When Holocaust survivor Meyer Lewkowitz left Europe for Montreal, he followed his ambition to open a bakery that would make authentic bagels like those in his native Poland. Half a century later, customers are still enjoying the circular bread the way Lewkowitz intended them to, and his shop has become synonymous with Montreal-style bagels. The best part for patrons -- aside from eating the honey-sweetened bagels -- is watching the bakers masterfully craft each one by hand while taming the mountain of freshly baked ones from the wood-burning oven.

St-Viateur has been in this compact Mile End spot since 1957, when founder Myer Lewkowicz started making his classic sesame and poppy seed bagels. Inside, you’re immediately part of the bagel-making process: the bags of flour are to your left next to the industrial mixer and counter where workers roll the bagels. While you’re waiting to place your order, help yourself to smoked salmon, cream cheese, and spreads from the cooler, and check out the newspaper articles that line the walls for a dose of the bakery’s history—and its fans.

We’re calling it here and now: Montreal makes the best bagels. It doesn’t matter which of these two bakeries you get them at, they’re all delicious, whether eaten hot, fresh and whole or sliced and toasted. A dense dough is cut and rolled into thin circles, briefly boiled in honeyed water before being dunked in sesame seeds, baked ‘til golden in a wood-fired oven and there you have it: An emblematic foodstuff that helped to put Montreal on the map.

Of the two great bagel joints — their wood-ovens fired up 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — St-Viateur, opened in 1957 by a Holocaust survivor, now belongs to Italians, although the Schlafman family still owns Fairmount. Every Montrealer, Jewish or gentile, has their preference; even frequent visitors do (Fairmount, since you ask. Every time). And of course, they’ll all unite against the scorned New York bagel.

We met Mélissa Simard, our guide from 'Round Table Tours, outside St.-Viateur Bagel, a storefront empire that churns out a thousand dozen bagels a day. You may be wondering: if I invited Louis along for that very purpose, why would my guide need a guide?. First, he's been in the States so long he doesn't have any information about anything that happened in the province of Quebec after 1969.

You’ll also want to try the contender of the Montreal-style bagel rivalry by heading over to the bagel shop on nearby St Viateur, and decide for yourself whose fresh, hand-rolled bagels you prefer. It’s open 24 hours, and in addition to the original shop, has a few other café-style locations around the city.

If you want to make a Montrealer passionate, ask them about their favorite spot to get a bagel. Only two answers are acceptable: St-Viateur Bagel and Fairmount. Honestly, they’re both delicious, but St-Viateur, first opened in 1953, takes the cream cheese for this writer.

Just don’t tell that to his arch-bagel-rival, Joe Morena, the jovial owner of nearby St-Viateur Bagel. He contends that his bagel place, opened in 1957, is Montreal’s longest continuously running bagel outfit, since Fairmount was closed for a time.

While in the vicinity of Le Théâtre Rialto, I seized the opportunity of a mini foodie tour of the area, a mini tour of long time personal favourite places of mine, namely, Lester’s Deli (1057 Bernard Ave), St-Viateur Bagel (263 Rue Saint-Viateur O), Bernie Beigne (23 Rue Bernard O) and Le Bilboquet Outremont (1311 Bernard Ave). But I wanted to finish the mini tour at a nearby restaurant as well: there is Nili (255 Rue Saint-Viateur O) that I have already tried and that is easily one of the very best restaurants of that part of Montreal, but I needed a restaurant that I haven’t tried yet. Couple of calls to couple of foodies and they did recommend that I try Brasserie Bernard.

A Brief History: Fairmount is the original Montreal bagel shop, but long before there were “Fairmount bagels”, there were Chaim Seligman and Isadore Shlafman. In 1919 Shlafman started selling bagels in an alley off St-Laurent, but according to Jewish historian, Joe King, Seligman was the original bagel guy, selling his strings of bagels from the back of a horse-drawn buggy up and down St-Laurent. Seligman then went into business with Jack Shlafman (of the Fairmount lineage) and a new-to-the-scene bagel-maker, Myer Lewkowicz.

Why You Need To Go: There are two places most talked about for this Montreal staple, St. Viateur and Fairmount, and the argument over which is better is endless and pointless. (With that said, Montreal bagels are simply objectively better than those from anywhere else.) We chose St. Viateur here, but you could go to Fairmount. Hand-rolled, boiled in honey-sweetened water, and then baked in a wood-burning oven, these bagels achieve a crispy exterior and a tender interior with a distinct sweetness and subtle wood-fired aroma.

A Montréal institution for more than 65 years, St.-Viateur Bagel is flourishing under the watchful eye of Joe Morena and his three sons. There are now four bagel cafes under the St.-Viateur banner, but for the original experience you must visit "La Maison du Bagel," or "Home of the Bagel," at 263 Rue Saint Viateur in Mile End. Follow the delicious aroma of bagels simmered in honey water and baked on a hardwood plank in a wood-burning oven and join the line that forms day or night.

