Gourmet poutines
Le Garde-Manger
Located in a historical building in picturesque old Montréal, Le Garde-Manger is one of the city’s most happening places where reservations are made often weeks in advance. This hip and trendy eatery (where celebrity chef Chuck Hughes helms the kitchen) is popular amongst locals and visitors alike. One of Le Garde-Manger’s claims to fame is their lobster poutine. Fries, Québec cheese curds and brown gravy topped with large chunks of tender lobster delivered the knockout punch over Chef Bobby Flay when Chuck competed and won on Iron Chef America.
Au Pied de Cochon
Chef Martin Picard’s Au Pied de Cochon has been a fixture of French cuisine in Plateau Mont-Royal for years. His affinity for excess and over-the-top menu items is exemplified in his very popular foie gras (duck liver) poutine: Freshly-cut French fries fried in rendered duck fat, squeaky cheese curds topped with a generous lobe of foie gras covered in a luscious duck liver gravy.
Casual options
La Banquise
La Banquise has been satiating poutine cravings for 48 years and counting. Try their “La Reggae”, which features ground beef, guacamole, diced tomatoes and hot peppers. Open 24 hours a day, La Banquise is a popular spot for the after-hours crowd and is a great place to spot celebrities getting in on some famous Montréal poutine.
Poutineville
Poutineville, a homegrown chain, is a Montréal favourite for custom-made poutines. Pick from a checklist of ingredients, from different kinds of fries, meats and vegetables to cheese and choices of gravy to create your own signature poutine. They are also known for their “La Poutineville”, a poutine made with hand-smashed fried potatoes, fresh cheese curds and mozzarella topped with succulent braised beef and red wine gravy.
Absolute classics
Paul Patates
This diner located in the Point Saint-Charles is a neighbourhood favourite. Order a barebones poutine and a bottle of their famous spruce beer and grab a seat at the counter for a view of all the action.
Montreal Pool Room
An institution on “The Main” (Saint-Laurent Boulevard) for over 100 years, the Montreal Pool Room is a local favourite for “greasy-spoon” fare. The steamies are great and so is the poutine, but what makes them exceptional is the taste of nostalgia with every bite.
Gibeau Orange Julep
Gibeau Orange Julep is hard to miss: it looks like a gigantic orange the size of a three-storey house. Overlooking the Décarie expressway, this drive-in diner has been the place to go for fast food favourites for over 80 years. Indulging in a classic poutine takes on a whole different experience when you wash it down with their famous frothy orange julep.
