An Ottawa Bagel Shop Is Expanding To Montreal & Montrealers Can't Help But Troll It

Bringing Montreal-style bagels to... Montreal.

Senior Writer

It's no secret that Montrealers are passionate about their bagels, and this loyalty is usually illuminated by the Montreal vs. New York City bagel war. But a new bagel maker has entered the chat, stirring up the debate: Kettlemans Bagel, which announced that it's expanding from Ottawa to Montreal in 2022.

Daily Hive first reported the news earlier this week. And, naturally, Montrealers have been trolling Kettlemans on Twitter ever since.

Tourisme Montréal used the red flag meme to... well... raise a red flag about the Ottawa-based bagel chain.

Music producer and DJ Max Graham questioned whether "Vermont based poutine" could be next.

Multiple Twitter users, including Claude Rivest, responded by asking variations of the question, "Why?"

Others compared this to Ontario-based Smoke's Poutinerie's failed Montreal venture while Taylor C. Noakes likened it to a Saudi Arabian whiskey distillery opening in Dublin.

But ultimately some of the trolls came around to say it was just playful teasing. Even Tourisme Montréal admitted that "there can NEVER be too many bagels."

After all, Kettlemans Bagel Co. was founded by a Montreal native and is beloved by many Ontarians, so it may be wise to taste the product before judging it.

  • Ilana Belfer
  • Editor

    Ilana Belfer (she/her) was an editor for MTL Blog. She's obsessed with great storytelling in all its forms having worked in print, radio, television, theatre, and digital media over the past decade. A graduate of Carleton University’s journalism program, her words have appeared in The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, The Kit, VICE, Salon, Foodism TO & more — covering everything from cam girls to COVID-19. Ilana can usually be found with her dog André, tracking down Montreal’s prettiest ruelles vertes and tastiest treats.

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