Bargain Bites in Montreal?
 

Hi, I'm going to Montreal next week to visit my boyfriend who is going to school at McGill. He just arrived and so we don't really know any good eats there. Do you you know have good restaurants that are good for our college student wallets? Also, any good restaurants for when we want to splurge? Thanks for your help!

The food court operations underneath Central Station have excellent food, at generally reasonable prices.

Schwartz's Deli on St. Laurent is reasonably priced, very casual, fun, and very, very good. Smoked MEat Sandwiches.

Same for Ben's, which is closer to McGill.

There's a number of food outlets, grocery stores, cheese shops, etc. in the ATwater market, so you can buy the components for meals at good prices, but it's a fair distance from the school. At. Sty. Catherine and Guy there's an indoor mall, and at t6he west end there's a great bagel bakery, and an excellent fruit and vegetable store, and you can buy cheese there, so that gives you picnic stuff at a good price.

Just walk around and you'll find doxzens of restaurants. Read the outside menus, and peek at the food, and you'll find something to love in every price range.

BAK

BAK, the cheese shop in the Faubourg (Guy & Ste-Catherine) is now closed (with no replacement).

luv, look at restaurant.ca to check out restaurants in Montreal. You can pick according to your budget, area and type of cuisine. I suggest you click on B.Y.O.W. to find a nice restaurant where you can bring your on wine (or beer). This usually keeps the cost down. JQ

My French is awful, but I guess, when the cheese shop closed, instead of quel domage, it becomes quel fromage?

Where else, close by, can you get cheese and smoked salmon for those Faubourg bagels?

BAK

Montreal has a *ton* of fantastic less-expensive restaurants and plenty at the upper-price-range level too.

I will limit my scope for now to bargain places near McGill University (McGill Ghetto or downtown). Presto Cafe on Stanley below Sainte-Catherine has pasta lunch specials that are extremely reasonable run by some charming older Italian gentlemen. They ring a cowbell when you leave a tip; go with their suggestions. Amelio's at lunchtime is reasonable and always has freshly-prepared (no storebought ;)) pasta (when I was in grad school 5 years ago, they had a spaghetti special: salad, bread, green or white spag w/meat or meatless sauce and coffee for $3.99; prices have gone up since, but not exorbitantly). 5-cheese pizza or Hawaiian pizza have always been quite tasty there in my experience (corner Milton, Sainte Famille in McGill Ghetto). Le Commensal is a Quebecois-owned buffet vegetarian chain by weight with tasty options and as long as you don't overfill your plate, you can usually keep it reasonable (corner: McGill College and Sainte-Catherine). Optimum is a vegetarian Vietnamese place attached to a health-food stores that has reasonable lunch (but not supper!) prices (corner: Aylmer below Sherbrooke). Go to Patisserie Belge on Parc and Milton; buy some bread, cheese and salads there to take out and have a picnic. Also, there's plenty of Lebanese places to get shish taouk or shawarma sandwiches at reasonable prices (Monsieur Falafel: ave des Pins and Saint Laurent or Amir: Sainte Catherine and Metcalfe); a bit fast-food-like but I find tasty and fresh.

Anyhow, I'm really just scratching the surface here, even limiting only to McGill Ghetto/downtown. Have a great time in Montreal!

Here's another recommendation for just walking all about.

Canadians are extraordinarily friendly, too. When you pop into a good spot, just ask everyone around - "Where else do you go?"

I've posted this advice several times already, but the Duluth Street area is lined with inexpensive, interesting byob restaurants of every description.

How about the Movenpick restaurant--located probably a few blocks from the train station, where each person can buy whatever they want, from a small salad, to crepes, sushi, pizzas, pasta, sandwiches, grilled meats, etc. The variety is endless.