Mark Twain referred to Montreal as a city “where you couldn’t throw a brick without breaking a church window.” These days, that brick would hit a terrific place to eat. With so many intersecting culinary cultures — French, English, Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Irish, and more — and an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients, Montreal is the ultimate food lovers’ town.

Start your day at Le Gros Jambon, a retro diner at the edge of the Old Port district where it’s hard to resist the fist-sized glazed doughnuts. Comfort food is the overarching theme here with several varieties of “macaroni au fromage,” hot dogs, lobster rolls, and burgers with foie gras. ($7-$18, 286 Notre-Dame West, 514-508-3872, www.legrosjambon.com)