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| - Obvs, when you're in Montréal, you need to stop and get one of their unique bagels. Yep, they're "Montréal-style bagels" so make sure you get some while you're in the city. Here's the background: Fairmount is the original Montréal-style bagel, opening their first shop in 1919. St-Viateur opened in 1957 and this is the original location. Montréal-style bagels are slightly less fluffy than NY-style and they're a bit sweeter.
My husband and I disagree, but I enjoyed the St-Viateur bagel more than the Fairmount bagel. Since they're the same style, I can't really understand how that's even possible, but this bagel seemed less dry and a bit sweeter, which I really enjoyed. St-Viateur also sells single-serve cream cheeses so you can spread a bit on your bagel, which the original Fairmount does not.
This location is open 24 hours a day, sells bagels in tons of formats, has a larger selection of flavors than Fairmount, and is quick in processing orders so you're not waiting in line forever. St-Viateur also owns a bunch of other café locations that sell beverages and food. This location has zero places to sit and is crowded with bags of flour once you walk in but it's homey feeling and I like seeing what real ingredients the bakers are working with. All bagels are made on-site and fresh throughout the day so you're never getting anything too old.
Watch the street parking since it ends at 9 a.m. There's a bench right outside the shop so you can sit and enjoy your bagel and there's a coffee shop at the corner so you can grab a cup to go with your breakfast. I definitely liked St-Viateur better and would make this my go-to Montréal bagel shop.
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