We like to give our EC Montreal students a taste of Montreal! We introduce them to local flavors and encourage them to try the things that make Montreal special and sometimes what really puts Montreal on the map! Our Montreal bagels do just that! Every year, Montreal and New York City compete on who has the best bagels and Montreal usually wins! Montreal bagels are very special! There is a lot of history and tradition that goes into making them.
There are two very famous bagel shops in Montreal one is called St. Viateur and the other is Fairmount. Fairmount has been around the longest. In fact, this weekend, Fairmount Bagels will be celebrating its 100th Birthday and want to celebrate with the Montreal community.
They will be holding a block party on Fairmount Street and St. Laurent on Saturday, September 7 from 11 a.m to 5 p.m. If it rains, the block party will be moved to the Sunday.
The block party will include entertainers such as clowns and stilt walkers. There will also be inflatable games and slides for the kids as well as a Mickey mouse park, carnival games, face painting, DJ spinning and of course bagel tastings.
Fairmount Bagels was the very first bagel shop in Montreal. At the time, it was called Montreal Bagel Bakery. They use a wood-burning oven and all the bagels are rolled by hand. In 1949, they changed their name to The Original Fairmount Bakery Shop.
The shop is now called Fairmount Bagels and is still a family-run business. The grandchildren have taken over the business and have kept up with the tradition and the original recipe.
The shop is open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day and you can often see tourists as well as Montrealers lined up outside to get a taste of the iconic Montreal bagels. You even see line ups after clubbing hours for people wanting an “after midnight” snack or picking up their breakfast for the following morning. The shops also serve all different kinds of spreads like cream cheese and smoked salmon to go with these delicious bagels.
EC Montreal often includes a neighborhood tour of the Plateau with a taste of Montreal bagels on the monthly calendar of events.
We will definitely be promoting this block party to our EC Montreal students. Fairmount Bagel is located at 74 Fairmount Street West. You can access the bakery by public transportation.