Long lines in Montreal

The viral places people queue for, what to get when you reach the front, how long the wait usually is, and how to beat it. Waits are typical, not live.

5 places in Montreal · by Chef Amazing · updated October 23, 2026
Photo: Timothy A. Gonsalves, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

1. 1

   Schwartz's Deli

   Plateau (St-Laurent)

   Get: Smoked meat, medium fat, with a pickle and a cherry soda

   Montreal smoked meat since 1928. Expect: 20 to 45 min on weekends. Beat it: go at off hours, or use the take-out counter next door.

   Also on the list: Montreal: what to eat and where.

   3895 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montréal · Map · Add to Chef Amazing
2. 2

   St-Viateur Bagel

   Mile End

   Get: A sesame bagel hot from the wood oven

   Hand-rolled bagels, boiled in honey water and baked in wood ovens, all night long. Expect: short but steady, 24 hours a day. Beat it: any time. The line moves fast.

   Also on the list: Breakfast and sandwiches in Montreal.

   263 rue Saint-Viateur Ouest, Montreal, QC H2V 1Y1 · Map · Add to Chef Amazing
3. 3

   Fairmount Bagel

   Mile End

   Get: A sesame or everything bagel, warm

   St-Viateur's rival, two blocks away and also open 24 hours. Expect: steady lines on weekends. Beat it: go late at night.

   Also on the list: Montreal: what to eat and where.

   74 Fairmount O, Montréal, QC H2T 2M2 · Map · Add to Chef Amazing
4. 4

   La Banquise

   Plateau

   Get: Poutine, classic or loaded

   The 24-hour poutine house. Expect: late-night waits. Beat it: go before 10pm.

   Also on the list: Montreal: what to eat and where.

   Map · Add to Chef Amazing
5. 5

   Kem CoBa

   Soft serve · Mile End

   Get: Soft-serve twist and a seasonal ice cream

   Montreal's summer ice cream line. It closes for winter. Expect: long lines on summer evenings. Beat it: go in the early afternoon.

   Also on the list: Where to get ice cream in Montreal.

   Map · Add to Chef Amazing