Foodie Family Heading to Montreal

[marcom]

We're heading to Montreal this summer with our teenage relatively foodie boys. We'd like to enjoy terrific cuisines - all different kinds but certainly some French - at budget to reasonable cost - well, perhaps stressing the budget. We'll be staying at a B&B near McGill, so breakfast is not an issue.
Even some options to grab a picnic lunch would be terrific!
Thank you!

[superbossmom]

Summer in Montreal affords so many eating opportunities; depending on how many nights you are here, I would try to have a dinner in a different part of mtl every night.

One in Mile End/Plateau, one in Old Montreal, one around St Denis street, one on St Laurent, etc... that way you'll be able to stroll the area on foot and get a feel for it.
The metro will bring you in those areas easily.

Make notes as you read on this forum, there are lists and recommendations galore.

As for the picnic lunch, near McGill, you could pick up stuff at Première Moisson on Sherbrooke near Guy street. Or cab down to Atwater market , even better, more selection.

[mackinaw]

A couple of years ago I made a list for some friends coming to town, some highlights:

Coffee:
* Laika - for coffee and free wifi and minimal techno and computer/design geeks (plateau)
* Else’s - a corner pub/cafe, also free wifi, with more of a writerly/drinking crowd (plateau)
* Cafe Olympico - great coffee & mile end hipsters (mile end)
* Cafe Italia - superb coffee by the jean talon market (little italy)
* Myriad - reportedly the best espresso in the city (downtown west)

Buying Food
* Jean Talon Market - fablous outdoor/partially covered farmer’s market (little italy)

Eating
A note on food: Old Montreal is “charming,” but geared to tourists, and is not real-life Montreal. Lower St-Laurent (between Sherbrooke & Pine Ave) is geared to big wallets and big boobs. Downtown (Crescent Street etc) caters also to loud tourists and business people. Elsewhere the city is, however, filled with lots of great restos, bars, cafes. Here are a few food suggestions:

* P’tit Plateau: this is your best bet for a true Montreal experience. a tiny bring your own wine bistro tucked away on Marie-Anne & Drolet. Make reservations, get a nice bottle of wine at the SAQ, and expect a great table d’hote (prob $25 for 3 courses?). [phone] (plateau)
* Keur Fatou – a great charming hole in the wall senegalese resto (you’ll feel like you’re in someone’s apartment) where the owner/chef/dishwasher sings and tells Senegalese folk tales Thurs-Friday. Bring your own wine. Choice of 3 plates usually, about $12 each. St-Viateur & St-Urbain. 514-277-2221 (mile-end)
* Pho Bang New York: great Vietnamese soup shop. Order a #10 large ($4.95), on your way home from Old Montreal. Corner St-Laurent & Viger. (chinatown)
* Reservoir: good place for lunch, another brew pub. The chef was once a sous-chef at Toque (very expensive fancypants place), and lunches are exceptional ($15?). Duluth & St-Laurent. (plateau)
* Chez Doval: Portugese peasant fare at its best. Ask for a table in the lively back room. $15. Marie-Anne & St-Dominique? 514-843-3390 (plateau)
* L’Express: the classic Montreal version of a French Bistro (plateau)
* Senzala: Brazilian, with a great weekend brunch ($15). Bernard & Esplanade. (mile end)
* Eurodeli Batory: cheap wonderful Polish food, open for lunch only. (mile-end)
* Chez Nouri: cheap wonderful Iranian food, open for lunch only. (plateau)

[MartinSLR]

Nouri closed after juin

[bigfellow]

I like Mas Cuisine in Verdun. I am a big fan and do recommend it highly.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/578384

www.mascuisine.com

and from Lesley Chesterman: http://www.lesleychesterman.com/resta...

[Shattered]

Jean Talon Market is great, but you can get the goods for a picnic lunch a short walk from McGill at any of the butcher shops (Fairmount, Hungarian, Vieille Europe) and the fruit stand along St. Laurent between Prince-Arthur & Napoleon.

[marcom]

Thank you all so much! These are great suggestions and we can't wait to try them out! Is Talon market the big open air market with lots of booths?
Appreciate the "tourist" call outs - we'd really like to get away from that and see the "real" city.

[superbossmom]

The real city is in all areas of Montreal, imo, pick out the gems here and there as you read in this forum. I have to disagree on the above comment on Old Montreal, people work and live and eat there, you'll read great rec's on this forum.

[moh]

I would agree whole-heartedly with Superbossmom that the real city is all over Montreal. None of the suggestions here strike me as overly touristy, even old-Montreal. I recently had a discussion with a friend of mine who had friends coming to visit. He was bemoaning the fact that there is not a lot of obvious tourist attractions in Montreal, it is hard to pick out a bunch of must-sees for tourists here. We discussed the fact that Montreal is city which is about the vibe. It is a great walking city, especially in the spring when the entire city is reawakening from the great hibernation. So much energy and so much pleasure in the simple things of life, like a good cup of coffee and a lovely piece of pastry. You can walk around any of the neighbourhoods (even Old MOntreal) and see real people enjoying being alive, and there is something really special about this vibe. There might not be a "wow" moment on your walk, instead, you wander around slowly falling in love with the rhythm of the neighbourhood. Often, you think, "well, that is quite cool", or "Hmm, I've never noticed that little spot, looks like a nice place for brunch" or "what a cute little shop, I wonder what is inside?" Walking the the park and sitting on a patio feeling the warm rays of the sun on your head for the first time in 6 months, watching all the odd and beautiful people go by, well, there are worse ways to waste away an afternoon.

Just a word of warning, watch out for the dog poop. Perhaps all the rain this week will wash this all away. Be careful! It looks like chocolate, it is not!

[mackinaw]

I think, as superbossmom says, that i should update my comments about Old Montreal. Certainly it is *more* touristy than other parts of the city, but it is pretty and I think in the last decade food has greatly improved down there. So my comment is probably out of date. I would revise as:

"While Old Montreal is geared more than other places in the city to tourists, it is most certainly worth a visit, and there is still some good food to be had there, though you'll likely pay more than you would elsewhere."