Some restaurants are famous for a reason, and Schwartz's is absolutely one of them!…read more After reading about Schwartz's in the Michelin Guide, we knew we had to make a stop during our time in Montréal. The moment we walked in, we were greeted, seated, and asked if it was our first visit. When we said yes, the gentleman immediately pointed to the smoked meat sandwich highlighted on the wall and said, "This is what you want." No further convincing needed! And wow, was he right. The sandwich was piled high with incredibly tender, melt-in-your-mouth smoked meat, tucked between two relatively thin slices of bread with just a touch of mustard. What impressed me most was the balance. Despite the generous amount of meat, nothing felt overwhelming. The seasoning was beautifully restrained, allowing the richness and flavor of the meat to speak for itself. Sometimes the simplest combinations are the hardest to perfect, and Schwartz's has clearly mastered this one. The atmosphere is an experience in itself. Imagine a restaurant the size of a small apartment, absolutely buzzing with people, yet operating like a well-oiled machine. Guests are constantly coming and going, the staff moves with impressive efficiency, and somehow everything feels organized rather than chaotic. Our food arrived almost immediately, and the service was genuinely friendly and attentive. The walls are covered with photographs of famous visitors and articles documenting the restaurant's history and success. You really get the sense that you're sitting inside a little piece of Montréal history. This isn't somewhere you come for a long, leisurely lunch or an intimate atmosphere. You come for an iconic sandwich, a lively experience, and a restaurant that knows exactly what it does best. Five stars without hesitation. No complaints from us, and absolutely worth every dollar. If you're visiting Montréal, put Schwartz's on your list and trust the recommendation when they tell you what to order!

We had to stop here for the legendary smoked meat sandwich, and they did not disappoint…read more When we arrived, the line appeared to be very intimidating and long however, one line was for those patron wanting to eat in and the other ones were for takeout. The takeout line went fairly fast. We also ordered a black cherry drink, slaw and pickles. The smoked meat sandwich with extremely tender, juicy and tasty. It was a decent serving of meat so my husband and I ordered one sandwich. Make sure you don't miss this spot if you're visiting Canada..

Had high hopes for a delicious Reuben sandwich. We are from…read moreNew York so epectations were high. Although our server touted the sandwich, it left much to be desired. The meat was dried out, and not much sauerkraut, cheese or dressing. My companions were very satisifed with their meals, so would recommend, but stay away from the Reuben

First time eating at Reuben's. We came in from a rain storm with 2 young children. From the moment…read morewe walked in, the host, a sweet older gentleman, offered us paper towels to dry up, since we were soaken wet even with umbrellas. He seated us in the booth and got our little children settled in with coloring material. He was so gentle spoken with our children, and for that matter, the entire staff was! Our family felt welcomed and not a bother. You would be surprised at how few places make us feel this way, even though our children are calm little beings. Ok, now... to the food! When I hear brisket, I think of Texas styled BBQ, this brisket is different, this is a deli style brisket, think Reuben Sandwiches. The brisket was sliced so thin and was juicy, it was delicious! Our kids had kids meals and in their opinion, the best part was the ice cream at the end . I highly recommend eating here! The staff is friendly, the food is great and overall, just a comfortable place to be! Tip the staff well, trust me, by the time the bill arrives you will already have experienced their top notch service. I don't have pictures to share because we were hungry and ate everything up before I could remember to snap some photos!

If you remember what Schwartz smoke meat tasted like from the 50's up to 2000 you will agree…read moreSchwartz is now a sad version of itself. It now is inconsistent , after George was an employee of the good old days and is now producing a superb smoke meat sandwich in Laval. five stars

Good old Montreal Smoked meat. This is not the big name from downtown but just as good. I had the…read morejumbo sandwich with the works. Large pickle and coleslaw. It was very filling and savoury. I was a little disappointed with the fries. Not traditional ones I got used to. Enjoy

