10 Restaurants Serving the Best Poutine in Montreal

Poutine is a favourite food of Montrealer’s, and they even organize a festival to honor it in February. A dish of French fries covered with squeaky curds & brown gravy is a staple on several local restaurant menus, and Montreal is the finest spot to eat them all year long. You can taste the best poutine in Montréal there.

Poutine, a delicious concoction of fries, cheese, and gravy, is one of Canada’s most iconic dishes. It goes well with beer, is typically available after a night out (and occasionally is the only option), and is simple to divide among a group of hungry pals with a clutch of forks.

Poutine has become synonymous with the poutine culture in the city because of variations and adaptations of this simple meal by some of the city’s favourite eateries. Here are some fantastic restaurants to try if you’re looking for a traditional Montréal poutine experience.

Best Poutine in Montreal

The rural snack foods in Québec are where poutine first appeared. Due to the proximity to the Quebec fromageries that made the cheese curds, many cafes & restaurants assert to have originated the notion.

However, it wasn’t until that poutine really took off in Canadian restaurants. Poutine is now available at fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and Burger King.

Poutine has even become politically charged, with many Quebecois arguing that since it is a Quebec-originating cuisine, classifying it as a Canadian dish constitutes cultural appropriation. There is still no consensus on this contentious matter.

Purists who believe that only the best cheese curds, homemade gravy, and freshly cut fries can create an authentic poutine may make this claim.

But because Canada is such a diverse country, with residents hailing from over 250 different ethnic groups, it makes for some genuinely exceptional poutine experiences. Here is our ranking of the top poutine restaurants in Canada.

The most contentious comfort dish in Montreal is debated to be the best poutine. Everyone has a favourite restaurant, even if they are aware that first-timers should visit spots like La Banquise, and each one has its own unique spin on the classics like flavorful brown gravy, cheese curds that screech against your teeth, and fries that really are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

It is consistently one of the best affordable eats and the ideal recovery food for a night out at the city’s best bars. It is the most popular dish in the city and can be found in both fine dining establishments and eateries.

1. Campo

This finely tuned churrascaria restaurant, Campo, has reliably delivered quality time & time again, from the initial taste of the Ferreira family’s Portuguese chicken sizzling hot off its burning grills when it first opened to every delectable bite now.

When combined with house chicken gravy, So Jorge cheese, and chorizo crisps in poutine, the dish becomes so amazing that your mouth will star watering. when their 24 hour Piri Piri-marinated, locally sourced, grain-fed chickens are shot off? After witnessing these dishes, all you will be able to wonder about will be their spectacular poutine.

2. Chez Tousignant

Chez Tousignant, which is fashioned after an old-school casse-croûte snack bar, is a modern spin on the old-school fast food restaurants with a genuine chef’s touch courtesy to Stefano Faita & Michel Forgione.

The poutine is produced with great care, starting with freshly cut fries that are fried to the ideal consistency, topped with curds that are sourced responsibly, and then covered in homemade gravy that has a peppery and herbaceous kick.

However, the standard selection is consistently good; the Galvaude ups the ante by adding chicken and peas to its version of Quebec’s hot chicken.

This a flashback to keep in mind. A group of faces displaying the significance of the name above the door matters forever. Tousignant. It’s made-to-order fast food. The outcome of a late-night conversation amongst a few cheering cooks. Someone wished to re-add salt to the butter. A package of cheese curds is to be served with dinner.

Constructed and properly produced hot dogs. And nice garnishes on a gorgeous burger. But! Except on weekends and solely for coffee, you must order at the counter & get up again when it is time to gather (maybe with sugar). Prepared as it should be, without any filler. It doesn’t really matter how you get here; you can come from here or there. Better still. Everyone is at Tousignant.

3. Chez Claudette

Never mind the lengthy lineups at La Banquise; if you want to appreciate poutine like a local, head to Chez Claudette. This Mile End staple has been a favourite for its extensive menu of poutine options—over Fifty in total—that were developed in part by devoted patrons offering ideas.

It has been open & is just as wonderful. Late-night customers occupy every available seat or order to go, bringing the establishment to life.

They come for poutines that range from the standard to those topped with grilled fish, beef bourguignon or the chicken tandoori, which is reportedly their most well-known dish.

