- Dec 6, 2022
- 2 min read

Weekend Getaway: Montreal's Food Scene

Have a long weekend coming up? Travel to Canada and try some Canadian treats!

By Amanda Healy

Do you ever run into a problem where you have a long weekend coming up but don’t know what to do? I faced this debacle a couple of weeks ago, and my friend and I decided to get in the car and drive six hours to Montreal, Canada. I had never been to Canada before, and not only was I excited to see famous landmarks, but I was also excited to try different foods!

While driving from Boston to Montreal, you are on the road for over 200 miles. You get to see beautiful mountains, but there is a limited amount of food options that extend to just fast food. So prepare yourself with snacks for the drive, but also arrive hungry so you can enjoy everything Montreal has to offer.

Everything I ate during my weekend getaway did not disappoint. Starting with Tim Hortons, this coffeehouse chain has various donut options, and I tried Timbits. Similar to Dunkin Donut munchkins, Timbits are donut holes but are a bit denser. I loved them and ended up getting them again; it is definitely a Canadian staple and something you should try.

The next iconic dish I tried was poutine. Poutine is a dish of fries topped with gravy and cheese curds. I was hesitant about trying this snack because why mess with something already so delicious? But I loved them! The cheese curds fell off when picking up the fries, but all of the flavors worked really well together. I ate at Burger Bar Crescent and also tried the buffalo chicken mac and cheese, which was some of the best mac and cheese I have ever had.

Going into this trip, I knew I wanted to eat dinner at a terrace restaurant, and I chose Terrasse William Gray in Old Town Montreal. The restaurant had spectacular views of La Grande Roue de Montréal and the water, accompanied by amazing food and drinks. For an appetizer, I tried the William Gray Platter, which had a charcuterie and cheese spread. It tasted as good as it looked. From there, I had the crispy shrimp served over corn and black bean salsa with creamy avocado and sour cream. This was a mouthwatering meal, and to top it all off, I finished the night with a decadent chocolate moose.

Another thing that was on my must-do list was to go into a Canadian grocery store and see the different snack options offered. Aside from unusual packaging like milk in a bag, my main curiosity stood in the chip aisle. I found Fries’n Gravy Patates sauce Lays. These limited-edition chips tasted like poutine and were very addictive, but at the same time, they also tasted like sour cream and onion chips. I also had to try classic candies like soft maple candies, and they were fantastic.

If you are in Boston, have a free weekend, and want to go on an adventure, I definitely recommend taking a trip to Montreal. Not only is it a fun city, but it is filled with fabulous food options!