The most iconic is Bagels St. Viateur, which currently has six branches, with the original 24/7 flagship on St. Viateur Street in the now trendy and food-rich Mile End neighborhood. The walls here are plastered with decades of articles, awards, and even comic strips touting the bagels. Half the locations are just pure bagel stores, with the cooking process in plain view, while the other three are cafes with extensive menus of bagel sandwiches and Jewish deli-inspired salads.

Of course two of the most famous bakeries in Montréal are Fairmount Bagel Bakery and St-Viateur Bagel located a couple of blocks apart in the heart of the Mile End. Fairmount has been doling out fresh warm bagels to adoring fans in 15 different flavours, 24/7, since 1919 while St-Viateur has been at it since 1957. There’s nothing quite like the very Montréal experience of biting into a warm-from-the-wood-burning-oven bagel straight out of the paper bag it’s sold in.

At present, there are four St. Viateur bakeries, all run by the Morena family, who are continuing the 55-year long reputation of the company as one of the most authentic and welcoming Montreal-made restaurants to see the 21st century. From generations of families that will exclusively buy bagels from St. Viateur, to celebrities stopping in for the world famous taste of Montreal, the shops scattered across the city remain one of the pillars of the unique culture.

Montreal bagels are another local delicacy that must be enjoyed during your visit. These bagels are made to be smaller and thinner with a large hole however the dough is denser with a sweet flavour as they are boiled in honey water before baked in wood fired ovens. The classic bagel is covered in sesame seeds but they also cover them in poppy seeds and make an ‘all dressed’ bagel with seeds, garlic, and onion flavouring.

Though you can get it in any supermarket, the best in the whole city and perhaps the world is found in Mile End specifically in artisan bakeries which are: 263 St-Viateur Ouest street and Fairmount (74 Fairmount Ouest Street). These restaurants are renowned for offering the freshest bagels, fresh from the oven at any time of the day. It is important to note that bakeries sell only the bagel, without filling.

St-Viatuer Bagel is one of two bagel shops that has been serving the signature Montreal bagel since 1957. Owner Joe Morena stays true to the Eastern European version of the bagel which is hand-rolled, blanched in honey water and then baked in a wood-burning oven. It's a smaller, sweeter and denser bagel with a larger hole compared to bagels from other North American cities and more delicious too.

No bagel tour of Montreal would be complete without a stop at St-Viateur Bagel, an iconic bakery that's been serving up these doughy lifesavers since 1957. Step inside, and you'll be greeted by the irresistible aroma of bagels fresh from the wood-fired oven. Watch as skilled bakers deftly roll, shape, and bake the dough, demonstrating a tradition that has been passed down through generations.

Theirs wasn't too much different than other diners, but it included an excellent treat, it was served with a fresh bagel from St. Viateur, which we did visit the day before as a must stop. The rest of the breakfast was good and standard. I thought my friend's breakfast sandwich looked a little underwhelming since it wasn't served with any sides for like $13, but he seemed content.

But as divisive as the bagel rivalry is between these two cities, it's nothing compared to the long-standing bagel feud between Montreal's two bagel titans: St-Viateur Bagel and Fairmount Bagel. Both shops are located in the Mile End, a neighborhood known for its high concentration of hipsters, thrift stores, and Jewish people—it's basically Brooklyn with Quebecois French.

To devour a fresh bagel throughout the day, head to St-Viateur, on the street of the same name, a bakery known for its wide offering of this small bread with a hole, offered plain, with rum and cinnamon or even with cinnamon. To devour a savoury version, go instead to Café St-Viateur, which offers it garnished with pastrami and other delicacies, on-site or to take away.

At St Viateur the bagels are hand-rolled, boiled in honey water, then baked and smoked in the oven at the same time. The result is a bagel crunchy on the outside, and tender on the inside. Tony can’t bring himself to say outright it’s better than a New York City bagel but, after a quick, mumbled internal conflict, settles with calling it a different beast altogether.

Before our time in Montreal was up, we had to try the world-famous St.-Viateur Bagel. Montreal is known for their unique “Montreal-style” bagels, which neither of us had tried before coming to the city. These bagels are boiled in a mixture of water and honey, and finished off in a wood-fired oven, giving them their signature sweet taste and crisp exterior.

St.Viateur Bagels is a local bagel chain in Montreal, famous for its Montreal-style bagels. For over 60 years, St.Viateur Bagels has thrived and expanded in two bakeries, three bagel shops, an online store, and a food truck. It is one of Montreal’s longest-running bagel shops and competes with Fairmount Bakery for the best bagel in Montreal.

Bagel St-Viateur est une institution montréalaise reconnue mondialement pour ses bagels. Fondée en 1957 par Myer Lewkowicz, l'entreprise compte aujourd'hui deux boulangeries, cinq cafés, un foodtruck, la boutique originale et une boutique en ligne. Les bagels, cuits dans un four à bois, sont réputés pour leur qualité et leur goût unique.

It's impossible to miss the legendary St-Viateur Bagel, a true Mile End institution. The line of people stretching out in front of the store, their noses in the air to inhale the tantalizing aroma of the bagels being baked, testifies to the popularity of this place. Pumpernickel, sesame, apple and cinnamon, or all-topped...