4. La Banquise

The fact that there are almost always lines outside this poutine eatery in Montreal is a testament to its popularity and the calibre of its food. The 24-hour eatery is bustling day & night with hordes of customers eager for their menu, which features over 30 distinct varieties of poutine.

These include everything from the most traditional cheese and gravy pairings to more unusual concoctions like La Banquise. Heck, they even offer vegan poutine, which is something that few restaurants in the area would dare to offer.

5. Montreal Poutine

Look to this establishment that has been in operation for more than a century if you want traditional poutine from a revered institution.

Although they haven’t been serving poutine for very long—their initial specialty is hot dog steamé—they have established themselves as the city’s unrivalled authority on authentic poutine.

6. Greenspot

This iconic Saint-Henri eatery has been dishing up traditional diner fare on a daily basis, making it a true neighbourhood landmark and institution. It’s a crime not to eat the poutine here, but some come by only to check out the quaint (but inoperable) tabletop jukeboxes and the original décor.

The menu at this restaurant goes above and beyond the norm by offering 25 distinct kinds of poutine; the Put-in, which comes with chopped sirloin, onions, and a dark sauce, is our favourite.

7. Patati Patata’s

This tiny, bright greasy spoon has been a Plateau institution. With a little more than a dozen seats, this eatery is well-known and adored for its delicious renditions of classic fast food dishes, like poutine.

This establishment serves the traditional Quebecois dish of fresh cheese curds and narrow fries drenched in a rich vegetarian sauce. The palatine, a classic poutine with mushrooms, peppers, and onions, feels slightly healthier because of the addition of vegetables.

Breakfast, espresso, mini-burgers, beer, and counter seating are available at this tiny café with a colorful façade. Offers the best poutine in Montreal.

They have been cooking dishes that are simple, fresh, and unpretentious. The majority of the food is homemade. There are very few frozen meals; practically everything gets cut on the same day.

8. Au Pied de Cochon’s Classic Poutine

Today, this restaurant is among the greatest in Montreal and a premier location for contemporary Québécois cuisine. They deserve extra points for their poutine.

Martin Picard, the owner and head chef of the café, is renowned for his lavish usage of foie gras in numerous dishes, to the point where they need their own area on the menu.

A significant number of seared grass slices & homemade foie gravy are added to the upgraded PDC poutine, and they are both so unbelievably rich that you will either immediately be put off by them or end up eating the plate clean.

9. Broue Pub Brouhaha

Once a few drinks have been consumed, delicious poutine is often consumed, so why not visit a bar that serves the best in town? The Poutiflette is the greatest item on the poutine menu at this local pub selling some of the best brews in town.

They offer squeaky cheese curds, skinny fries, smoked meat sandwiches, foie gras, crispy fries, caramelized onions, Sao Jorge cheese, grilled chicken, fried fish and amazing burgers.

On top of crisp fries with cheese curds and raw milk slices are fatty lardon cubes, caramelized onions, and fried leeks. All of the Magdalen Islands’ Pied-de-Vent cheese was then covered in a thick cream sauce. It’s complex, twisted, and unforgettably memorable.

10. Gibeau Orange Julep

Gibeau Orange Julep‘s large orange sphere has been a familiar sight on the Montreal skyline. While many argue that this landmark’s famed Julep drink is its biggest draw, there is much to be said about their poutine. They offer the best poutine in Montreal.

Young and old alike throng here to sample its fast food dishes with a side of nostalgia. It lacks pomp and elaborate toppings, yet it is still straightforward, delicious, and honest for what it is.

In addition, no garnish can ever match the enormous orange towering above, with the possible exception of more gravy and curds or Michigan sauce with certain fried onions.

Final Note

We have made this detailed guide on best poutine in Montreal. We hope you like it. But in the midst of winter, it’s exactly what Canadians yearn for to warm their hearts and stomachs.

Non-purists include numerous additional ingredients, such as meaty toppings.

FAQs

1. Where can I find the best poutine in the world?

According to food experts, you can find the best poutine in the entire world in Casse-Croute, La Banquise, and Poutineville.

2. Is one of the famous things in Montreal, poutine? 

Undoubtedly, Montrealers love the French-Canadian delicacy, poutine and people from worldwide come to eat the best poutine here.

3. What is poutine known as in Canada?

Poutine is essentially smothered fries in Canada. It resembles a cross between cheese fries and mashed potatoes with gravy.