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.
La Banquise is a legendary Montreal poutine spot known for enormous bowls piled high with crispy fries, squeaky cheese curds, and rich gravy, with a wide variety of toppings from classic to bold. The atmosphere is lively and friendly, service is fast, and staff work hard to accommodate guests even when the place is busy, with vegetarian, vegan, and meat options widely praised. Although crowds and noise are common and the space can feel tight, the generous portions and flavorful poutines make the wait worthwhile, and takeout or enjoying a meal in the park add to the appeal, solidifying La Banquise as a go to for poutine lovers.
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.
Feb 11, 2025
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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.
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 :)
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. Merci
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.
Jan 18, 2025
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Super pour découvrir la poutine à Montréal ! Prix abordables : 9,9 $ la classique régular, portions très généreuses & service de qualité! On recommande!
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 !
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 Janvie
Jan 11, 2025
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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. Ezpz
Jan 4, 2025
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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.
