La Banquise, une petite crémerie à ses débuts, a vu le jour en mai 1968. Son fondateur, Pierre Barsalou, un pompier du quartier, transforma celle-ci en casse-croûte ouvert 24H dès l’automne 1968. On pouvait alors y déguster d’excellents hot-dogs et des frites succulentes. La poutine fit son apparition au début des années 80, avec la poutine classique et l’italienne. Devant le succès populaire, et à la demande répétée de plusieurs clients, les choix de poutines se multiplient. On compte maintenant pas moins de 25 poutines différentes. La Banquise est encore aujourd’hui une entreprise familiale. La fille cadette de M. Barsalou, Annie, a pris la relève dans les années 90, en compagnie de Marc Latendresse, son conjoint. Ils continuent ensemble de perpétuer la tradition de qualité et la renommée du Restaurant La Banquise. À l’été 2006, La Banquise fait d’importantes rénovations et agrandi considérablement sa salle à manger. Une quarantaine d’années plus tard, La Banquise est devenu bien plus qu’un simple casse-croûte ou une «place à poutine». Il s’agit également d’un endroit convivial et chaleureux où l’on peut déguster des bières de micro-brasserie, un menu du jour complet ainsi que d’excellents déjeuners. Merci beaucoup à notre fidèle clientèle, les oiseaux de nuit, les groupes d’amis, en passant par les travailleurs, les étudiants, les petites familles, etc... d’avoir façonné à votre image, l’histoire de La Banquise et d’en avoir fait le succès actuel.
La Banquise est largement reconnue comme une institution montréalaise, célèbre pour son vaste menu de variantes de poutine créatives et ses portions généreuses. Bien que le restaurant soit extrêmement populaire et connaisse fréquemment de longues files d'attente dans une ambiance animée et bondée, de nombreux visiteurs estiment que la qualité des plats, la fraîcheur des ingrédients et le goût authentique valent largement le déplacement. Le personnel est généralement apprécié pour son accueil chaleureux et son efficacité, même pendant les périodes de forte affluence, bien que certains clients soulignent que l'espace restreint et le niveau sonore font partie intégrante de cette expérience effervescente. Qu'il s'agisse de déguster une version classique ou une spécialité, la majorité des habitués considèrent cet établissement comme un incontournable pour ceux qui recherchent une expérience culinaire emblématique de la ville.
The place wasn't busy when we went there. We easily found a place to sit.
The food was okay. But staffs were not friendly. The menu is in french & we couldn't comunicate well as I couldnt speak & understand French.
I was very disappointed when I ordered a burger for my child & they brought out a chicken sandwich instead, without letting us know they didn't have burgers available.
Very good experience. Best poutine i had in long time. Their chicken (grilled & fried is halal) & their smoked meat is kosher. The gravy is vegetarian. Their fries were fresh & crispy, the cheese & gravy tasted amazing. Good protions for the price & many options/toppings available. They have a nice menu of non poutine stuff too!
Staff was super friendly & as its open 24h there wasnt much wait when we arrived. It got busy by lunch time! Highly recommend this spot when in montreal
I had a really good experience at La Banquise! The food was absolutely delicious & I can totally understand why this place is so famous. Everything we ordered was super tasty & definitely worth the hype.
The only downside is that the restaurant isn't very big, so there's usually a line to get in because everyone wants to eat there. The place also felt a bit overcrowded & the service was a little slow, probably because it was so busy.
But honestly, even with the wait & the crowd, it was still worth it. If you're visiting Montreal, I definitely think this place is something you should try at least once!
25 mai 2026
sur Google
🍽️
Sachez où manger à Montréal avant tout le monde.
Découvrez en primeur les ouvertures les plus branchées, des menus secrets et les coups de cœur de RestoMontreal.ca. Rejoignez plus de 50 000 foodies.
Charming place & very busy! For how busy it was we were surprised by how quickly the food came from the kitchen. 100% a must visit place in Montreal. Greatly accommodating to gf & df diets
La Banquise absolutely lived up to the hype. It was recommended to us by multiple friends as the #1 place to get poutine in Montreal, & it certainly did not disappoint. We waited about 10 minutes for a seat, but it was obvious right away that this place is incredibly popular. There was a steady stream of people coming & going the entire time - long lines before we arrived & long lines after we left. You could really tell people come here for one thing: great poutine.
The food itself was delicious, the portions were huge, & the prices were very reasonable for what you get. The atmosphere was lively & fun, & despite how busy it was, the staff were very friendly & welcoming. The waitresses were especially kind to our little one, which we really appreciated. Since we are visiting Montreal, we have had a number of different'kids menu' meals & our little one never ate any of them
as well, as he ate that cheese toast from here.
Overall, it was a great experience with good food, great energy, & excellent value. Definitely worth checking out if you're in Montreal.
Delicious food. Very busy popular spot, but the waiters ran it very well for its size. Great atmosphere, decent sized seating but takeout option cuts down on wait times well. Very busy, wait times were a little too long but food was incredible. Best poutine I've had in Montreal!
La Banquise is a must-visit spot if you're in Montreal & want to try authentic & delicious poutine. The variety on the menu is impressive, with so many creative toppings & combinations that there's something for everyone.
The food is rich, flavorful, & very satisfying-perfect comfort food, especially after exploring the city. The portions are generous, & the experience feels very classic Montreal.
The food is affordable & definitely worth the price. It's not expensive at all considering the portion sizes & quality you get. You really feel like you're getting good value for your money.
What really stood out was the staff & overall vibe-everyone was friendly, energetic, & clearly enjoying the atmosphere. Even though the place is often busy, the staff keep things moving smoothly & still manage to stay welcoming & upbeat, which adds a lot to the experience.
Overall, La Banquise is a fun, iconic, & delicious stop in Montreal with great food & an amazing vibe. Definitely worth visiting at least once when you're in the city.
Visited Mar 6'26 after our lunch at Schwartz's deli!!! Ordered La T-Rex. Although ordered the regular portion ordered, it was massive & loaded with meat when it came. Ordered the onion ring (rondelles) as well. It was so so.
Place was quite busy as it was lunch hour. Service was quick. Not suitable for long chit chat though.
Seating was tight, very near to other customers, perhaps due to small area of the restaurant.
While La Banquise is a Montreal'classic', I don't think it's the best poutine in the city or anything. It's worth it if you want to eat an outrageous poutine with pretty amazing meat combinations but the fries & gravy themselves are pretty average.
Basically, I would recommend going there for the novelty but if you are just looking for good poutine, it's widely available across the city. Plus, the place tends to be very busy & is cramped so it's hard to sit down & just enjoy yourself.
I ordered the same meal at both locations. The primary one on Rachel & the ghost kitchen one on Saint-Denis & the difference is that if you go & order in person at the location on Rachel (the famous one) it's less expensive but you get less, if you order via app for take-out it's more expensive but you get slightly more, the differences are in the photo. I ordered the Fred Caillou & came to $21 at restaurant tax-incl & around $25 at ghost kitchen (only pickup). The ghost kitchen is almost invisible if you're driving but it's a small entryway that snakes down into a kitchen but it's there. When I went I thought it was a mistake & another drive also thought same so we both drove to Rachel & told the guy but turns out it's there just very hard to find since signs are barely visible if you're driving. Both taste the same, but guess they don't want too many people waiting around so they setup a ghost kitchen to deter people from going to Rachel. Too busy is a good problem! Great food the quality of the meat, cheese & sauce is great much better than average even at late night which is rare. Bon appetite! (ps the staff working the graveyard shift was very cool, perfectly bilingual & patiently heard our issue with ghost kitchen. all good).
