Created by no one knows in late 1950s Québec and consisting of nothing more than French fries, cheese curds (Google it), and delicious brown gravy, poutine is the ultimate comfort food whether you just flunked an exam, broke up with your boyfriend, or received four consecutive parking tickets. Full of artery cloggin’ goodness, once you try your first authentic Montreal poutine, there’s no going back. The only question is, where to begin? Luckily I have you covered with this totally exhaustive list of the best poutine joints to be discovered in good ol’ Montreal.
1. Restaurant Paulo & Suzanne
5501 Boul. Gouin Ouest
It’s virtually impossible to mention a list of the best poutine joints without mentioning this wonderfully greasetacular establishment. With eleven diverse types of poutine, as well as the fact that they are open 24/7, you’ll surely obtain your fix whenever need be. I myself recommend “La Philly Bomb”.
2. Patati Patata Friterie de Luxe
4177 St. Laurent Blvd.
This is one of those poutine joints that actually resembles your typical French fry snack bar while simultaneously serving up one of the most delicious poutines that you can find in the Plateau area. Contrary to your conventional poutine recipe, Patati Patata utilizes skinny fries and a vegetable base gravy.
3. La Banquise
994 Rue Rachel Est
Surprise, surprise. La Banquise is clearly one of the most famous, if not the most famous, of all Montreal poutine joints. That is, it honestly needs zero introduction, you know how it works. It is open 24/7 and they offer more than 30 different kinds of poutine. If you are one of those individuals who hate to diversify their diet, well, this place will hold you off for a solid month.
4. Poutineville
1365 Ontario St. Est
This is another one of those classic Montreal poutine joints with its very own specialty, this time its the hand crushed fries and the poutine that’s topped with cheese curds, mozzarella, braised beef and (yes) wine sauce that will make you want to return time and time again. Another favorite is the poutine topped with crispy fries, dices of filet mignon, sautéed onions and mushrooms, cheese curds (of course), blue cheese (I assure you, it works), and homemade pepper gravy. In fact, all their various gravies are homemade.
5. Frite Alors
680 Rue Ste-Catherine Ouest
Out of all the poutine joints on this list, I am pretty sure that Frite Alors is one of the only establishments that actually utilize the authentic Belgium method to cook their fries (deep fried in animal fat). As well, they have an extensive list of delicious homemade mayos to choose from. And now I’m hungry.
6. Chez Claudette
351 Laurier Ave Est
If any of the poutine joints on this list will give La Banquise a run for its money, it is Chez Claudette, located in Montreal’s Mile End neighborhood. The reason being, they are open 24 hours (Thursdays to Saturdays) and their poutine menu is, as you would assume, extremely varied and, obviously, scrumptious.
7. Le Boucan
1866 Notre Dame Ouest
This bustling, low-key smokehouse offering Southern-style barbeque is actually quite renowned for being one of the better poutine joints that the city has to offer. That is, it’s highly unlikely that you will find a better, tastier pulled pork poutine than you will find at Le Boucan, and that’s okay.
Now that you know some of my favorite poutine joints to efficiently stuff my face, let me know some of your favorites! And yes, I am well aware that there are hundreds of local restaurants serving poutine. No one said this was easy.
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