The Best 20 Places For Montreal’s Jewish Food Traditions, Mapped
From bagels to smoked meat, Jewish Montrealers are known for their food culture, so when you visit, you’re sure to find delicious fare.
We’ve created this list of 20 places for Montrealers to visit for a great Jewish food experience.
The list covers a variety of local favorites, from street food vendors to more traditional establishments, to help you plan your next Jewish food adventure in Montreal.
Montreal’s Jewish Food Traditions, Mapped
1. Falafel Yoni
Address: 54 Rue Saint Viateur O, Montréal, QC H2T 2K8, Canada
Phone: (514) 424-7767
Website: Visit Website
The newest vendor of Israeli staples, falafel, simplifies the dish. You may have a falafel pita, a falafel salad, a sabich (pita packed with eggplant and hard boiled eggs), or a hummus plate from their short, plain menu.
All excellent selections, particularly when paired with fries and fresh-squeezed lemonade.
2. St-Viateur Bagel (multiple locations)
Address: 158 Rue Saint Viateur O, Montréal, QC H2T 2L3, Canada
Phone: (514) 276-8044
Website: Visit Website
You may get a dozen fresh sesame seed bagels to go from the store’s 24-hour flagship location on St-Viateur, or you can dine in at one of their cafés on Mont-Royal or in Dollard-des-Ormeaux for a smoked salmon sandwich or bagel spread.
3. Deli 365
Address: 365 Bernard, Outremont, QC, Canada
Phone: (514) 544-3354
Website: Visit Website
Aside from the standard fare of falafel and shawarma, this Bernard Avenue kosher sandwich shop also serves smoked pork and chicken schnitzel sandwiches. The cuisine is decent, and it’s a newcomer to the scene.
4. Boulangerie Cheskie
Address: 359, rue Bernard Ouest, Montreal, QC H2V 1T6, Canada
Phone: (514) 271-2253
Visit Cheskie’s, a popular Jewish bakery in Mile End, for chocolate babka, but stick around for the rugelach, cheese crowns, and black and white pastries.
5. Wilensky’s Light Lunch
Address: 34 ave. Fairmount Ouest, Montreal, QC H2T 2M1, Canada
Phone: (514) 271-0247
Website: Visit Website
When it comes to fast food, is there anything finer than a Wilensky’s Special? One of the most reliable and reasonably priced meals in the city is a grilled all-beef bologna and salami sandwich with mustard, perhaps with a pickle or egg cream soda on the side.
Read about Sharon Wilensky’s experiences at the lunch counter, which has been around since 1932.
6. Fairmount Bagel
Address: 74 Fairmount O, Montreal, QC H2T 2M2, Canada
Phone: (514) 272-0667
Website: Visit Website
Isadore Shlafman, a Russian immigrant, opened a bagel bakery in Mile End, where his grandson, Irwin, continues the tradition of making hand-rolled, wood-fired bagels.
Despite the fact that its neighbor, St. Viateur, may be the more successful business as of late, Fairmount is where it all began.
7. Lester’s
Address: 1055 rue Bernard, Outremont, QC, Canada
Phone: (514) 213-1313
Website: Visit Website
When it comes to Montreal’s smoked meat sandwich competition, the Outremont deli, easily recognizable by its bright yellow awning, holds its own.
Devoted patrons appreciate that nothing has changed behind the scenes since the venue first opened.
8. Hof Kelsten
Address: 4524, boul. Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2T 1R4, Canada
Phone: (514) 649-7991
Website: Visit Website
One of the most innovative places for contemporary Jewish food in Montreal is baker/café owner Jeffrey Finkelstein’s establishment.
The weekend brunch fare, which includes shakshuka and schnitzel plates, and the rye, raisin, and challah, are also perennial crowd pleasers.
9. Beautys Luncheonette
Address: 93 ave. du Mont-Royal Ouest, Montreal, QC H2T 2S5, Canada
Phone: (514) 849-8883
Website: Visit Website
Beautys is a brunch and breakfast institution due to its longevity (it first opened in 1942), vintage ambiance (there are booths and stools for everyone), and signature dishes (Mish-Mash omelet and the special).
Weekend waits and all, it’s hard not to appreciate what the late maître d’ Hymie Scholnik made for Montrealers.
10. Espace Culinaire Fletchers
Address: 4040, boul. Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2W 1Y8, Canada
Phone: (514) 840-9300
Website: Visit Website
Fletchers, under the direction of Kat Romanow, co-founder of The Wandering Chew and resident of the Museum of Jewish Montreal, provides a unique cultural dining experience.
