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Montreal Chinatown: Food Walking Tour & Local Stories

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.96 (24 reviews) 96% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellation

1/22

Duration4h 30m

GroupUp to 2

LanguagesEN · DE +1

Mobile ticketAccepted

Walk the backstreets taste bahn mi and dimsum listen to old shop tales

You’ll walk Montreal’s Chinatown with a local guide, tasting bahn mi sandwiches, dimsum, pastries, and more at seven stops. Hear stories from chefs and shopkeepers as you explore hidden corners between bites. Expect laughter over fortune cookies and quiet moments sipping fresh tea — you’ll leave both full and quietly changed.

4h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Montreal Chinatown and food tastings

Meet at Place d'armes in Old Montreal
Guide gives Montreal history overview
Walk to Chinatown
Stop at water garden if children present
Visit largest Chinese grocery store
Learn grocery store history and shop
Eat Bahn Mi sandwich and learn recipe
Taste Szechuan, Dongbei, and Hunan food
Try crispy pork, BBQ pork, and duck
Visit classic Hong Kong style dimsum
Eat fortune cookie and learn its history
Taste Chinese pastries at Cantonese bakery
Try dragon's beard candy
Sample high quality tea from Montreal company

The Experience

I’ll be honest, I thought I knew Montreal pretty well — but Chinatown? Not really. That changed after this food walking tour. We met our guide right by Place d’Armes (he waved and smiled like he actually meant it), and from there, somehow the city felt different. The air was thick with that mix of bakery sweetness and something frying somewhere — I still can’t place what it was. I remember a little kid chasing pigeons near the water garden outside the Holiday Inn, her mom laughing in French and Mandarin at once. It just set the mood.

We ducked into this huge Chinese grocery store — not fancy, but packed with stuff I couldn’t pronounce (Li laughed when I tried to say “doubanjiang” — probably butchered it). There was time to wander and poke around, which was nice because sometimes tours rush you. Then came the bahn mi lesson; honestly, I’d eaten dozens before but never thought about how they’re made here in Montreal’s Chinatown. Crunchy bread, sharp pickled veg, warm pork — simple but perfect. Our guide told us about waves of immigrants who brought their own twists to these foods, which made each bite feel layered somehow.

After that it got busy: crispy pork here, BBQ duck there, a quick stop for dimsum where we all fumbled with chopsticks (no shame). The oldest fortune cookie bakery is tucked away — you’d miss it if you weren’t looking. The smell inside was sweet and almost toasty; they let us try making one but mine looked like a folded envelope. No one judged though. We finished up with dragon’s beard candy (it melts so fast on your tongue) and then sat for tea from a Montreal company with roots in southern China. By then my jacket smelled faintly of pastries and soy sauce.

I left full (maybe too full), but more than that — it felt like getting let in on a secret side of the city. Even now when I walk past those red gates or hear someone talking Cantonese on the metro, I think about that day.

What’s included

Your day includes all tastings across seven stops — from bahn mi sandwiches to dimsum, pastries, dragon’s beard candy, and specialty tea — plus a professional local guide throughout.
Lunch is covered (12 courses!), along with snacks and light refreshments like bottled water or juice depending on season.
There’s some walking outside too; ponchos are available if it rains.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Round Table Food Tours