La Banquise
RestaurantTop Pick
La Banquise
Open 24Hrs
| Monday | Open 24Hrs |
| Tuesday | Open 24Hrs |
| Wednesday | Open 24Hrs |
| Thursday | Open 24Hrs |
| Friday | Open 24Hrs |
| Saturday | Open 24Hrs |
| Sunday | Open 24Hrs |
Info & Location
About us
La Banquise, originally a small ice-cream shop, first opened its doors in May 1968. In fall of the same year, its founder, local fireman Pierre Barsalou, decided to transform the enterprise into a 24-hour snack bar. At the time it specialized in exceptionally good hot-dogs and great fries. Poutine first appeared on the menu at the start of the 80s and originally just two varieties were offered, classic and Italian. However, in response to repeated requests from very satisfied customers, the restaurant’s poutine varieties quickly multiplied. Today we offer no less than 25 different types of poutine. Today, La Banquise remains a family business. Mr. Barsalou’s youngest daughter Annie took over in the 1990s along with her partner Marc Latendresse. Together, they maintain both the tradition of quality and the excellent reputation of the La Banquise Restaurant. In summer 2006, La Banquise underwent major renovations and a much larger dining area was made available. 40 years on, La Banquise is now much more than a simple snack bar or poutine joint. Today it is also a warm, friendly venue where customers can enjoy micro-brewery beers, a complete menu du jour and excellent breakfasts. So here’s to you, our loyal customers, the night owls, the groups of friends, the workers, students, families and more, because all of you have contributed to shaping and enriching the success story that is La Banquise today. Many, many thanks.
Our Specialties
Poutine
Amenities, services & more
We accept: Interac, ATM machineMore details
We are located near Lafontaine Park. Gift Certificates available.
Paying parking across the street and free parking on the side street of restaurant.
30 seats.
Photos (16) More
on Google
Press
Events Nearby
POP Montreal International Music Festival 2025
Sep 24, 2025 to Sep 28, 2025
BLVD Festival 2025
Aug 28, 2025 to Aug 31, 2025
Reviews often mention
Display Allpoutine(534) recommend(36) options(35) fries(31) cheese(27) sauce(26) gravy(26) prix(25) busy(24)Page 3 of 13 - 388 Reviews
Tristan
C'est un endroit mythique ! La poutine y est excellente. Je n'ai pas écouté les avis & j'ai pris la taille la plus grande. Impossible de finir & la regular convient parfaitement à un gros mangeur comme moi. Mais d'un autre côté emporter les restes pour continuer le plaisir plus tard fonctionne très bien aussi !View more
Renee
Excellent spot for my first ever poutine!! It was delicious, & the service was fantasticView more
Elsa
Excellente poutine, service très bien, serveuse très agréable!View more
Quorentin
De passage en provenant de France avec mon ami, nous souhaitions goûter la fameuse poutine du Québec !
Nous avons été super bien accueillis par les restaurateurs, super belle découverte. Je projette de revenir lors d'un prochain voyage à Montréal :) C'était vraiment excellent & la bière était bonne.View more
Glesy
The classic poutine wi the Montreal smoke meat was the best I've had! We also tried a Mexican approach with guacamole which was surprisingly delicious as well. If you're not a fan of gravy on fries, definitely try the one with guacamole (forgot the name). Can't wait to go back!View more
Amanda
This is such a gem. I usually get to visit Montreal once a year for a few days, & as much as I feel I ought to try different eateries, I just can't bring myself to skip La Banquise any time I visit. It's fun, energetic, the service is great (& always very understanding of my rudimentary French, quick to switch to English so I'm not flailing), & this is definitely the best poutine. So many incredible options. & great burgers too. I leave nourished in my body & soul - seriously. It's such a comforting meal. They also have great beer options, & non-alcoholic options. The only thing I can possibly imagine to make it better would be one or two sweet/dessert options. While the meals are very filling, once in a while it would be nice to share a dessert with a friend after the main course. Maybe something fried, to stay on theme? Beighnets perhaps? Or even just a basic cheesecake or lemon tart.