Sweets like massafan (almond cookies flavored with cardamom and rosewater) and sprinkle cookies are influenced by Montreal’s Ashkenazi and Sephardic cultures. Additionally, we provide cuisine excursions and pop-up dinners.
11. Moishes
Address: 3961 boul. Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2W 1Y4, Canada
Phone: (514) 845-3509
Website: Visit Website
This legendary Jewish restaurant has been operating since 1938, and it exudes old-school grandeur.
Thursday through Saturday nights (after 9 p.m.), the restaurant offers a fixed-price menu that is especially appealing to those watching their wallets.
The legendary dining room is packed with regulars of all ages every other night of the week, when they feast on staples like chopped liver, verenikas, Monte Carlo potatoes, and the city’s finest steaks.
While the Moishes brand has been acquired by a large multinational, the business itself is still managed by the original founding family.
12. Schwartz’s Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen
Address: 3895 boul. Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2W 1X9, Canada
Phone: (514) 842-4813
Website: Visit Website
Céline Dion currently holds a stake in the famous deli that was founded in 1928 by Romanian immigrant Reuben Schwartz. A medium on rye with a pickle, fries, and a cherry cola is worth the wait in any line.
13. Main Deli Steak House
Address: 3864 boul. Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2W 1Y2, Canada
Phone: (514) 499-7098
Website: Visit Website
There are still fans of The Main’s smoked meat sandwiches (and smoked meat poutine), despite the fact that the restaurant no longer smokes its own meat, and the wait time is much less than at neighbouring Schwartz’s.
Matzo ball soup, latkes, and a reuben are all available.
14. Snowdon Deli
Address: 5265 Décarie, Montreal, QC H3W 3C2, Canada
Phone: (514) 488-9129
Website: Visit Website
This deli in Côte-des-Neiges has been serving up typical Jewish deli cuisine including smoked pork, chopped liver, and knishes for the past seven decades.
The smoked meat benny and bagel plate during breakfast are two of the most popular items. Also, finger foods for the celebration.
15. Mozart
Address: 5335 Chemin Queen Mary, Montréal, QC H3X, Canada
Phone: (514) 419-4411
Website: Visit Website
Israeli options such as a falafel platter and ziva (a puff pastry loaded with cheese and olives) and lots of seafood dishes are available alongside all-kosher pizza, spaghetti, and Asian fare.
16. Sumac
Address: 3618 Notre-Dame Ouest, Montreal, QC H4C 1P5, Canada
Phone: (514) 935-1444
Website: Visit Website
Chef Rachel Zagury of Saint-Henri uses her Sephardic heritage to create healthy and delicious vegetarian meals like salade cuite (slow-cooked tomatoes).
Peppers (both raw and roasted), falafel, and sabich (fried eggplant, hard boiled egg, cucumber pickles, amba mango pickle).
17. Arthurs
Address: 4621 Notre-Dame O, Montreal, QC, Canada
Phone: (514) 757-5190
Website: Visit Website
Modern Jewish food is served in stylish, upbeat surroundings at this fish-focused eatery that is a favorite of celebrity chef Rachael Ray.
Shakshuka, a latke buffet, and a very rich Caesar, with a pickle and a loaded mini bagel sandwich on top, are all part of the popular brunch menu. Watch out for the wait times and the crowds.
18. La Marguerite
Address: 6630 Chemin de la Côte-Saint-Luc, Montréal, QC H4V 1G8, Canada
Phone: (514) 488-4111
Website: Visit Website
Moroccan soups, salads, couscous, and more are sold at the retail location of the kosher caterer in Côte-Saint-Luc. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and is only open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.
19. Pâtisserie Adar
Address: 5634 avenue Westminster, Cote-St-Luc, QC H4W 2J4, Canada
Phone: (514) 484-1189
The kosher bakery in Côte-Saint-Luc provides Moroccan lunch and supper options, plus pastries and cakes.
20. Falafel St. Jacques
Address: 345 Rue Saint-Jacques, Lachine, QC H8R 1E6, Canada
Phone: (514) 595-7482
Website: Visit Website
This renowned Ville-St-Pierre counter is one-part Jewish, one-part Muslim, and equal parts healthy(ish) and tasty.
Everything is vegetarian and the fake meat shish taouk is almost as wonderful as the falafel, which is possibly the most delicious in town.
Conclusion
This map shows where you can find the best Jewish food traditions in Montreal.
While many of these locations were featured in our book, we had a few additions and edits to reflect the changes to the city since the book was originally published.
If you would like to share your favorite Jewish foods in Montreal, leave a comment below! We’d love to hear from you!
