As a Montrealer, and a long time Mile End resident, and also as someone who grew up in the Jewish community, and married into it (to a family that has a hand in the city's bagel history no less!), I must say a few things: No to this travesty from the West Island (that bread is at best rye-adjacent). No to The Main which suffered an interminably slow decline. If and when you come you will make the pilgrimage to Schwartz's no doubt. But the best deli in the city is Snowdon on a charmless service road overlooking the trench of an expressway, and then, perhaps Lester's in Outremont (next to Mile End) and, finally, there is a place off island called Smoked Meat Pete's, which does a great job but is far and perhaps best enjoyed in the parking lot during the summer.
As a Montrealer, and a long time Mile End resident, and also as someone who grew up in the Jewish community, and married into it (to a family that has a hand in the city's bagel history no less!), I must say a few things: No to this travesty from the West Island (that bread is at best rye-adjacent). No to The Main which suffered an interminably slow decline. If and when you come you will make the pilgrimage to Schwartz's no doubt. But the best deli in the city is Snowdon on a charmless service road overlooking the trench of an expressway, and then, perhaps Lester's in Outremont (next to Mile End) and, finally, there is a place off island called Smoked Meat Pete's, which does a great job but is far and perhaps best enjoyed in the parking lot during the summer.