Carlota Boulangerie Mexicaine — Restaurant in Montreal

Ok, here I go... After at least half a dozen visits to this wonderful place, here is my review. Full disclosure, I am Latino and in love with all things from Mexico. Some flavors here are definitely triggers to my Venezuelan sweet tooth. This small, women owned business, welcoming and neat Mexican bakery is the real representation here in Montreal of the best bakery and boulangerie currently happening in vibrant Mexico City. Not only, Mariana, the owner and brilliant mind behind Carlota, is a real Mexican baker but also she is literally part of a kind of Royalty among bakers back home. She carried with her -from Mexico to Canada- years of experience in the global phenomenon that is now Panadería Rosetta. Here in Carlota you will have the best CONCHAS in town. Their bread is the real thing: baked in place with a hundred years old sourdough starter. Bring home a Telera bread and you will have the best panini ever. She also has a beautiful and delicious brioche made with mole. My favorite! Their guava danish is a must. They also have a delicacy called Garibaldi, very difficult to have outside Mexico. If they have them in your next visit, do yourself a favor and buy two. Honestly everything there is an excellent choice. Do not be afraid to ask questions, the service is outstanding. Their horchata is authentic and very refreshing. Great coffee. Pantry items from Mexico available (vanilla, chocolate, coffee beans). Multiple bus lines nearby. A place to visit multiple times. Oh, I forgot, they will have PAN DE MUERTO since middle September, a delicacy only normally available during October. I am already dying to try their famous one made with Mezcal. Viva el Pan dulce!...

I’ve been coming to this place for over quite some time now, and I love it every single time. As a Mexican who has lived here for over 12 years, and after trying tamales and conchas all over the city, these are by far the most authentic and flavorful. Every time I go, the bread is fresh and the oaxacan hot chocolate is fantastic. I also love walking in and hearing Spanish being spoken, as well as the warm, familiar sound of strong Spanish accents. It feels like being transported to Mexico. That’s how magical this little, cozy boulangerie is. I particularly appreciate that this place is woman owned and that she hires a diverse workforce and she is transparent about her locally sourced ingredients and recipes. After being a loyal customer for a while, I recently attended one of her pan de muerto workshops with my son, and we absolutely loved it. It wasn’t just a baking class; it was also a history lesson with a dose of food chemistry and more. It lasted four hours and was worth every penny. And to those leaving negative reviews, it’s disheartening to see people with Hispanic last names trying to diminish a fellow Hispanic’s business in a world where authenticity is scarce. Ignore the bad reviews , get your tamal, order your dirty horchata (coffee with horchata) and buy happy! Park by the high school, no there’s no seating (but who cares?! You are there for the food not for the sitting) and as you would with every other bakery go there early! Sharing a pic of the inside of my bread for those who say her bread is bad. It...

My wife and I stumbled upon this place while walking around the neighborhood on a weekend visit to Montreal. This city has always been a favorite food destination for us and Carlota only reaffirms that. We were originally going to get one pastry to split, but everything looked so good we ended up getting three. We ordered two pan de Muertos, one with orange cream and one with spiced chocolate ganache, and the roule au dulce de leche.

Everything somehow tasted even better than it looked. The spiced chocolate ganache took us back to our travels in CDMX and Oaxaca, and the orange cream pastry was the perfect hint of citrus, with the lightest, most delicious bread to compliment it. The dulce de leche pastry was everything we hoped: indulgent globs of caramel enveloped in flakey buttery layers of laminated dough. We also impulse-bought a horchata to go which was perfection, you could tell the cinnamon used was top quality (and all the other ingredients for that matter).

The level of service matched the quality of the food. Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful, and they even individually packaged the pastries when I asked for a bag instead of a box.

This place has become an instant tradition for us every time we visit the city. Happy to support such a great local business, and the wonderful...