Le Marché des Saveurs du Québec

Small / decent selection / knowledgable staff. Will teturn. How do you assess the “vibe” ofabortle shop?

 

The Marché des saveurs definitely is the best place in the Jean-Talon's market area to buy good beer. It also has a great selection of local non-beer products. It's a must if you're heading in that direction.

As a regular customer, the best quality of this store is the service. Helpful, friendly and knowledgeable people are there and available to help. The prices are fair and are what you should expect to pay anywhere else.

Many micros from all over Quebec are represented and overall you'll find some good stuff to drink such as Microbrasserie de Charlevoix, Dieu du Ciel et les Trois Mousquetaires.

Jean-Talon market is a great open-air, outdoor market lined by specialty shops. Of course, when i went today in the dead of winter, the outside part of the market is not open but definitely come here in the summer, the market is vibrant.

The narrow, one-way streets can make the driving & parking a bit tricky because there is almost always a lot of people. Your best bet is to go in the indoor parking off of Henri-Julien, it's very cheap (0-30 minutes = 50 cents, 30-60 minutes = 1$, etc..). The store is just past the indoor parking, almost on the corner of the market.

As you come in, to your right is the wine & cider section. Keep going to the back and you will see the refrigerated beer section. Lots of different microbreweries available though some are absent and they don't necessarily have every beer from the breweries they do have. Among those present are 3 Mousquetaires, Brasseurs & Freres, Charlevoix, DDC, Brasseurs de Montreal & others.

Prices seem reasonable for the beers and service was helpful, knowledgable and able to give suggestions.

The rest of the store is a smorgasbord of local products: pies, spreads, jams, syrups, mustards, fish, cheeses, etc... They are separated by type of products and broken down by the different regions. Be warned though that they are a bit expensive though worth it.

There are other stores in the area (Peluso) that offer a greater variety of beers but this place probably has the most expansive array of local products that make it worth a (slight) detour.

Very nice looking place in a very nice part of town (Marché Jean-Talon).

The store is dedicated to local products, being beers, cheeses, pâtés, alcohols, oils and various other good looking things.

This means that they are not dedicated to beers only. The selection is limited to a few brewers. If you are looking for something specific, you might not find it there. If you are not looking for something specific, the staff is very kind and helpful but has limited knowledge. You will get advices like "This beer is good" or "I really prefer this beer over the other one". But don't expect depth in their recommendations.

Marché des Saveurs sits near the intersection of Jean-Talon and St. Denis on the "southwest" (more like south) side. It's really more of a market for quality meats, cheese, and wine, but they do offer a wonderful selection of Quebeçois beer. Beer is mostly sold in single bottles in a refrigerated case and looks fresh. I purchased a bottle of l'Alcheimist scotch ale from here, a bottle which I have finally put in my Southern Califorina home. (To boot, the bottle survived the voyage and has been consumed and reviewed). As a compliment to the beer offered, beer glassware from these breweries are sold as well. With the full-service meat counter, fine cheeses, and good beer, this would be a good place to go to for all those needs.

This place used to be the cider Mecca of Montréal. Unfortunately, the powers that be (our state-controlled liquor board, the SAQ) decided to pull the plug on the “exception” they made for the grocery store liquor license they have. With said license, they can sell Beer and a few bottles of SAQ-selected and distributed cheap wines only, but since most small ciderhouses don’t have the time, production volume and money to jump through the bureaucratic hoops imposed by the SAQ to sell in their stores, they sold through the Marché des Saveurs. However, the SAQ realized hat they were loosing money on the deal. So instead of making it easier for small producers to sell through them, they simply opened a new liquor store right next to this place and revoked their license. So now the small producers have nowhere left in Montréal to sell their wares. The producers along with the owner of the store have united their efforts, hopefully they’ll get an injunction or something to reverse this.

Anyway, the store in itself looks like a health food store and is near the famed Jean-Talon market (come by subway, parking is often very difficult), very bright and lots of pale wood shelves. It specializes in everything made in Québec like artisan maple syrup, soaps, candles, pâtés, etc. Some of the goods may be pricey but I’ve never gotten anything here that wasn’t top shelf quality and craftsmanship. The Beer fridge is in the left section, next to the cheese counter. Selection is nice and paints a broad picture of the province’s micro scene, the good, the bad and the ugly. You won’t find anything extra rare here, but it complements well with the ciders and meads. Beer prices are reasonable.

Staff is more specialized in cider, but I was able to wax poetic with one or two employees about Beer. They usually always have free food/cider/mead/Beer tastings, and everyone is cheerful and helpful. Even without the ciders and meads, I still recommend a stop here to go along with a visit to the market.

Wow! Well laid out store with the biggest selection of cider and ice cider that I have ever seen. Staffs are pretty knowledgeable regarding the cider and ice cider and a bit less for beer but selection is good nonetheless. Beer price are reasonable but cider price are incredibly low when compared to the SAQ just beside. Turnover seems to be high and therefore most products should be fresh. Will be visiting this place more often in the future. Site is locasted in the Marché Jean-Talon which is a nice locations to grab fresh food (make sure to go to the Fromagerie Hamel just beside this store) but limit the parking option.