Montreal is famous worldwide for the quality of its hospitality, and whether you’re a long-term resident or a first-timer, you’ll almost certainly feel welcome here. At Time Out Market Montréal, we’ve gone out of our way to make you really feel chez vous by bringing 17 restaurants, handpicked through editorial curation, together under one roof. These essential Montreal eateries work around the clock to present dishes that highlight both Québec’s rich terroir and this city’s multicultural culinary traditions. The plates below are just a few emblematic examples of the many delicious options available at the market.
Photograph: Jaclyn Rivas
Hof SuCrée: Croissant all-dressed
Look on the kitchen counters and in the freezers of most Montrealers and you’ll probably find a half dozen Montreal bagels. You might also find a spread of fine French pastries in the mix—or more likely the crumbs from a recently devoured croissant. At Time Out Market Montréal, Hof SuCrée has taken our municipal obsession with fine breads and pastries and rolled them together into one genius invention: the croissant all-dressed, stuffed with cream cheese and dusted with Montreal’s favourite bagel seasoning.
Photograph: Patricia Brochu
Paul Toussaint: Djondjon jambalaya
As a French-speaking country, Haiti is one of the leading sources of immigration to Montreal. As the community here continues to grow, so too has Montrealers’ love for Haitian food. At his Time Out Market Montréal restaurant, Paul Toussaint serves up a mean djon djon jambalaya, a dish which, as the chef points out, “has made the voyage between Africa, Europe and the Caribbean” with its textures, ingredients and flavours. The delicious meal is composed of rice, djon djon mushrooms, shrimp, mussels, crab, chicken, pork sausages and peppers. It’s even gluten-free to boot.
Photograph: Jaclyn Rivas
Romados: Romados Poutine
Poutine is so synonymous with Montreal and Québec that we’re almost hesitant to recommend it to you; if you’re visiting our fine city for the first time, you’ve probably already got our favourite diner food on your radar. If, however, you want to eat poutine like a local, you couldn’t choose a better place than Romados. Initially famous for popularizing Portuguese rotisserie chicken, Romados introduced poutine on their menu a while back. Their rendition which combines the traditional fries, gravy and curd trio with some of the best Portuguese chicken in Montreal is a blending of flavours that comes so naturally it seems like it was meant to be.
Photograph: Patricia Brochu
Laurent Godbout at the Demo Kitchen: Montréal Smoked Meat Egg Rolls
Montrealers are fiercely proud and protective of local urban specialties like bagels and smoked meat, but we also love to discover new dishes from around the world as well as high-quality artisanal products from the city’s agricultural hinterland. With his smoked meat egg rolls, served at Time Out Market Montréal’s demo kitchen, Laurent Godbout encapsulates our hybrid food identity. The dish is just what it sounds like: the classic Chinatown starter with smoked meat, served with Dijon mustard and a dill pickle jelly. Is it heresy? Perhaps. Is it delicious? Definitely.
Try these mouth-watering spins on local classics and many other irresistible plates at the Time Out Market Montréal in the heart of the city at the Centre Eaton de Montréal (705 rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, niveau 1). Hours: Monday to Wednesday 8am—9pm, Thursday to Friday 8am—midnight, Saturday 9am—midnight, Sunday 9am—9pm