Fairmount Bagel Bakery produces iconic Montreal-style bagels through a traditional wood-fired oven process that ensures a distinctively crisp exterior and a dense, chewy interior. Each bagel is hand-rolled and boiled in honey-infused water before being baked on wooden planks to achieve a signature golden hue. The menu centers on these hand-crafted rings, which are available in classic varieties like sesame, poppy seed, and everything. Patrons often pair these fresh creations with high-quality cream cheese, smoked salmon, or capers available for purchase. The bakery functions as an essential purveyor of local culinary heritage, maintaining long-standing techniques that define the regional bagel profile. By focusing strictly on artisanal baking methods, the establishment remains a cornerstone for those seeking authentic, high-quality products that prioritize texture and flavor above all else.
Fairmount Bagel Bakery is widely celebrated as an iconic Montreal institution, famous for its authentic, wood-fired bagels that are prized for their perfect balance of a crispy exterior, chewy interior, and subtle honey-sweetness. Many visitors consider these to be the best bagels in the world, often recommending that guests enjoy them fresh and warm directly from the oven while wandering the neighborhood. While the establishment is frequently busy and limited in space, most patrons find the experience of watching the hand-rolling process and sampling the diverse variety of flavors to be well worth the wait. Although reviews occasionally mention mixed experiences with service speed, payment restrictions like cash-only or Canadian debit policies, and limited seating, the majority of visitors remain loyal to the bakery as a essential, high-quality stop in the city.
Montreal classic bagels, somewhat flat if compared to NY-style. The store is easy to spot, no line when I arrived but it moves steadily when guests start arriving. Plan ahead your order, be kind to the small crew. The pretzel isn't such, just the folds give a pretzel shape, not a good value or specialty creation. The store clearly states that they don't accept credit cards. So, if you are not a local using debit, bring cash. They accept usd $ at $1 for 1$. Some of us paid in usd, not very visitor-friendly move. Still, their prices are budget & worth the visit.
We headed to the newly opened Fairmount bagel cafe where they serve coffee, smoothies & various sweet & savoury bagel sandwiches. My husband chose the smoked salmon on a sesame bagel & I chose butter, honey & sea salt also in a sesame bagel. The coffees were very good & the bagel sandwiches were delicious! Exactly the style of bagel I prefer.
A real deal Montreal bagel shop with a long history, great bagels, great staff, & a great experience, which I recommend, even though I still prefer Brooklyn style bagels.
By the way, there is a Café Fairmount Bagel across the street, especially if you want a drink or a sandwich
Jun 20, 2026
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
One of the original bagel places in the city that serve up fresh baked Montreal style bagels. Bagels were nice & warm & had great chew, the signature bite of a Montreal style bagel. It's pretty cramped inside at the cashier so make sure you have a good idea of what you want so you don't take up time & space.
A classic bagel spot if you want those authentic Montreal style bagels, but they also have some unique flavors that you won't find elsewhere. The staff are really friendly & helpful so I highly recommend it!
Le bagel was nothing to write home about, if I'm being honest. I may be spoiled having lived my whole life next to Manhattan. Their bagels are really small & I was surprised when I asked for a bagel with butter & I was handed a bagel & a mini plastic tub of butter. I won't deduct a star because I guess that's just the Montreal style of bagel. The lady behind the counter was really nice & when you walk in you can tell why the joint has been around for so long, just like that Wilensky's place. It was a good experience, though. Just not my style of 🥯
We got the bozo (sesame/poppy larger style bagel). The bagel is sweeter than expected as I read they dip the bagels in honey water before baking in their 100yr old oven. We also got a regular size (mini-ish) chocolate chip bagel. They had lots of varieties, the bagels were fresh, chewy. They offer many tubs of cream cheese & lox but you add this yourself. Worth a try if you are in the area but I wouldn't go out of my way for them.
My go-to place for Montreal-style bagels. Highly recommend the sesame bagels which are always the freshest. Note that you either need cash or if your purchase is over $10 then you can use a Canadian debit card (no credit cards, no international cards)
