Montreal: Old Montreal Food and Drink Guided Walking Tour

Old Montreal tastes better on foot. I like the mix of classic Montreal food and landmark sightseeing, especially the smoked salmon bagel in a former bank and the hearty poutine later on. I also like that local guides such as Laurie, Cecile, Ronnie, and Debbie bring humor and personal knowledge of Montreal to the walk.

The main drawback is the pace and terrain. You walk on cobblestones for three hours, in weather that may be cold, wet, or snowy, and the tour is not suitable for wheelchair users or people with mobility impairments. Some food stops can also feel tight with a larger group.

Key points at a glance

• Seven tasting stops: Expect a smoked salmon bagel, Quebec cheeses and charcuterie, a substantial savory dish, poutine, a canelé pastry, and craft beer.
• Old Montreal sightseeing: The route includes Place d’Armes, Notre-Dame Basilica from the outside, the Old Port, and historic buildings along the way.
• Different mid-tour dishes by day: Mati Taverna serves braised lamb and salad from Thursday through Sunday, while La Catrina serves a nopales taco from Monday through Wednesday.
• Three hours on foot: The tour includes several food pauses and about 70 minutes of guided sightseeing between tastings.
• English-language guiding: The guides explain Montreal’s architecture, food, customs, and past in an easygoing way.
• Good value for hungry visitors: At $104 per person, the price makes more sense if you want both a meal-sized tasting menu and an introduction to Old Montreal.

Why this food walk works so well

Food tours can sometimes feel like a string of snacks with a few facts thrown in. This one has a clearer shape. You begin with a light but unmistakably Montreal breakfast-style bite, move through Quebec products and international flavors, then finish with poutine, pastry, and beer.

I like that the route does not treat Montreal cuisine as one narrow thing. You get the city’s famous bagel, local cheese, smoked meat, French pastry, Mediterranean food, Mexican food, and Quebec-style comfort food. That tells you more about modern Montreal than a menu made only of old regional classics.

The walking matters, too. Old Montreal is compact, but its cobblestone streets, grand stone buildings, old banks, squares, and waterfront can blur together if you simply wander without context. A guide gives the buildings a story and helps connect the food stops to the district around them.

The strongest part of the tour is the guiding. Laurie has been praised for making the history fun, while Cecile, Ronnie, Laura, David, Fran, Chantelle, Debbie, and Darren have each been singled out for warmth, humor, or strong local background. You cannot choose your guide, but the pattern is encouraging: the human side of the tour is a major part of its appeal.

Starting inside a former bank at Crew Collective

Meet at Crew Collective & Café, at 360 Rue Saint-Jacques. Go into the main entrance hall and look for the guide near the bench by the revolving doors. This is not a sidewalk meeting point, so give yourself time to enter the building and find the lobby.

The setting is a fine opening note. The café occupies a breathtaking former bank, with the grand interior doing some of the work before the food arrives. Your first taste is a classic Montreal bagel with smoked salmon.

This stop gives you a quick introduction to two sides of the city. The bagel connects you to Montreal’s well-known food culture, while the former bank places you in the old commercial heart of the district. You are not simply eating at a random café before a walk begins. You are looking at a building that helps explain the character of Old Montreal.

The portion is one part of a larger tasting menu, not a full breakfast. That is useful to know if you arrive hungry. Save room, because the tour becomes more substantial as it goes.

Quebec cheese and charcuterie at Le Beau Marché

The next stop is Épicerie Le Beau Marché, where you taste local cheeses and charcuterie. This is the point where the tour shifts from a famous city staple to Quebec ingredients and regional food traditions.

For you, the value here is comparison. The bagel is familiar and immediately recognizable. Cheese and cured meats ask you to slow down and notice local flavor. The guide can also explain what you are eating and place it within Montreal’s food culture, rather than leaving you to guess at the counter.

This is a useful stop for anyone who wants ideas for a picnic or a casual meal later in the trip. You get a sense of the products sold in a neighborhood food shop, and you may find yourself returning to buy something for your hotel or apartment.

The tour schedule leaves roughly 25 minutes for a food tasting before moving on. The group does not linger over every course like a restaurant meal. Think of the stop as a focused sample, followed by walking and conversation.

