Where To Find The Best Street Food In Montreal

Street food in Montreal is famous for its food trucks where you can get anything from a smoked meat sandwich and smoking BBQ to frozen fruit bars and fried chicken. Montreal is the kind of city that just makes you want to grab something fast to eat before a game or after a walk in the park. You can typically find food trucks and other street vendors around popular attractions like sports stadiums, tourist spots, and major shopping areas.

As it gets more popular, street food such as a smoked meat sandwich from a food truck can be found more often serving food in Montreal to locals as well as visitors. Who needs a restaurant when there are so many food trucks?

But what is street food exactly? Street food is a mix of finger food and fast food that you can buy from a food truck or kiosk that is ready to eat. The prices are typically low but the taste is usually amazing or the truck would not still be there.

There are approximately 50 food trucks and kiosks in the streets of Montreal, so you should have no trouble finding one. In addition, on the first Friday of every month, there is a food truck rally at Olympic Stadium where you can find a variety of choices. Although street food is more plentiful in the summer months, you can still find a food truck or two in the city as it gets cooler.

The food choices range in taste from fried chicken to tacos and everything in between. Mostly, you can find iconic Montreal food like poutine, which is a plate of fries covered in cheese and gravy, a steamie hot dog, or a smoked meat sandwich from a smoking BBQ food truck. Other delicious food you will find include dulce de leche, grilled cheese sandwiches, elaborate salads, beef burgers, bagels, and churros.

With over 50 food trucks to dine from around the city, you will be spoiled for choice when it comes to what delicious food you can get. The most popular locations are in neighborhoods like Old Montreal, La Petite-Patrie, Cartierville, and Ville-Marie and areas like the Atwater Market. Whether you are looking for a quick meal or a snack and don't want to be confined to a restaurant, you will find it on one of the Montreal food trucks. But don't bring your bags. Leave them at a luggage storage service in Montreal while you eat.

The best street food vendors in Montreal

Nouveau Palais (Winneburger)

One of the most famous street trucks in Montreal is the Winneburger Truck, which is often found on the streets around the Jean-Talon Market. They serve a little bit of everything from hot dogs and burgers dripping with cheese to poutine thick with gravy, and prawn rolls filled with tasty shrimp to summer salads. Sometimes you can even find them at a festival or other public event giving out free beef burgers.

Le Smoking BBQ

For a barbecued masterpiece of pulled pork or another delicious meat, Le Smoking BBQ food truck has that covered and then some! Smoked chicken, ribs, brisket, and bacon as well as burgers, poutine, and sausages are also on the menu. With 14 trucks and 100 employees, you can find Le Smoking BBQ at all local functions, attractions, and other popular spots. Once you taste the delicious smoked beef, you will totally understand.

O Soeurs Volantes/O Soeurs du Lac (O Flying Sisters/O Lake Sisters)

Looking for a food truck with healthy menu items like a fresh salad or poke bowl? You need to get to the O Flying Sisters food truck right away. If you cannot find it, don't worry, you can get the same salads and other healthy dishes at the O Lake Sisters food truck. Try the salmon rillette tacos or the deluxe poke bowl with tuna, salmon, goat cheese, and candied cranberries. But they also serve poutine dishes for frites lovers.

Mr. Puffs

Need some sugar? Mr. Puffs is famous for the original Greek donut holes and delicious coffee on their menu. Founded in 2004, this Puffs truck is busy preparing the best donut holed in Montreal, all day long. Besides having over a dozen flavors of puffs, you can also get Twister shakes and unique artisanal shakes like the dulce de leche or the Red Velvet. They have 11 locations around La Belle Province as well as a restaurant so they will not be hard to find!

The Duck Truck

Looking for something different? This street food is just ducky. If you have not tried duck yet, you need to find the Montreal Duck Truck and order from their menu. There are just a few of these trucks on the streets but they can be found at local attractions and festivals and they are worth the time you may have to search for them. You may also find them near their restaurant, Vertige. Try the special Quack n Cheese, which is mac n cheese with duck confit. They even have duck salad, tacos, poutine, and empanadas.

Le Cheese Truck

Everyone loves cheese so why not visit Le Cheese Truck? The people of Montreal love their cheese and this food truck serves it in so many ways it may be hard to choose. There are four different kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches to choose from including Le Batman with a huge serving of bacon, avocado, and tomatoes. They also have a Philly cheesesteak, fries, and salads as well as a variety of poutine favorites on the menu.