For an afternoon pick me up (or at any time of the day) grab a famous Montreal style St. Viateur bagel. What makes these bagels unique is that they are hand rolled and they are made in a wood burning oven. When directly compared with its counterpart in New York City, Montreal bagels are sweeter, denser and smaller in size.

There are two foods considered unmissable in Montreal: Poutine and bagels. In my opinion, there is only one food that is unmissable: the distinctly chewy, golden yellow, poached then baked Montreal bagels. St. Viateur Bagels has five locations spread throughout Montreal, so you really have no excuse to miss it.

The bagels at St. Viateur are famous because of their delicious quality. Their inspiring founding story began in 1953 when Myer Lewkowicz left his home country Poland and arrived in Canada. Myer had survived the concentration camps and said all he dreamt about during that time was a piece of bread.

St-Viateur is one half of the real bagel feud — the one against Fairmount Bagel, not New York City. Fairmount is the oldest bagel shop, but St-Viateur is the longest continuously running (via New York Times). However, St-Viateur also opened in the 1950s, making it close in age to Fairmount.

Bagels are the epitome of cheap eats and no one does it better than St. Viateur. Made with 100% natural ingredients, each bagel is hand-rolled, boiled in honey water and cooked in a wood-fire oven that both cooks and flavors. We recommend the spicy eggplant with goat cheese and pesto bagel.

What I do know, though, is that this is where you can find the most famous bagel in Montreal at Saint-Viateur. Sweet and denser than New York bagels, they’re equally delicious — just totally different. Just be sure you get it with cream cheese — this ex-New Yorker insists on it.

In Montreal, if you feel like making yourself a gourmet meal, go to St Viateur (La Maison de Bagel) for fresh hot bagels, buy some cream cheese, and get your smoked salmon from the Victoria fish market. They make it themselves, they cut it by hand, it's like sashimi only better!

This beloved tradition centers around two legendary institutions: St-Viateur Bagel and Fairmount Bagel. These revered establishments have been perfecting their craft for over half a century, each boasting a fiercely loyal following that swears by their bagels' superior quality.

Like trying smoked meat, eating a traditional Montreal-style bagel should be high on your list of things to do in Montreal. Let me fight on behalf of my fellow countrymen. The bagels in Montreal trump their brethren in New York City, the other Mecca of the bagel universe.

I understand the implications of choosing a favourite Montreal bagel spot. You’re either a Fairmont girl or a St. Viateur girl, and I am a St. Viateur girl!. St. Viateur’s bagels are warm, a little sweet, and have a crusty, crunchy exterior that makes my mouth water.

• Bite into a world-famous Montreal staple at the original St-Viateur Bagel in Mile End. Right next to St-Viateur is Chocolats Geneviéve Grandbois, an artisan chocolate boutique known for its designer bonbons and silky, Parisian-style hot chocolate.

Make your way to St-Viateur Bagel Shop and eat your hot-from-the-oven treat with a coffee from Café Olimpico for lunch. Check out the vintage stores on rue St-Viateur and avenue Bernard. Comic fans should hit up Drawn & Quarterly.

Montreal bagels aren’t like the traditional “New York bagel.” Montreal bagels are sweeter and denser than other varieties. St.Viateur Bagel has been making their world-famous bagels since 1957. Photo: St Viateur Bagel Shop

This family-run business has been a local favourite since the 1950s. They have multiple locations in Montreal, including several bagel cafés, where you can dine in and enjoy one of their popular bagel sandwiches.

This Montreal bagel recipe is exceptional – straight from the iconic St.-Viateur bagel company in Montreal. In about 1 hour, you will be feasting on soft, warm, chewy and slightly sweet bagels covered in seeds.

This grab & go bagel store is open 24 hours and is well known for its wood-oven baked bagels with a variety of flavors and toppings. It is the perfect place to go for a late night snack or breakfast on the go.

They’ve been serving the original Beautys’ Mish Mash omelette with salami, hot dogs, and green peppers for 80 years, alongside chopped liver sandwiches and lox and cream cheese on St-Viateur bagels.

The second Montreal-style bagel is smaller than you might find in New York, but it is still enjoyed with cream cheese and lox. You can grab this tiny, sweet, dense bagel at Schwartz’s Deli.

The famous Montreal bagels can be found at St Viateur or Fairmount; locals argue as to which is better but both offer the same fantastic chewy, sweet, sesame-coated delights.

In addition to shopping around Mile End you’ll find lots of cool street art, cafes, restaurants and the famous Montreal bagels Fairmont Bagel and St. Viateur Bagel.

The famous Montreal bakery sells over 1,000 dozen bagels a day and everyone goes there for these fabulous hand-rolled bagels, including Celine Dion.

A stop at St-Viateur Bagel is the perfect place to start your day on the go, and La Binerie will make sure to serve you the best pouding chômeur!

There are a few elements that go into the Montreal-style bagel to give it its distinctive sweet tang and unique texture (that’s a little chewy).

St. Viateur Bagel (Est. 1957) – We enjoy famous Montreal bagels while arguing whether they truly are “the world’s best bagels”.