempting and waistline-expanding, it’s love-hate—but I surrender without a fight.

Papa Seahorse
A Gemini man born under the air sign, he worked as a senior marketing and PR executive for a multinational corporation before turning 45. After that, he moved to Canada. Now, alongside his teenage sons, he plays the role of a father amid foreign springs of cherry blossoms, summers of sunshine, autumns of maple leaves, and winters of rain and snow, while documenting his experiences in Vancouver.
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