Mount Royal Bagel — Restaurant in Victoria

No vegan options! All the bagels contain eggs and I didn’t see any tofu schmear listed. Disappointing given it is behind Fern. I’m more of a NYC bagel lover than MTL but I’ll give any a try. NYC shops always accommodate dairy-free and egg-free because NYC has a big diverse population and egg is a common allergen so that meets the need of most people. No one can even tell from tasting or looking at a bagel if it contains egg. Meanwhile, Montreal bagel shops are full of people from Quebec who refuse to adapt or accommodate with the changing times, climate, or immigration policy. Party like it’s 1975, Mt. Royal Bagel.

Update: I tried to leave a neutral star rating since I could not eat anything here, but dropping to 1 star based on the hot take reply from owner. Guess they don’t like their neighbours and the shunning of mutual clientele is intentional. “Age old” is not a good reason for doing anything today. I went to your shop to support your business. Happily taking my money...

The bagels are very very good. We buy them in large quantities for use in our cafe.

However, I drove in to Victoria from the Peninsula to purchase some, called the shop as I was stuck in traffic and realized I might not get there quite in time for closing. I told the staff member my situation, and was told ''I will give you one minute past closing. I am locking the doors at 5:31''. I got there at 5:33 thanks to one extra red light, and sure enough... locked. She was inside and skirted out of the way when she saw me at the door.

As a business person, I would NEVER allow my staff to treat a customer like this. We close at 5pm and never hustle people out the door until either we are ready to go home or have to mop under their feet. If I haven't cashed out, they can still make a purchase.

I am rethinking whether we use their products...

For all those people claiming these are not true MONTREAL style bagels, or are a cross between New York and MONTREAL bagels, or are anything in between: These are great bagels in their own right. They are closer to a Montreal bagel than a New York bagel (take it from someone who has lived many years in both places). All bagels are at their best when they are fresh and preferably right out of the oven. MONTREAL bagels are great because they are baked in woodfired ovens. This bakery has regular convection ovens but uses the MONTREAL bagel style recipe and methods. New York bagels are traditionally not baked in woodfired ovens either. All of the above bagels are great, including Mount Royal bagels. Also, the staff is friendly, efficient, and the prices are fair for this...