If you're in Montreal, definitely don't miss La Banquise. It's a treat. Every single time.View more
Sébastien
vraiment bonnes poutines 🙂
un peu cher quand même
service un peu trop industriel (une fois assis, on sent un peu une pression pour partir vite, mais en vrai ça va)
& le pourboire se base sur le prix taxé 🙁View more
Marie-andrée
Superbe ambiance, poutine incroyable, service rapide, trop de choix, toutes les poutines sont bonnes , a s'en lécher les doigts !View more
N4THAN
Je suis venu à Montréal en vacances, & honnêtement, c'est sans doute la meilleure poutine que j'ai mangée ici ! En plus, l'ambiance est très agréable & les serveurs(se) sont super sympas.View more
Kenza
2 mois que je suis en Ontario, 2 mois que j'attends mon voyage à Montréal pour goûter la fameuse poutine.. tous les réseaux sociaux & bouches à oreilles me disent de foncer à la banquise, & je les remercie. Quel restaurant incroyable, la poutine est délicieuse & je pèse mes mots !! De plus, la sauce est végétarienne donc accessible pour tous !! Le staff est super sympathique & l'endroit chaleureux, même la file d'attente a été agréable grâce au chauffage ! Merci à vousView more
Cedric
Went here for lunch, it was fairly packed but I didn't have to wait. I got the large southwest poutine which came with guacamole, onion rings, bbq sauce, & everything else you'd find in a normal poutine. La Banquise has a big reputation & thankfully I'd say it lives up to it. Definitely not the cheapest poutine you can get in the city, but due to the massive amounts of customizable toppings you can defintiely find something that fits your taste. 24h operations is also a plusView more
Thomas
Très bonne ambiance & service, un excellent rapport qualité prix pour manger de typique poutine. Merci!View more
Julie
Bon lieu pour manger une poutine ! Le plat étant assez bourratif, ils proposent de repartir avec ce dont on a pas mangé dans une boîte pour éviter le gaspillage 👌
Le service était rapide & efficace, même pour rentrer nous n'avons pas eu à attendre. Ce n'est pas très fancy, c'est plutôt un fast-food, mais ça en vaut la peine de tester.View more
Tiphaine
Nous avons très bien mangé, les poutines sont bonnes (à noter : le fromage fond).
Il peut y avoir un peu d'attente le midi ou le soir.View more
Georgia
Service is friendly & the atmosphere is very cozy. There was a line upon entering but it moved very fast & we were seated within 5-10 minutes. I ordered the classic poutine & it was just alright. The fries were good but the gravy was quite watery & unfavourable & there wasn't quite enough cheese curds for my liking. Not a terrible meal but any means & decently priced just expected a bit more from such a classic establishment.View more
Peter
Best poutine I've ever had. Amazing. Je suis la 🍕🍕View more
Juliette
Sans aucun doute, l'une des meilleures poutines de Montréal. Leur réputation n'est plus à faire & cela grâce à leur accueil, aux personnels & à la qualité de la nourriture.
Nous y sommes allées (à deux) un dimanche soir vers 18h & avons attendues une dizaine de minute avant d'avoir une table.View more
Manon
Excellent, je met la note de 4 car j'ai pas aimé comment la «patronne » a parlé à son employé, sinon la poutine était excellente, manque un peu de places pour une aussi grande réputation, il ne faut pas avoir peur de manger à quelques cm d'inconnus :)View more
Anya
The food here tastes good. Excellent value for the poutine based on market rates per pound of food. I appreciate the selection that included the fried nugget pieces. MerciView more
Sarina
We got royal poutine & sud-ouest... both were great, sud-ouest had guacamole & onion rings which was amazing... we (2 people) waited in line about 30 minutes.View more
Calcifer.e
Super pour découvrir la poutine à Montréal ! Prix abordables : 9,9 $ la classique régular, portions très généreuses & service de qualité! On recommande!View more
Ellen
Un bon endroit pour manger une bonne poutine, l'endroit reste bruyant & il y a parfois du monde donc de l'attente à prévoir à l'arrivée. Vaste choix de poutine, il y en aura pour tous les goûts !View more
Jonathan
Banquise en soirée après une cold plunge pour l'équipe ELZi.ca. Nos poutine étaient chaude, délicieuses & réconfortante. Elvis is King c'était un bon choix pour un premier JanvieView more
Lea
Incroyablement délicieux. Meilleure poutine de MontréalView more
Jean-Gabriel
J'ai bien aimé la poutine que j'avais pris mais ce qui m'as surpris c'est la grosseur des portions pour la poutineView more
Julian
You know I think it would be a good idea to open up like a lil cart where you can serve people outside at least the basic poutine options & that way you can get the line going faster faster - like a hot dog stand but instead of hot dogs it's poutine. EzpzView more
K
La Banquise is the best poutine spot in all of North America. There's just nothing quite like it. There's a wide selection of different poutine's to try, but just the original classic poutine on its own is SO GOOD. It may even concert a poutine hater to a poutine lover. Now I know what you're thinking, "It's just fries with cheese & gravy on top. How good could it be?" Well it's pretty darn good because we have kept coming back time after time on our visits to Montreal & we're from Toronto. I've attached pictures & videos of our visit on two separate occasions, one year apart. Here's something you have to know: you will have to wait & it will be crowded. There are so many people that want to try this poutine & come back because it is quite literally world famous so there's always a line out front. Also, once you get inside, it is a pretty small restaurant, but there are many tables that are very closely placed together so you might feel a little bit cramped. However, the service is quick because they need to be to accommodate all the people constantly coming in & out, & they're pretty helpful at helping you choose what you might like. We recommend the classic poutine & La Royale. We also heard that a lot of locals prefer the poutine across the street at La Poule Mouillée but we realized they only serve one type of poutine there so we chose to try a well-known & widely popular restaurant instead, & we're glad that we did. It lives up to the hype & you have to try it the next time you're in Montreal.View more