It will be highly regulated and only in certain locations, but food will be coming to the streets of Montreal this summer.

Mayor Michael Applebaum announced Tuesday that a pilot project will begin June 20.

Selling food on city streets has been illegal in Montreal since 1947. Applebaum said the time has come to make a change, and therefore ten sites for food trucks will be chosen in the downtown Ville-Marie borough where food trucks will be permitted.

"We're talking tourists, we're talking the economic engine of the city of Montreal -- with tourists and all of our office buildings. It is now time for us to move forward," said Applebaum.

Small carts or trailers, as seen on sidewalks in many cities across North America, will not be allowed.

Instead restaurateurs will have to set up trucks, and only in a few pre-approved locations.

The trucks must belong to restaurant owners or caterers that are already active and established in the city's food scene.

The trucks will rotate locations not only so that people can be exposed to different kinds of street food, but also so all eateries will have a turn in high-traffic locations.

Those who have been lobbying for street food, like Gaelle Cerf, the co-owner of Grumman '78, are thrilled by the opportunity -- but not by the regulations.

"The trucks are now legit. It's amazing. I can't wait to work with city hall to figure it out -- because it's a lot of organization. It's not going to be super easy to implement," said Cerf.

Not everyone is happy with the decision: Dominique Tremblay of Quebec's Restaurant Association said she hopes existing restaurant owners will be consulted about the locations in advance.

"If they choose a site let's say in the Old Port, the restaurant owners of Place Jacques Cartier won't be happy about it," said Tremblay.

The next step is to iron out details about exactly how food will be prepared in a restaurant and then transferred into a vehicle.

“I will be putting together a committee to decide on the sites, to decide on the types of trucks, and at the same to also make sure that the food is of a quality that is going to be highly respected and renowned, the kind Montreal is known for when it comes to restaurants and quality of food,” said Applebaum.

Applebaum added that the emphasis will be on quality and hygiene,saying Montreal already has an international reputation as a culinary capital, and good quality street food will only add to that reputation.