Hochelaga Bagel Club: Montréal’s New Bagel

Even before Hochelaga Bagel Club opened, lines were already stretching in front of its window on Promenade Ontario, and every batch sold out in the blink of an eye. Opened in October 2026, the spot has a clear ambition: to create a bagel that belongs neither to New York nor to Montréal, but to the neighbourhood. “We think it’s fun if people say to themselves: I’m not New York, I’m not Montréal, I’m Hochelaga,” says Rémi-Pierre Paquin, one of the partners.

A Crew Already Rooted in the Neighbourhood

Behind the project is the team from Le Trèfle, an Irish tavern whose first location opened on the same street before branching out as far as Limoilou, in Québec City. Rémi-Pierre Paquin, Jonathan Fournier and Martin Boisvert were joined by comedian and actor Matthieu Pepper. When neighbours told them that a commercial space was opening up right next door, the idea that had been simmering for years finally took root.

The idea first came from Jonathan, a true bagel enthusiast who is behind the famous recipe. Over the years, he attended countless workshops and large artisan gatherings, as far as New York, and brought back a rich palette of inspiration from his travels.

The New York Format, the Montréal Soul

The house bagel was born out of a specific need. To hold generous sandwiches, it needed size, and neither the overly wide hole of the Montréal bagel nor the overly soft crumb of its New York counterpart was up to the task. “We’ve kind of got Montréal’s density with New York’s format,” sums up the Bagel Club team. Hand-rolled the day before, the dough rests in the cold overnight before going into the oven, a method whose remaining details the team is keen to keep secret.

The name, for its part, expresses a desire to belong. Here, you’re part of the club, a headquarters. An idea that finds a natural echo in Hochelaga, where attachment to the neighbourhood needs no proving. Far from a simple counter you just pass through, the partners imagined a place where you want to settle in, from morning until evening. “We really wanted a place where you like to stay, where the vibe is good, where you feel like coming to work.” The visual identity is by Esquad Studio, which also worked with the crew to create the decor. The whole space draws on mid-century style and the 1970s: touches of orange, warm, enveloping yellow light, and a soundtrack that moves from punk to 1990s hip-hop, from jazz to Québécois disco.

Savoury, Sweet and a Touch Retro

On the Bagel Club menu, the marinated jerk chicken sandwich, fruity and spicy, stands out among the favourites, with spicy mango, sumac cabbage, jalapeño cream cheese, cheddar and bacon. The BBLT and the classic egg and bacon breakfast also rank among the most popular. But the real signature lies in the cream cheese display case, offered in 24 versions. The sweet variations (carrot cake, chocolate, strawberry, matcha), served on a raisin bagel, will win over even the most skeptical. The one with crunchy little vegetables recalls the veggie dip our mothers used to make when we were kids.

That nostalgic streak carries over to the drinks, all of them alcohol-free. The selection highlights Québec products and slips in a nostalgic nod with a few old-time soft drinks, including Marco sodas. Among them is also a sparkling pickle drink, enough to pique the curiosity of the most adventurous. On the shelf next door, between the house-branded T-shirts, you’ll even find communion wafer scraps to take home as a snack.

The coffee, too, deserves its moment. For their house blend, the partners turned to Wiltor, a human-scale Québec micro-roaster with whom they developed a custom profile. The goal was clear: an approachable coffee, far from overly niche roasts. “We wanted something not too third wave, not too bitter,” explains Rémi-Pierre. Roasted just enough to lose none of its aromas, the bean, sold in bags in Bagel Club colours, has character without being too intense.

Postponed more than once, the opening of Hochelaga Bagel Club was a long time coming, and the neighbourhood showed up. Faced with very strong demand, the team is fine-tuning its approach. A formula that has already found its audience, and that finally gives Hochelaga a bagel it can call its own.

Written by Jean-Philippe Tastet
Photography by Alison Slattery

Updated on November 13, 2026

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