Old Montreal between bites

Between tastings, the guide leads you through Old Montreal and the Old Port. The sightseeing portion includes important places such as Place d’Armes and Notre-Dame Basilica, along with the streets and buildings connecting them.

I like this format because you get structure without giving up the feel of a walk. You can look up at the architecture, hear how the district developed, and still keep the food as the main thread. Guides have explained buildings, statues, owners, chefs, and local customs along the route, so the commentary is not limited to what you are eating.

The schedule includes about 25 minutes of guided touring in Old Montreal, followed by roughly 45 minutes of guided touring around the Old Port. That adds up to a useful introduction to the district, especially if this is your first day in the city.

You do not enter Notre-Dame Basilica as part of the tour. The entrance fee is not included, so plan a separate visit if you want to see the interior. The guide can help you understand the setting from outside, but this tour is not a substitute for a basilica visit.

The main savory course changes by day

The most substantial food stop depends on the day of the week. From Thursday through Sunday, you visit Mati Taverna for a fresh Mati salad and a 24-hour braised lamb dish. From Monday through Wednesday, the stop is La Catrina, where you taste a nopales taco made from a family recipe.

That schedule is worth checking before you book if one dish matters to you. The two options have different personalities. The lamb is a slow-cooked, generous dish with a restaurant-style feel. The nopales taco offers a lighter Mexican flavor and a plant-based ingredient with a distinct texture.

The food is not limited to tiny decorative bites. One diner described the lamb neck, salad, poutine, pastry, and beer as a satisfying range from snacks to more filling dishes. That makes the tour useful as a late breakfast or early lunch, depending on the starting time.

You should still avoid arriving overfull. The tour has several later stops, and the next major bite is poutine, which is not shy about its size or richness.

Poutine at Franklin’s Subs & Suds

At Franklin’s Subs & Suds, you get a Montreal-style comfort-food stop with a choice. The featured dish is smoked meat poutine, while a vegetarian version is available if you prefer it.

Poutine is simple on paper: fries, cheese curds, and gravy. In practice, the smoked meat version makes it heavier and more savory. It is the kind of food that explains why Montreal is not only about polished French cooking or elegant old buildings. This is casual, filling food with a clear local identity.

Some descriptions of the stop refer to the poutine as having a Spanish touch, so the exact preparation may have its own twist. The important point is that you are getting a substantial poutine tasting, not merely a token fry with sauce.

Tell the guide about dietary needs at the start. The tour specifically lists a vegetarian poutine option, but the provided information does not promise that every food stop can be adapted for every allergy or restriction. The food stops are also active restaurants and cafés, so space may feel snug when the group is large.

A canelé at Chez Potier Pâtisserie

After savory food, the canelé at Chez Potier Pâtisserie gives you a small French-style finish. This pastry has a caramelized exterior and a soft custard center. Chez Potier makes it a house specialty.

This is one of my favorite kinds of food-tour stop: modest in size, specific to the place, and easy to miss if you were simply walking past. The canelé is not a dramatic dessert, but its contrast in texture makes it memorable. You get a crisp outside, a tender center, and a short pause from the heavier dishes.

The stop also helps keep the meal balanced. The bagel and poutine bring salt and heft. The pastry brings sweetness without turning the tour into a dessert crawl.

Finishing with beer at Les Soeurs Grises

The final stop is Bistro-Brasserie Les Soeurs Grises, where you taste a locally brewed craft beer. It is a sensible ending because you can sit with the group, compare notes, and let the guide wrap up the food and history of the walk.

The beer tasting is included. This is not a brewery tour or a long flight of beers, based on the information provided. It is a final local drink, served at a brewery in Old Montreal.

Alcohol is part of the experience, so this may not suit you if you do not drink. You should also remember that the tour does not allow alcohol or drugs to be brought along, and audio recording is not permitted. The included beer is part of the organized tasting.

The tour finishes here, rather than returning you to the bank where you started. That is useful if you want to continue exploring the Old Port, but you should note the ending location for your next plan.

