Here are some of the more casual places I tried on a recent trip to Montreal:
La Banquise – Poutine – The attraction here is supposed to be the poutine and the fact that it is open 24/7. However, I did not find the poutine that great. The cheese was good and “squeaky” but everything else was meh. The fries were soggy. I’d skip this place unless its really late at night (or early in the morning) and this is the only place open and you’ve had a few to drink.
Fairmount – Bagels – I love Montreal bagels. Sorry NYC, but I believe MTL has you beat here. Montreal bagels are more chewy and not as thick. My favorite is St. Viateur, but on this trip, I wanted to try a new place. Fairmount was good, not St. Viateur good, but still good. I bought 2 dozen to take home. I tried the everything and sesame. I’d go back here if St Viateur was not convenient.
Mary’s – popcorn – Located on the Promenade du Vieux-Port de Montréal, this is a nice option if you are out walking and want a snack. The cheese popcorn is pretty good.
Lesters Deli – Smoked Meat Sandwich – The most well known of this sandwich is Schwartz’s Deli, and again, on this trip, I wanted to try something different. I was really happy with my choice. I loved the old school vibe in Lesters and the service was so friendly. The food was delicious. The smoked meat, bread, yellow mustard and pickle made a perfect harmony of flavors.
Paul Patates – casse croute – These are snack bars popular in QC. This one is kind of out of the way so I would not necessarily make the effort to go here, but you can find a casse croute near you throughout the city. I went here due to the high ratings on Google. I loved the old school diner vibe. We had the toastie hot dog and poutine. As with other places, the poutine was soggy and I don’t like it that way. Skip it if you don’t like soggy fries. The hot dog on the other hand, delicious. Its missing that NYC snap, but the bread is so unique as are the toppings.
Another great option for this type of food, that IS worth going out of the way for is Gibeau Orange Julep.
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agree – Banquise blows. It really bugs me when these “legacy” places get all the rave and respect. When I went, the fries were soggy, and I did not even go when it was after hours and desperate
You need to go to Poutineville someday to compare
https://poutineville.com/
They take small potatoes, I think called gem potatoes, they do a little smashy-smashy but not so smashed that it is all broken up, then, fry that thing up and cheese and gravy it. The potatoes are not french-fry shaped, they have all these thicker spots so it’s almost like a mashed potato inside, and edges that are crispy on the outside. Imagine taking a small potato, hitting it hard once with mallet, but not pancaking it, you just break the shape and break the skin. In my opinion, better than any french-fry style poutine