Quebec Specialty

The bagel scene in Montreal comes down to allegiance, so those who swear by St-Viateur wouldn't go to, say, Fairmount, down the block. A bit of background: The folks at St-Viatuer set up shop in 1957 and have been churning out handmade bagels the same way ever since. Here, bagels are hand-rolled, boiled in honey water, and then cooked in a wood-fired oven that both cooks and flavors the bagel. Their assortment checks all the boxes, no matter what flavor profile you're after: rosemary and sea salt, flax, poppy seed, and, of course, sesame. St-Viateur has locations dotted throughout the city, but the one on Rue St-Viateur Ouest is the OG.

Lauded pastry chef Patrice Demers has created a minimalist dessert haven at his Southwest patisserie, which showcases his incredible skill for creating classic desserts with a twist. The offerings here are a form of art, with finishing touches on, say, a chocolate alpaco with glazed apricots or a buttery Kouigan Amann that are so perfect, you almost don't want to disrupt them with a spoon. Demers and his team also offer baking workshops as well as a limited lunch menu during the week.