What $104 gets you

At $104 per person, this is not a cheap snack walk. The price includes six or more food stops, a craft beer tasting, sightseeing, a guide, and enough food to replace a light meal or perhaps lunch for some appetites.

I see the value in the combination. A restaurant meal might give you one strong dish, but it would not take you through a former bank, a food shop, Old Montreal landmarks, a Mediterranean or Mexican stop, poutine, a pastry shop, and a brewery. A standard sightseeing walk would give you the buildings, but not the chance to taste this range of Montreal food.

The price is harder to justify if you are a very light eater, avoid most of the included foods, or already know Old Montreal well. It is also less attractive if you prefer to choose each restaurant yourself. For a first visit, though, the tour bundles food and orientation in a practical way.

The reserve-now-and-pay-later option gives you some flexibility, and cancellation is allowed up to 24 hours before the tour for a full refund. Starting times vary, so check availability when planning your day.

Weather, walking, and group comfort

The tour runs rain or shine or snow. Montreal weather can change quickly, and three hours outdoors requires sensible clothing. Wear weather-appropriate layers and shoes that handle uneven cobblestones.

This is not the right choice if you have serious mobility limitations. Wheelchair users and people with mobility impairments are specifically excluded, and the route includes extended walking through Old Montreal and the Old Port.

Group size also affects comfort. One visitor found a group of about 16 a little tight at some food stops, although the guide handled the cold weather and changing mood well. If you dislike group tours or crowded interiors, this is worth considering.

The food schedule gives you regular pauses, but you are still walking between them. I would not book it immediately before an important appointment unless you can allow extra time after the stated three hours.

Who will enjoy this tour most

I would choose this tour for a first or second day in Montreal. It gives you food to seek out later, landmarks to revisit, and a basic sense of how Old Montreal fits into the wider city.

It suits you especially well if you:

• Want local food without planning several restaurants
• Like history delivered with humor rather than a formal lecture
• Enjoy tasting both traditional and international dishes
• Prefer walking to riding between stops
• Want a guide who can answer questions about buildings, food, and Montreal culture
• Are comfortable eating meat, dairy, pastry, and drinking beer

It may not suit you if you need step-free access, dislike winter walking, want a quiet private meal, or have strict dietary restrictions that are not covered by the listed vegetarian options.

Should you book it?

Yes, if you want a well-rounded introduction to Old Montreal and do not want to choose every bite yourself. The best reason to book is the pairing of food and place: you taste smoked meat poutine, Quebec cheese, Montreal bagel, pastry, and beer while walking past the district’s major sights.

I would check the weekday menu before paying. Choose Thursday through Sunday if the braised lamb appeals to you, or Monday through Wednesday if you prefer the nopales taco. Arrive ready to walk, keep room for the later courses, and dress for the forecast.

At $104, this is best viewed as a half-day food-and-sightseeing outing rather than a quick tasting. For that purpose, the friendly guides, varied stops, and strong local focus make it a good buy.

FAQ

How long is the Montreal Old Montreal food tour?

The tour lasts three hours and combines food tastings with guided walking through Old Montreal and the Old Port.

Where does the tour begin?

It begins at Crew Collective & Café, 360 Rue Saint-Jacques, Montréal. Meet inside the main entrance hall near the bench by the revolving doors.

Where does the tour finish?

The tour finishes at Bistro-Brasserie Les Soeurs Grises in Old Montreal.

Is Notre-Dame Basilica entrance included?

No. The tour includes sightseeing around Old Montreal, but admission to Notre-Dame Basilica is not included.

What food is included?

The stops include a Montreal bagel with smoked salmon, Quebec cheeses and charcuterie, a savory dish at Mati Taverna or La Catrina, poutine, a canelé pastry, and a craft beer tasting.

Does the mid-tour restaurant change by day?

Yes. Mati Taverna operates as the listed stop from Thursday through Sunday. La Catrina is listed for Monday through Wednesday.

Is the tour offered in English?

Yes. The live guide conducts the tour in English.

Is the tour suitable for wheelchair users?

No. The tour is not suitable for wheelchair users or people with mobility impairments. It also runs outdoors in rain, snow, or other weather, so you should wear suitable clothing.