Sweet Willie

Montreal Bagels, best in the world that I know. These bagels beat anything I’ve had in the states anywhere (yes NYC that includes you).

I did a side by side taste test w/both plain and sesame bagels from two of Montreal’s famous bagel bakeries, St. Viateur and Fairmount. All bagels were purchased w/in 5 minutes of each other, all were still warm from getting out of the oven.

Hands down the winner was St. Viateur. The St. Viateur bagel was more dense and chewy, had a more rich wood fire flavor to it. The sesame bagel from St. Viateur was an epiphany for me, that good!

Fairmount should not hang their head, their bagel is head and shoulders above anything in the US.

According to the Montreal Mirror, the best bagels in Montreal are:

1. St. Viateur
(263 St-Viateur W., 276-8044)
2. Fairmount
(74 Fairmount W., 272 0667)
3. REAL Bagel
(4940 Queen Mary, 737-8841; 6160 Côte St-Luc, 484-3323)
4. Dad's Bagels
(5732 Sherbrooke W., 487-2454)
5. Yagel Bagel
(Décarie Square, 738-4231; 2075 St-Louis, 748-9016; 6579 Somerled, 489-5250)

wideman

Ooh la la, I guess I'll have to try St Viateur. I've been bringing home dozens of Fairmount bagels for years (plain or sesame), and yes, they are far better than any in the US. Including New York.

One huge difference is that Montreal bagels (or at least Fairmount's) are hand-rolled and salt-free. They tend to be a lot smaller than the monolithic ones in the US, perfect for a snack.

R&R

Are you sure it is NOT the water?

Baking is an art in Montreal.

It is a LOST art in the United States!

Sweet Willie

had to bump this as my bud brought some beloved sesame bagels along with the smoked meat.

The bagels are still the best IMO!

sargento

Definetly agree!! every time I go into Montreal I stop by Fairmont to get Bagels! Much better than the ones I find here in Toronto (too watery).

NordsFan

^ to the Marena family of St-Viateur bagel in YUL ! I suggest you try out their St-Viateur Bagel Café on Monkland Avenue in NDG; superb breakfasts on the street-side terrasse !

bobbysfca

Coming from NYC, and not having been to Montreal in ages, I can only suppose that you're on to something...
And yet, three things make me believe that there may be some truth to it.

First... is that NYC bagels have been getting bigger and bigger, to the point of becoming round loaves of bread. More is not better!

Second... is the relatively huge Jewish population in Montreal, with nearly identical roots to the NY one.

Third... they have nearly identical water supplies...

Worth a Mileage run to find out, eh?

Sweet Willie

bumped for a bud, have fun

ILuvParis

Dinner with Sweet Willie last night and coincidentally, a friend brought me a half dozen sesame bagels from Fairmount on Saturday - she knows they're my favorite. (What a day that was! A come from behind Cubs win and bagels from Montreal! ) Now, if I had some Montreal smoked meat and mustard on one of those bagels, I'd have a lunch fit for a king!

My first stop in Montreal is always Fairmount Bagel Bakery to have a warm one (heaven) - you can actually see the wood-burning oven and HUGE slabs of dough from the shop - and a half dozen or so more to munch on during my stay. My last stop on a trip to Montreal? Fairmount Bagel Bakery to get a dozen or more to take home and freeze!

I'll have to try St. Viateur to see if Willie's taste is as discriminating when it comes to bagels as it is banana cheesecake!

dschon

try Victoria's ave. you might be suprised to find some good places

Sweet Willie

any in particular?

Just spent a weekend in Montreal with the parents, did another side by side tasting for them w/both plain and sesame bagels from two of Montreal’s famous bagel bakeries, St. Viateur and Fairmount. All bagels were purchased w/in 5 minutes of each other, all were still warm from getting out of the oven.

Again, Hands down the winner was St. Viateur. ^ ^ ^

SMF UA 1K

Having been to Montreal countless times since my first visit back in 1998, I never knew about their bagels until reading this thread. I just returned from YUL yesterday, and I definitely know about them now!

I must say that while I enjoy bagels and eat them often, I am definitely not a connoisseur, so picking my favorite bagels outside of my little local bagel shop or Noah's would be tough for me.

After a late New Years Eve night, I was happy after calling St. Viateur and finding out that they were indeed open on the 1st. My wife, daughter and I tried the bagels there on the 1st and Fairmount on the 2nd.

Although our test was a little different from Sweet Willie's, all three of us definitley agree with his results: Fairmount, while stilll better than any bagels back home, were simply not as good as those at St. Viateur. We managed to go there one more time before coming back home.

Thanks for the tip! I know where I'll be heading on future trips to Montreal.

TWA4Ever

I take it no one here has ever been to Brooklyn ...

Sweet Willie

yes I have and I fully stand by my statement that Montreal puts any bagel place in the US to shame. They are that good.

If you have a particular place in Brooklyn that would measure up, I would love to try it next time I'm in the NYC area. Please pm me or post a location, thanks.

ILuvParis

^ I completely agree and I happen to love New York, and their bagels - except the big puffy "Wonderbread-like" bagels which one finds more and more often, unfortunately. It's gotta be boiled and it's gotta be crispy on the outside!