Taco Trunp

With a witty play on words, Taco Trunp serves tacos of all different flavors, sizes, and styles. You will recognize the truck by the man with an orange face and wild yellow hair painted on the menu. No matter what kind of taco you want, they have it. And if they don't have it, they will figure out how to make it for you. If you want more than just a taco, get the grilled capenchana with beef, pork, and cheese.

Dim Sum Food Truck

Montreal fans of dim sum dumplings and other Asian cuisines can tell you where to find the best, the Dim Sum Food Truck. During the summer months, you will find it just about anywhere that is busy. They started as a Chinese restaurant with delivery and just decided, why not serve people on the street? You can find traditional Chinese food like egg rolls, char siu bao buns, and of course, dim sum.

Where to find the best Montreal street food spots

Many of the Montreal neighborhoods have food to brag about. All along the waterfront, you will find a plethora of amazing street food spots to visit. Whether you want to eat off a food truck or get some street food at a local fast food place, you will not have to search far. The streets that run parallel to the St. Lawrence River are packed all summer long. The most popular, Nouveau Palais (Winneburger) can be found on the Mile End by Bernard and Park Avenue.

The largest conglomeration of trucks runs along St. Paul and Commune East between St. Laurent and St. Denis. Another location to find a large group of food trucks is found in Shaughnessy Village between Ville-Marie Boulevard and Sherbrooke Street. Some of the ones you may see include Dim Sum Food Truck, Mr. Puffs, and the Duck Truck.

Around Mont-Royal Park, all along St. Catherine between Atwater and Peel Street, there are several dozen food trucks on the sides of the roads so you do not have to search too long to find what you are craving. Some of the most popular here are Don Taco, Kazu Gourmet Japanese, and Picks Burgers as well as Desserts Etc., St. Viateur Bagel, and Pyza Foods.

Chinatown has its fair share of food trucks to visit as well, and it is not all Chinese food either. You can find La Capital Tacos, Le Cheese Truck, and Le Smoking BBQ as well as a handful of others. Also, in the Garment District along St. Laurent and Chabanel, you will find Queen B, Phoenix 1, and La Prep.

Street food festivals in Montreal

First Fridays

One of the largest and most popular food festivals in Montreal is First Fridays. Lunch, dinner, snacks, or sweets, whatever you want, all in one location. It starts in May and continues until October on the first Friday of every month. You can find them at the Esplanade of Olympic Park on the corner of Pie-IX and Pierre-De Coubertin Avenue. It is not just food though, they have a DJ and lots of great music as well. There are several restaurants at this festival, too. Make it a part of your night out!

Taste of the Caribbean

Are you a fan of Caribbean food or music? The Taste of the Caribbean Festival features hundreds of vendors selling their mouthwatering lunch and dinner food from fried jerk chicken to pork curry, expect the best of the best here. There are even a few bars and fun foods like donuts and other sugar-filled treats. It is only one day on Labor Day Sunday at Crown Festival Park.

Festival Orientalys

Craving some Asian, Russian, Indian, Australian, or African food? At the Old Port Clock Tower, this concept embraces the flavors and fun of Asia at the Festival Orientalys. Enjoy a festival devoted to music and flavors of the east including China, North Africa, and other Eastern countries of the world. For one weekend at the end of August, you can have your fill of the flavors of the east.

Montreal Taco Fest

Finally, Montreal has a Taco Fest for everyone in your whole family to enjoy the flavor of the south. Whether you want a healthier vegetarian taco, spicy taco with all the toppings, or a tortilla filled with BBQ ribs, you can find it all at L'Ambroisie Canal El Mercado del Taco the first week of September. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert can be served on a quality tortilla.

Mont-Royal Tam Tams Festival

It may not be a food festival, per se, but almost every food truck in Montreal will be there. It happens from May until September at Mont-Royal Park around the Sir George-Etienne Cartier Monument. Thousands of people from all over the city get together at this location to listen to the drums and eat good food.

Find the Food Trucks

When the sun is shining in Montreal, skip the restaurants and find a food truck instead. The city is full of them all summer long and many can be found in more than one location. Whether you want breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack, there is a food truck in Montreal just for you. Many of them have a variety of dishes on their menu.

Some of the most popular food truck menu items include poutine, tacos, grilled pork and beef sandwiches, fried chicken, and donuts. You may find more articles online about street food vendors but we did our research to make sure the ones we chose are amazing. Fill up on your favorites while you are in town.