The mild spring air is slowly returning to Montreal—between showers. It makes us crave being outdoors, hands in the grass and a wicker basket tucked under our arm—fullof seasonal vegetables, flowers, and local honey. It’s the season for barbecues, big Sunday salads, and growing fresh herbs on the balcony.
We want to get back to basics: the earth, the wind, the sun, fresh water. But in the city, that’s easier said than done.
When spring arrives, we all get a little hippie-dippie, and it’s an urge we’ll easily satisfy at Montreal’s markets,most ofwhichwill be open-air starting at the end of the month—with the sun in our eyes and the river breeze in our hair.
Montreal’s oldest public marketis the Marché de Lachine,which opened in the city in 1845. After a devastating fire, it was rebuilt and is now housed in the two-story building that was completed in 1909. It is currently undergoing renovations so it can remain open year-round.
In the meantime, let’s move on to the other markets opening this month.
Jean-Talon Market
Montreal’s largest public market is the Jean-Talon Market. It opened in 1933 and today is one of the largest markets in North America. It was originally called the “Marché du Nord” until 1983, when it was renamed after the first intendant of New France.
It’s open year-round, and in the summer the streets around its outdoor market are closed to cars, giving the impression that you’re at a farmer’s market in a small town. You can find everything here, and the selection of products from local producers is incredibly rich: meats, fruits, flowers, vegetables… There’s a little bit of everything. Traditionally, this is the market where people go to pick up the first Canadian tulips of the spring.
The walls enclosing the market will be taken down at the end of April to expand the outdoor space.
Atwater Market
Montreal’s most Art Deco market is the Atwater Market. The building, completed in 1933, which houses this public market is classified as one of Montreal’s most beautiful structures.
Just like at the Jean-Talon Market, we go there for our plants, fruits, and vegetables from local farmers, to visit the butcher, or to buy fresh pasta —and the New York Times at the market’s little newsstand, which is one of the only ones in Montreal to carry it.
Walls are erected around the market when winter arrives, and are taken down in the springso that the indoor market transforms into an outdoor market.
Maisonneuve Market
Montreal’s most old-school market is the Marché Maisonneuve. It’s located in a large building made of cut stone in the Hochelaga neighborhood.
It’sopen year-round, and market gardeners sell flowers and herbs in its outdoor space during the warmer months. We go there for snow crab, fresh bread, and tomatoes that taste of earth and sunshine.
The market opens its doors and adds outdoor stalls starting at the end of April.
Neighborhood Markets
In Montreal, we also have a strong neighborhood culture, and depending on where you live (or where you’re staying if you’re visiting), there’s always a market nearby.
Montreal’s public markets have a network of local producers and markets offering local and ultra-local products, whether in solidarity markets (which improve the quality of offerings in neighborhoods that don’t necessarily have easy access to large public markets by setting up shop, among other places, at subway exits) or in neighborhood markets.
We have a list of Montreal’s neighborhood markets here;
- The Jean-Brillant Neighbourhood Market at the Côte-des-Neiges metro station– Richard Trottier’s Neighbourhood Market
- The Carré St Louis Neighborhood Market– Le K, Fadila and Omar Fezzoua’s gourmet break
- The Square Victoria Neighborhood Market– Gérald Desjardins’ Flower Market
- The Place Jacques Cartier Neighborhood Market– Magali Thibault’s Market
- The Mont-Royal Neighbourhood Market– John Fogarty’s Kiosk
- The Papineau Neighbourhood Market– Amine Mohamed’s Market
