City overview

Montreal's Orthodox community lives in the west-central part of the island rather than downtown. The densest cluster runs through Côte-Saint-Luc, Hampstead and Snowdon, where Décarie Boulevard, Van Horne Avenue, Victoria Avenue and Côte-Saint-Luc Road carry most of the kosher groceries, take-out counters and restaurants — Décarie Square, at 6900 Décarie, holds several kosher eateries under one roof. Outremont and neighbouring Mile End are home to the city's Hasidic communities and their bakeries and shops, while Laval (Chomedey) and the West Island (Dollard-des-Ormeaux) have congregations and Chabad houses of their own. For Shabbat, the real choice is between downtown and Old Montreal — central for sightseeing but outside any eruv — and the hotels on Décarie Boulevard in Snowdon, which sit inside the Montreal Grand Eruv within walking distance of the Montreal Torah Center in Hampstead. The eruv joins Côte-Saint-Luc, Hampstead, Montréal West, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Snowdon and Outremont into one continuous area, so a family staying in that belt can walk to shul and to meals with a stroller. Most local kosher establishments are certified by MK.