Fastest service ever!…read more I think they were in a hurry to close LOL. I ordered 2 Wilensky specials, one with cheddar and the other with swiss. Literally between the time I handed over my money and the cashier turned around to make change from the register behind her, my order was ready and bagged in front of me before I got my change back. I had nothing else to do but walk out and find a place to eat. I was literally in the store for less than 2 minutes! Now the Wilensky is salami, bologna, and your choice of cheese on a roll (that reminds me of an english muffin) with yellow mustard. Simple but absolutely delicious! I've had bologna sandwiches before but never thought to add salami which adds a little spice. That bun was super pillowy and just eased right on down after taking a bite. I generally hate yellow mustard but this wasn't overbearing smear. Each Wilensky was like $5 each and incredibly satisfying. The first steps through the door, it was as if I time travelled directly to 1930s, old weird looking slender poles with round wooden seats, wood cabinetry, and short countertops. The old school was transferred to payments as the prefer cash and accepts Canadian form of debit cards but not American. There are signs basically to say, your way doesn't count. If you order a Wilensky special, it's their way and I'm ok with that. Because their way works! There's also another sign to say no tipping and any money leftover after settling the bill goes to charity, how wonderfully generous that is. Regarding the promptness of my food, I did show up 10 minutes before closing and the prompt service was expected as everyone has places to be and places to go after work. I totally enjoyed the no nonsense effort.

More than for the food, this place is worth a visit for the experience. You feel like you're…read morestepping back in time when you visit this establishment. The sandwich is still tasty for it being bologna and cheese on an English muffin. There's something nostalgic about its simplicity. Bring cash or debit. They do not let you modify or cut sandwiches in half.

I have been obliged to use Marcello's at Place Bonaventure for years, but NO MORE!!!…read more They are extremely over priced and you can get a better, fresher and less expensive at Presse Cafe just a few steps away. The food is calculated by the weight, so before you know it you will be paying 10$ for nearly nothing in your styrofoam container. Everyone knows that styrofoam is a NO-NO!!! To top things off on Friday, 16th of March, I got food poisoning. As I was in a hurry, I grabbed one of their pre-prepared wraps in the refrigerated area. It was supposed to be roast beef, cheese, salad, tomato and mustard in a wrap. It was not a wrap; it was a pita bread so you would feel more filled up, the date said that it had been packaged that day, but I can assure you that the roast beef or something else was not fresh. I have never been so ill in my life and I have travelled far and wide and even drink water in South America without getting ill. This place is definitely not only a rip-off, but the quality can be day or days old fare being sold off as fresh of the day food.

Location: Well hidden in Place Bonaventure. So well hidden that I can't even give you instructions…read moreon how to find the place. My friend took me and she was quite pleased with herself for introducing me to a spot I'd never been to before! The place: To me, it's part grocery store/convenience store/take-out place. You can't sit down here if you buy food - it's strictly to go. Just FYI. Great place to get your afternoon snacks, though! The goods: Besides the standard drinks and snack food, you'll find two buffet-style stations where you can pick and choose what you'd like to eat. One station is salads while the other is hot stuff. A word of caution - price is determined by weight. I'd say that much of the fare is Middle Eastern-style cuisine but this may depend on the day - I'm not sure. When I went, I was starving so I tried a little of everything, including meatballs (yeah I know - my mostly vegetarian self having so much meat lately, is getting out of hand!), chicken, roasted zucchini, pasta salad, rice - I'm sure I must be forgetting something because my container must have weighed five pounds. Besides the spinach rice leaving me underwhelmed, I loved every single thing I tried. Those meatballs were AMAZING and bursting with flavor. You have to try them. The chicken was equally delicious and tender - cooked to perfection. Honestly, I could give you an itemized breakdown but it would be redundant since everything was great. Definitely a great place to grab lunch if you were in Bonaventure or the surrounding area. Just figure out how to get there and you're set (=-D Service: The clerks at the cash were friendly. Price point: This is where it gets tricky.... While I did try a little of everything, I'm not sure it was worth $18 ($21 with a drink). It was a little steep, in my opinion - I mean, you're serving yourself after all. In any case, since it does go by weight, prices will vary. To be fair, I did get some heavy items (but those meatballs, though!). This is definitely a place worth checking out - the quality and freshness of the food alone, is worth the detour

