For our first lunch in Montreal we headed to Montreal's most famous and Canada's oldest Delicatessen, Schwartz. This is the place that made Montreal famous for Smoked Meat and is frequented by famous celebrities and heads of states.
Located in the same location on Boulevard St. Laurent since it opened in 1928 we were greeted with a long queue of locals and tourists. While waiting in line we noticed they had a Take-Out Store next to their main restaurant which had no queue.
We decided to take a look and found that there were actually a few tables inside and decided to dine there instead of waiting in line.
The Take-Out Counter served exactly the same food as the main restaurant and we happily placed our orders while everyone else was still lining up to get a seat in their main restaurant!
Schwartz's Famous Smoke Meat Sandwich
We got our piping hot Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich within minutes! Two Slices of Rye Bread slathered in Hot Mustard that is piled high with a superbly seasoned and juicy hand sliced Beef Brisket. Just one word... Delicious!
Smoked Chicken Sandwich
Definitely not as good as the Smoked Meat but it was decent. The Turkey Ham was cured with some spices and peppercorns giving it a nice salty and sweet flavor.
French Fries
We ordered some Fries to go and honestly it was bad. The Fries were not only soggy but they weren't even seasoned at all.
If anyone were to come to Montreal, Schwartz is definitely an institution that one must visit. Forget their other food offerings such as the Smoked Turkey Sandwich and Fries we had. Just order their Smoked Meat Sandwich and you'll see why there's such a huge lineup. Most people will definitely love this simple but delicious sandwich.
Is it the best in the world? Well... let's just say it depends on each individual. A New Yorker might beg to differ preferring their Pastrami Sandwich over Schwartz.
We'll save that for another post as we head to New York next week!
Food: 4/5
Service: 2.5/5
Ambiance: 2.5/5
Price: $$ (Under USD $10 per person)
Contact Information:
Address:3895 Boulevard Saint Laurent, Montreal, QC H2W 1Y2, Canada
Tel: +1 (514) 842-4813
Web: www.schwartzsdeli.com
Map:
View Larger Map
5 comments:
I still have fond memories of my visit here when I was in Montreal years ago. It was a 'must try' according to all the guidebooks. I was pretty darn impressed with big pile of meat. Don't they have a fried egg on top option too or is that all in my imagination? My Canadian cousins were over a few weeks ago and they had salt beef, which is incredibly like the Montreal smoked meat.
I've never had it with a fried egg! I'll check it out when I'm back there and will let you know!
Ohhh what's Salt Beef? I've never had that before! If it taste like Smoke Meat I definitely want to try it! =)
This is salt beef - check out my photo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/luscioustemptations/3927222966/). Utterly tender beef brisket that's been brined and boiled. Rather like New York corned beef or so I'm told. Best eaten with a pickle and lashings of hot English mustard on rye. Sorry the photo shows salt beef on 'beigel' (a variation spelling of the usual bagel) - still delicious though.
Nice report. Glad to see that you went there. I am a Montrealer and am familiar with this place. Definitely an institution up here.
Oh man ... I was looking for Smoked Meat in HK, as I've been living here for two years, and I found this blog.
I'm a Montreal, still own a appartment near Au Pied de Cochon, and definitely like your blog. Schwartz is the place, although "The Main" is as good right in front, on the other side of St-Lawrence street (called The Main). The Duck in a Can was THE thing to try at Au Pied de Cochon, I believe there are some good video on this on Youtube.
Now you really made me nostalgic. Wish I could have my latte from Cafe Olympico this am, probably my bagels from St-Viateur or Fairmount Bagels, then lunch at Cafe Santropol for a "Tomate Meurtriere" sandwich taking a long walk on Mount Royal before my diner at Lemeac, or Au P'Tit Italien in Outremont.
Thx for this heart warming blog !
D Cormier
Post a Comment