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.
At La Banquise, poutine lovers will find a legendary range of toppings, from classic to inventive, piled high on crispy fries with squeaky cheese curds and savory gravy. Generous portions and a lively, welcoming atmosphere make it a go to spot for sharing or a hearty solo bite, with options from traditional to bold specialty poutines and even late night hours. The line often moves quickly and the staff are friendly and efficient, keeping the energy high and the experience memorable in Montreal. A true Montreal staple, it delivers comforting, craveable food that hits the spot after a day of exploring.
Amazing poutine. I highly recommend La Boogalou. I was feeling a little unsure about the coleslaw in my dish but it turned out to be a really nice touch, adding a vibrant sour taste to my poutine. My friend got the La mart with vegan cheese & he was very satisfied.
This was the best poutine I've ever had. We were seated right away, & the food came out quick. My only trouble with this experience was that I don't speak French, so there was a lack in communication with the servers & wait staff. If it weren't for that the place would have been 5 stars across the board!!
The best Poutine ever!!! There is no doubt that La Banquise provides the best Poutine I have had. Before I came to Canada, I haven't thought I would love wet French fries. To me, fries must be crispy or it will be a disaster. So it was a culture shock when I knew Canada has wet fries ,that is Poutine. Actually, it is French fries & cheese curds topping with brown gravy. It was not bad but I still prefer dry one. But I had different thought after trying the one from La Banquise. It was amazing. That day I ordered La Royale flavor(apple, bacon, & pulled pork). I had never thought poutines can be cooked like this. The pulled pork made the poutine not too boring-chewy, & it was delicious & without boar taint. Apple played a refreshing role. Really love this combination. Just a reminder for ordering: the serving is a lot. The photo is already Regular size! By the way, before having La Banquise's, Costco had the best poutine to me🤣
You know what? It's good, it's really good. This is the number one place everybody keeps telling me to for pouting. "The number 1 poutine in Canada!" They said. I agree, you can't find this in Toronto. It just tastes different. The quality of the curds & the gravy is outstanding. It's a place open 24 hours a day & has a line 24 hours a day. We waited for quite a long while, I'm not too sure if the line was worth it though. I think it's definitely worth it if I were to get it to go or if the line was a bit shorter. But the outstanding poutine doesn't translate to the line for me. Don't get me wrong, I love poutine, but not this much. I definitely recommend here to all my friends to try out poutine in Quebec, but it's not so I'd wait in line for again. You get a really large menu, like you get a lot of things on your poutine. Mine personally came with bacon & mushrooms & sour cream & I think it's the best one to be honest. It was called La Panoramix. My friend said topping to fries proportion was off (too little fries) & I agree for hers. I think the only reason I'm giving it a four star is for personal note. It's too hyped up, even though everything is amazing. I'll definitely come here again, but for takeout or something. Thank you for having me! :)
Key Poutine Spot! 🍟 🔑 If you are looking to get some poutine, La Banquise is a popular spot, & for good reason! La Banquise is a go-to poutine spot, that was recommended to me by a long time Montrealer. They have probably over 20 different type of poutine options for you. Their gravy is vegetarian, so if you get the classic poutine, it is vegetarian. They have 2 or 3 other options that are vegetarian friendly as well, including a veggie sausage. The poutine overall is great, savoury gravy with thinly sliced curds. The restaurant has seating for a lot of people & is quiet cozy. They are open 24 hours too! The service was nice as well.
The most delicious poutine I had in my life. Wow menu! With lots of variety for different appetites. Quite busy but staff were running to serve & were friendly. I would recommend getting small plates first, because we barely could finish half of the big plate. But it's so so good to have it even on the next day.
Peut etre que mes attentes étaient trop élevées compte tenu de la réputation & tous les commentaires, mais étant une fan des poutines de cantines dans les villages éloignés, disons que ceci ressemble plus à une poutine "fine cuisine". Belle portion mais le prix est proportionnel. Les employés présents un gros Wow Pour l accueil, suggestions & ambiance. Malgré le froid, il y avait des gens à l extérieur. Salle à mangé petite.
Excellent choix de Poutine. Portions généreuse. Les places assises sont tellement proches que ça devient dérangeant quand ils vide & remplissent les tables
Le restaurant est toujours plein mais le service est efficace & rapide. Il y a une bonne ambiance conviviale. J'adore les différentes sortes de poutines, il y en a pour tout les goûts & les portions sont parfaites.