Locals get really passionate about who makes the best smoked meat sandwich in Montreal. If you go…read moreto YouTube, there is an inordinate number of videos opining primarily around three spots with rabid followings. After watching the Food Network's Jeff Mauro rave about this old-school diner in a short clip, Jamie W and I decided to take the metro to Snowdon, the western terminus of the Blue Line. It felt a bit on the city's outskirts to us but only because we were first-time tourists. Open every day at 6AM, we got here early enough to get a small table almost immediately, though the place was already bustling around 9AM. We decided to share the C$7.50 Chicken Soup with Matzoh Ball (Photo 5). Very basic, no noodles. It was just the right morning balm, and the matzoh had the perfect texture. We were originally going to split the C$16.75 Smoked Meat Sandwich and share the C$14.95 Poutine. However, our veteran server course corrected us by steering us to the C$27.50 Smoked Meat Platter (Photo 8) with a stack of bread (Photo 7). This allowed us to customize our own sandwiches plus they only charge C$5 for the poutine (Photo 10). We requested medium-fat smoked meat. It was so meltably tender that it disintegrated immediately in my mouth. Despite appearances, the flavor aligns more with corned beef than pastrami though not as salty. This turned out to be our only attempt at having poutine in Montreal during our vacation, but not having time to hunt for a specialty shop, we figured Snowdon Deli probably made a deliciously satisfying one. We were right. After all, the restaurant is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, so they're not going anywhere. I won't go into unnecessary comparisons with Katz's Deli in NYC (review: https://yelp.to/KhEaBm9HJq) and Langer's Deli in LA (review: https://yelp.to/XY_ovih4sg). Yes, they're both legendary, so let's just say Snowdon Deli deserves to be mentioned in the same gristle-filled conversation. FOOD - 5 stars...meat smoked right with matzoh and poutine not far behind AMBIANCE - 4 stars...just a small diner with enough room SERVICE - 5 stars...trust the longtime servers TOTAL - 5 stars...definitely the place to get Montreal's tastiest meat morsels RELATED - Exploring Montreal? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/WxajiXCBvZ

Smoked Meats Sandwich (8/10): Got the medium fat. Very tender and flavorful!…read more Matzoh Ball Soup (7/10): Definitely hits the spot. Simple chicken broth and a matzoh ball. Service was very good. We came for Friday lunch and were seated immediately.

Pooh and I were visiting Montréal and we stopped by for lunch…read more This place was huge and the menu was easy to navigate Pooh and I both had burgers. I had the Maverick and Pooh had Dr. Goodhead. My burger had a delicious Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce. Pooh also had a special sauce. Both buns were fresh and the burgers came with tasty fries This place is a hidden gem Sorry no photos; we were so hungry the burgers disappeared like magic The server was fun and accommodating

Service was horrible. I decided to try this restaurant before boarding my train. The greeter which…read moreI believe was the manager had no personally. Basically pointed to first seat by the door which was a booth. Next person who came in was also another lady by herself. She was brought to a nice table for two. They certainly weren't busy at the time and the wait was ridiculous. Then the manager goes to the lady who came after me and served her first. I have been in several restaurants and never have I had my dinner put in front of me rather than served properly. The food was good and I could have not left without tipping, but that's not who I am. This man needs a few lessons on customer service. I guess it would explain why his waitresses looked miserable when they talked to him. Just remember, you never know who you are serving. I thought the food was good and the ambience would be great if the manager wasn't so cold and learn to smile. Would not recommend if you want genuine customer service.

