Must-Try Eats on Canada’s East Coast: A Guide to Montreal’s Top Three Budget-Friendly Foods (Part 1)

Text & Photos /Papa Seahorse

There's no doubt that Paris is the city with the most French speakers in the world. So, what’s the second-largest Francophone city globally? Not in France, and not even on the European continent….. It’s Montreal (known as “滿地可” in Hong Kong), a city located in the southern part of Quebec Province on Canada’s east coast. Out of its four million residents, the vast majority speak French, making it the largest French-speaking city outside of France.

Although it’s in Canada, walking the streets of Montreal, what you see and hear might make you think you’re in a European country. Everywhere you look, there are green-patinated, spired churches; at street corners, outdoor cafés waft the aroma of coffee; low-rise houses, painted blue or pink, each meticulously detailed; turn on the radio, and soft chanson music plays gently between loud American pop hits.

Even when it comes to food, the taste buds of the locals here carry a bit of French pickiness. Upscale restaurants exuding the scents of caviar and champagne host elegantly dressed crowds, while everyday eateries frequented by locals also each have their own charm. Papa Seahorse brings you the scoop on Montreal’s top three budget-friendly eats—read on as I tell the tale…..

80 Years of Flavor: Schwartz’s Deli
What kind of eatery serves food so delicious that even superstar Celine Dion loves it enough to own it? Already the owner of the Nickels restaurant chain, Celine Dion acquired a stake in 2012 in what’s hailed as Montreal’s top eatery, Schwartz’s Deli, putting an end to its 80-year family-run legacy.

Founded in 1928 by Jewish immigrants, Schwartz’s Deli actually sells only one thing: smoked meat. Following an 80-year-old secret recipe and made fresh daily, this deli is always bustling, constantly packed with queues of eager diners. While the menu includes options like beef, chicken, European-style sausages, and turkey, around 80% of customers come specifically for the smoked beef. Look around, and every table has the same sight: white toast sliced in half, layered with bright red slices of beef.

Don’t underestimate those slices—they’re cured for ten hours, smoked, then sliced paper-thin at just 2mm, layered high, and served with a touch of mustard. The result is tender, richly textured meat with a unique juiciness that dances along with the toast in your mouth…… Add a tangy, salty pickle or sweet pepper, and you’ll be hit with a burst of flavors and textures all at once.

This explains why, despite its rather modest decor, the long walls of the deli are covered with media clippings from around the world, celebrity autographs, and paintings of the restaurant by artists from various eras. This is a diner that’s earned Hall of Fame status.

The Bagel Wars: Master vs. Apprentice
When an apprentice trained under a master for years finally spreads their wings and goes independent, rivalry often follows—sometimes turning into bitter rivals or simply operating in separate leagues. Such is the case with Fairmont Bagel and St-Viateur Bagel.

Montrealers take great pride in their city’s bagels, claiming that aside from New York, no other place makes bagels quite as good. And if you’ve truly tasted a Montreal bagel, you’ll likely agree with this proud assertion—while still ring-shaped, they appear slightly collapsed, lacking the plump roundness of those found in Western bakeries. Take a bite, and the exterior is slightly crisp while the inside remains soft and chewy. Chew a few more times, and a natural sweetness emerges.

Fairmont Bagel is a flagship of the Montreal-style bagel. Founded in 1919, its founder Isadore Shlafman set up shop in the city, hand-rolling and wood-fire baking the dough—a process he maintained for almost a century. Now in its third generation of family ownership, the shop is located on Avenue Fairmont Ouest, in a two-story brick building that looks much the same as it did when it was relocated from its old spot nearly 70 years ago.

From the outside, the display windows are stacked with bags and piles of bagels, making it easy to mistake the place for a bakery factory. Step inside, and it’s nothing short of a “wall of bagels”—the whole place is filled with layers of packaged bagels. Walk along the narrow path beside the bagel wall, and you’ll find the counter tucked away at the end. Behind it lies the oven where the dough is hand-rolled and baked. The smiling counter clerk greets you warmly and asks what you’d like today: poppy seed and sesame are our specialties; if you prefer sweet, try chocolate or cinnamon; for savory, garlic or onion flavors are your go-tos.

I bought two sweet and two savory ones. Unfortunately, this bagel shop doesn’t have seating….. In May, Montreal’s spring scenery is lovely—you can sit on a park bench under the newly sprouted green maple leaves, munching on a bagel, sipping coffee, watching people jog or cycle, and feeling the cool breeze—it’s pure bliss. (To be continued….)

Papa Seahorse
A Gemini man with an air sign personality, he worked as a senior marketing and PR executive for a multinational corporation before the age of 45; after turning 45, he moved to Canada. Alongside his teenage sons, he plays the role of dad amidst the foreign landscapes of spring cherry blossoms, summer sun, autumn maples, winter rain, and snow, while also documenting life in Vancouver.
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