A great introduction to Montreal

It was a walking food tour in Montréal. Our guide didn’t seem to have a plan and didn’t do his research. It was supposed to be 3 hours w 6 to 8 tastings. We walk around for an hour. The first stop was sold out of cronuts (4:30pm). The second stop was not open. We ended up having a very expensive dinner in Chinatown. Food was good but we could have purchased dumplings and noodles without a guide. We had to remind the guide our tour included drinks and then he scrambled around for 20min trying to find an “affordable” drink option. This is way overpriced for what we received. Terrible experience. We had to complete a questionnaire beforehand with our preferences which we asked for local fare off the beaten path, history and culture. We were expecting multiple food tastings from various places since it was a food tour. Advice for travelers, make sure the guide is licensed and had to take a certification course or it is a waste of time and money.

Connie Burcheri was great. She took us for breakfast at a Montreal cafe that was a favorite with Leonard Cohen, and was in the neighborhood were Cohen lived. We then explored neighborhoods in Montreal, visited local stores, the open market in Little Italy, and she drove us back to our hotel. She even made our dinner reservation! She was great.