After many years visiting Montreal, hard to believe I'm just getting here. Gave my local friends a…read morehard time for that. Rustic spot with mixed seating inside. Looks like they have Live music. We arrived shortly after they opened on a Saturday morning around 11. Quiet and we had the Dining area practically to ourselves but definitely picked up by the time we finished. We ordered a Smoked Meat Sandwich platter with fries and a solo large Smoked Meat Sandwich. Smoked meat was thick, tender and tasty-make sure to ask for marbled. Fries were also tasty-fresh cut. We also ordered, based on recommendation, the Karnatzel-slightly spicy with garlic and had a snap-very similar to beef jerky but also could pass for a skinny sausage-we enjoyed it! Service was quick and friendly. They have an extensive menu offering everything from poutine to grilled lamb, chicken, liver and steak. A bit off the beaten path and one of the top options for Smoked Meat.

Great place to hang out to listen to a blues band live! The viande fumee and poutine were really…read moregood. They also give free Dairy Queen to the kids and buy one get one beer. You order in front and wait for your food to arrive while listening to the blues

Stopped here for lunch because we heard they had great smoked meat sandwiches. We heard right!…read moreDelicious egg bread, delicious rye bread. Hot or cold sandwiches made to order. We chose the hot pastrami and it was absolutely the best sandwich I've had in a long time. Just the smell unwrapping it was heavenly. This is not the kind of sandwich where it's all bread and little meat. The meat was piled high. Walked to the shady park a block away from the residential street it corners on with picnic tables and benches to enjoy it- and boy did we! No tables there, but great for carryout business. The deli has lots of other items too. Many items to take home and fix: pierogi choices, good pickles, sausages, and the kind of poppyseed rolls I remember from childhood Polish bakery experiences. Wonderful food makes wonderful memories- also the lady making the sandwiches was a real sweetie. I know there were many items there that I am forgetting- but everyone who passed through while we were there was focused on their sandwiches, like we were. Highly recommend- you'll be back. PS Very reasonable prices for that amount of meat- that's great these days!

I absolutely love Zytynsky's Deli!!!! Being a big fan of Ukrainian food, had to check out…read moreZytynsky's during my visit to Montréal. A little out of the way from everything else had been doing, but wanted to check out this local institution. So glad I did! Did not expect Zytynsky's being in such an unpretentious brick building, but the magic was all inside. The store had an excellent curated selection of Eastern European gourmet items, all clearly presented with pride. Since I was on vacation, my goal was something to eat that day, but did spend some time looking at all the imported goodies. When I arrived, Angel, the extremely friendly woman behind the counter, was dealing with a couple of familiar faces to her. I overheard that she's been at the store for about 40 years, but I didn't realize that she was the owner and the founder was her grandfather. At my turn to order, I asked her for some suggestions. Ending up with a Smoked Meat Sandwich and a Polish Ham, Hungarian Salami and Cheese Sandwich. Also grabbed two cans of Ukrainian Zero Alcohol Beer. We chatted a little while she prepared my food, and she was absolutely charming. Able to enjoy both sandwiches upon return to my hotel. While for years been a big fan of Hungarian Salami (which was fantastic) the star on that sandwich was the amazing Polish Ham... maybe the best I've ever had! The sensational Smoked Meat Sandwich was perfect! Look forward to my next visit and thank you Angel for my memorable eats! Appreciate your support of Ukraine, too. Zytynsky's Deli is a remarkable place and recommend you check it out! Slava Ukraini!

If you're from NYC, the best comparison i can make here is Katz deli…read more If you come here, just order the smoked meat sandwich cause that's what they're known for. If you want to do take out, there is a side entrance that you can order from. We got the large smoked meat sandwich for 16.99. It was a LOT larger than i expected and so worth it. They ask if you want lean or medium fat meat. I recommend getting the medium fat. Note: the menu is in french and the workers do not speak much english either. I used my google translate app to hover over the menu to see the translation. Worked like a charm.

A typical diner that offers a lot of options…read more The chicken noodle soup had a lot of flavor. The beef sandwich is a Montreal speciality and was highly recommended. It was rather good. Their small size is really large. The Tiramisu was just ok. We went here for a quick meal but the service was slow. Priced on the higher side for a diner.