Marché Jean-Talon
GO HERE: because Marché Jean-Talon is a massive open-air one-stop shop for Quebecois products gorgeously laid out in stall after stall.
ORDER THE: fried calamari or raw oysters at one of the brick-and-mortar purveyors along the perimeter of the market before you start ogling all the fresh produce, breads, meats, cheese, and fish. Make sure you stop at the Librairie Gourmande for a thoughtful selection of cookbooks, especially ones written by local chefs, and on your way out pick up a bottle of souvenir maple syrup.
THE VIBE IS: family friendly! You’ll spy big families doing their routine shopping runs, tourists on the lookout for maple everything, and everyone in between.
PRACTICAL STUFF: Open every day: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
—Claire Saffitz
