Montreal bagels were mentioned on almost every foodie guidebook, and since I'm not really biased toward one region for bagels (I'm looking at you, NY'kers), I thought I'd give it a shot. I was very impressed to note that upon entering this establishment, the bagels weren't just being displayed on a well lit basket, with colored papers to disguise their age since their morning creation, but actively being made fresh in front of you, and available piping hot from the oven. I tried the poppy seed bagel, hot off the oven, and it nearly burned my mouth, but it was the first time I've ever had a freshly made bagel. The outer edge is very crispy, and the inner dough is moist, but still a bit dense. There was limited poppy coverage, and despite all of the fad (and after comparing it with the Fairmount Bagels), I think it's good, but not the best that Montreal has to offer.
That being said, this was still a great bagel and in my opinion, definitely worth visiting and deciding for yourself which bagel company rules supreme.