It’s Saturday morning in Petit Maghreb. If any of the businesses here has a TV, you can bet that they are streaming the African Cup. The coffee shops are full of men who have let their coffees get cold while watching someone score a goal, and in the bakery, people keep one eye on the screen and another on the bread.

Located at the end of the Blue Line, this section of Jean-Talon is so dense with businesses that you could miss one if you blink. The neighbourhood has long been one of immigrants. As Italian businesses on Jean-Talon moved to other areas, barbers, halal butchers, and cafés serving strong coffee and just as strong mint tea moved in.

While Montrealers of North African descent live across the city, Jean-Talon is where many descend for groceries and celebrations like Ramadan – or a big soccer match.

Through the stories and foods of Petit Maghreb, one starts to understand what it means to belong to multiple places.

The North African diaspora

Waves of people have immigrated from North Africa to Quebec, with the arrival of Sephardic Jewish families in the 1950s, followed by students, professionals and artists drawn to Montreal after Expo 67.

During the 1990s and 2000s, back when the Backstreet Boys and Jean Leloup were heavy hitters on Musique Plus, Quebec’s immigration policy increasingly favoured people who spoke French. As immigrants came from countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, businesses sprung up to serve this growing North African clientele. 

In 2008, the stretch of Jean-Talon between Saint-Michel and Pie-IX was officially recognized as Petit Maghreb, or Little Maghreb. Maghreb is the Arab term for west, and encompasses Arab and Amazigh communities across northwestern Africa.

A snapshot of Petit Maghreb

While the Plateau may be known for its high number of food stores per capita, the neighbourhood of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension has almost the same concentration. Considering just bakeries, there are at least six that are visible on the 1km strip of Jean-Talon.

It’s Saturday morning in Petit Maghreb. If any of the businesses here has a TV, you can bet that they are streaming the African Cup. The coffee shops are full of men who have let their coffees get cold while watching someone score a goal, and in the bakery, people keep one eye on the screen and another on the bread.

Located at the end of the Blue Line, this section of Jean-Talon is so dense with businesses that you could miss one if you blink. The neighbourhood has long been one of immigrants. As Italian businesses on Jean-Talon moved to other areas, barbers, halal butchers, and cafés serving strong coffee and just as strong mint tea moved in.

While Montrealers of North African descent live across the city, Jean-Talon is where many descend for groceries and celebrations like Ramadan – or a big soccer match.

Through the stories and foods of Petit Maghreb, one starts to understand what it means to belong to multiple places.

The North African diaspora

Waves of people have immigrated from North Africa to Quebec, with the arrival of Sephardic Jewish families in the 1950s, followed by students, professionals and artists drawn to Montreal after Expo 67.

During the 1990s and 2000s, back when the Backstreet Boys and Jean Leloup were heavy hitters on Musique Plus, Quebec’s immigration policy increasingly favoured people who spoke French. As immigrants came from countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, businesses sprung up to serve this growing North African clientele. 

In 2008, the stretch of Jean-Talon between Saint-Michel and Pie-IX was officially recognized as Petit Maghreb, or Little Maghreb. Maghreb is the Arab term for west, and encompasses Arab and Amazigh communities across northwestern Africa.

A snapshot of Petit Maghreb

While the Plateau may be known for its high number of food stores per capita, the neighbourhood of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension has almost the same concentration. Considering just bakeries, there are at least six that are visible on the 1km strip of Jean-Talon.

It’s Saturday morning in Petit Maghreb. If any of the businesses here has a TV, you can bet that they are streaming the African Cup. The coffee shops are full of men who have let their coffees get cold while watching someone score a goal, and in the bakery, people keep one eye on the screen and another on the bread.

Located at the end of the Blue Line, this section of Jean-Talon is so dense with businesses that you could miss one if you blink. The neighbourhood has long been one of immigrants. As Italian businesses on Jean-Talon moved to other areas, barbers, halal butchers, and cafés serving strong coffee and just as strong mint tea moved in.

It’s Saturday morning in Petit Maghreb. If any of the businesses here has a TV, you can bet that they are streaming the African Cup. The coffee shops are full of men who have let their coffees get cold while watching someone score a goal, and in the bakery, people keep one eye on the screen and another on the bread.

Located at the end of the Blue Line, this section of Jean-Talon is so dense with businesses that you could miss one if you blink. The neighbourhood has long been one of immigrants. As Italian businesses on Jean-Talon moved to other areas, barbers, halal butchers, and cafés serving strong coffee and just as strong mint tea moved in.