The Montreal-style bagel is traditionally a handmade and wood-fired baked bagel. The Montreal bagel is a smaller, thinner, sweeter and denser bagel with a larger hole than that of a New York Bagel. It is always baked in a wood-fired oven. It contains malt, egg, no salt, and is boiled in honey-sweetened water before being baked. This is in contrast to the New York-style bagel which also contains sourdough, salt, and malt and is boiled in water before baking in a standard oven. There are two predominant varieties of Montreal Bagels: black-seed (poppy seed), or white-seed (sesame seed). White-seed (sesame seed) is the most popular and understood to be the standard format at most restaurants and bagel establishments. St-Viateur Bagel and Fairmount Bagel are the most well-known and popular bagel shops in Montreal. Their rivalry and minor controversy surround the question of who first brought the bagel to Montreal. The first bagels in the city were reportedly first baked by Chaim Seligman. Seligman would string his bagels into dozens and patrol the Jewish Main originally with a pushcart. Seligman had a partnership with Myer Lewkowicz and with Jack Shlafman but ended up having a falling out with both men. Seligman and Lewkowicz founded the St. Viateur Bagel Shop in 1957 and Shlafman established Fairmount Bagel in 1919. To this day you can ask any native Montrealer on their preferred bagel shop and why they feel so strongly about it.
Bagel Etc fits into the long history of the Montreal bagel by serving only Fairmount bagels for their lovely breakfast and sandwich menu. This restaurant knows a thing or two about the bagel war in Montreal as Bagel Etc has been serving the city since the 1940's when it opened as Cookie’s Main Lunch. From the hungover college kid to Leonard Cohen, Bagel Etc sees all walks of life walk through its doors. You know when you sit down that you’re in good hands.
Starting another day off with great food and new city adventures Grace and I arrived at Bagel Etc around 1:50 on a Thursday. We walked into the rather empty, cozy diner-like restaurant and were seated at a couples booth in a minute or two. The most immediate thing we noticed when we sat down was the decor and overall look of the place. The only way I can think to describe it is “postmodern tacky”. The room has both classical Greek and modern inspirations floating around in what is the perfect vortex of style. The owners have definitely tried to keep a little bit of the classic diner look around when they modernized the restaurant. It is something I absolutely love to see in older locations. It describes the clientele and staff. People of all different walks of life.
Bagel Etc doesn’t exactly serve anything too revolutionary seeing as they are mostly a diner and breakfast place. However, what they do serve comes out quick and hot. Grace and I’s food came out in 5 minutes of ordering. It is worth noting that there were only 3 other patrons in the restaurant at the time we visited. I recommend going on a weekday if you are able to since the weekends seem to be pretty packed in comparison. Grace ordered the Brunch Plate and I ordered the St-Viateur. Both dishes are simple in their creation and presentation. There aren’t any visual tricks or theatrics here. Things are simple and clean. My St-Viateur was a classic bagel combination that you could easily find in a lot of Jewish households, featuring lox (fillet of brined salmon), cream cheese, capers, and topped with onion and tomatoes. In addition to my bagel sandwich, I got a mochaccino, which was a delicious choice for my coffee craving brain. Grace’s brunch plate was hot and ready to eat right away. There was little room for error during our visit to Bagel Etc and there were none to be found. Everything offered at Bagel Etc is a classic, from the food to the decor, it all is fun and yet familiar. This is a perfect place for a date, a meeting with an old friend, or even the occasional hungover breakfast on a Sunday morning.
There are very few downsides to find here. The food fits the price and location aesthetics. Bagel Etc puts a small twist on what they do to make it more modern and it works. This is a place that anyone could enjoy eating at.
Ratings
Leanna’s: Dragon Age Inquisition
Grace’s: Dragon Age Inquisition
Atmosphere
This place is comforting and feels much like eating at home with a fun twist. The staff are fun and friendly. The overall aesthetic and personality of the restaurant make those who come in feel safe and welcomed back before they even sit down.
Sound
It's easy to eavesdrop when this place gets quiet at the end of the day. However, the safety of these comforting walls makes you feel as if no one can hear at all times of the day. The staff has their own playful banter and conversations at ranging levels of sound.
Menu
All items are shown on a two page, two-sided, laminated paper book. Our menu was in English. No pictures in this menu but all options are described with ingredients.
Price
Most main dishes vary from 10 to 14 dollars
Open
All days of the week at 7:30 am to 4 pm
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes although a tight squeeze and there is little space at times in the restaurant.