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.
2024: same comment really. Recommend the Caillou 2018: Great selection, but there are tons of other places with shorter lineups you can grab an elaborate poutine at.
Very good poutine! I recommend going there after a night out drinking as long as you have Super-Mario's power legs so to jump over the puke puddles around the area
Jul 28, 2024
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Une institution dans Montréal Le passage obligé pour manger de la poutine Grand choix ou les serveurs vous aident à choisir . Ils sont souriant, connaissant la carte Produit de qualité avec la question comment va être la digestion, parfait ! Je recommande
Un incontournable de Montréal pour son ambiance & surtout l'immense choix de poutine. Sûrement pas la meilleure de Montréal mais le large choix ravira tout le monde. Attention au monde bien sûr. Je recommande la scooby & la Taquise. Pas trop cher d'ailleurs & en grosse quantité.
Would not recommend for breakfast. Was rather salty & soupy for my liking. Service was good, bathrooms were small. Would be better for evening/ late night but always seems to have a line out the door at those times.
A great place to dine, a must visit, but please don't go for anything else other than the poutines! I tried the veggie hot dog & it was awful; the creamy coleslaw was pretty good tho to be fair. Their poutine is yummy but I've had better. Yet, the experience is absolutely exceptional! So yes, I do recommend this place very much!
Don't skip the creamy coleslaw I'm OBSESSED & got the leftovers to go! Poutine is the star of course! Lineup moved quickly enough & was absolutely worth it for the value & portion wow ! I would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting
May 27, 2024
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Expérience la semaine dernière pour une poutine à emporter... La serveuse nous dit d'attendre dehors. Après 15 minutes d'attente, les personnes arrivées après nous sont servies... On patiente encore & au bout de 25 minutes debouts sur le trottoir on se décide à rentrer. Notre sac nous attendait sur le comptoir. Je vous laisse imaginer l'état d'une poutine dans sa boîte au bout de tant d'attente. Dommage que le pourboire soit donné avant d'être servi. Un scandale ! Je ne recommande absolument pas.
Excellent, avec un grand choix de poutine vous ne serez pas déçu que ce soit pour la qualité ou même quantité. Je recommande grandement. Petit point négatif, le prix des bières est assez élevé, mais rien de trop grave 😜
I could've sworn I left a review explaining to the world that THIS IS THE BEST POUTINE PLACE in the world, it's not debatable & don't even try to. I've recommended this place to many friends/family who have & haven't had poutine in their lives, & they all say "that was awesome" after coming here. Seriously eating here is a special event & something to be cherished.
Mar 28, 2024
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Loads of options at this famous poutine joint in Montréal. The portion size was generous & the food was pretty good, but it's definitely catering to tourists! I'd recommend a visit though, as it seems to be a Montreal institution!
The poutines are very tasty & there are a lot of choices out there ! The regular sizes are perfect because they fill you up quite fast. I recommend La Sud-Ouest. Though I have to mention that it's usually extremely crowded, so you might feel squeezed in with the other customers around you. Staff were very nice. If you take your car, you'll have to park outside on the street.
Poutine was good, gravy is very salty (in a good way!). You pay before receiving your food after 9:00pm, so not much service to be had... however, the food came out ~5 minutes after paying & was hot & fresh. Overall a good experience, would recommend. Also, the regular is PLENTY for one person... almost too much 😊
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.
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! :)
