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 destination légendaire à Montréal, célébrée pour son menu varié et ses portions généreuses d'une délicieuse poutine authentique. L'ambiance y est vivante et conviviale, ce qui en fait un lieu très prisé entraînant souvent des files d'attente, bien que les clients trouvent généralement que l'expérience en vaut la peine. Malgré l'espace restreint et l'effervescence constante, le service efficace et la qualité des plats, incluant de nombreuses options créatives pour les amateurs de viande et les végétariens, séduisent tant les locaux que les visiteurs. Que ce soit pour une fringale nocturne ou un repas en journée, les clients apprécient les prix raisonnables et l'énergie emblématique qui font de cet établissement un passage obligé lors d'une visite dans la ville.
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
Road trip to Montreal isn't complete if you didn't get the most legendary Poutine from La Banquise😮?💨We got their La Fred Caillou, it's got all the MEATS from Ground Beef, Smoked Meat, Spicy Sausage to Merguez Sausage! Their Fries are incredibly crispy, topped with the BEST Cheese Curds (it's more fresh in MTL, trust) & perfectly seasoned Gravy! Cheese pull guaranteed every time!
La Banquise is a must-visit! They absolutely nail their vegetarian options. I tried La Veggie Reggie (loaded with peppers, onions, & mushrooms) & L'Ovni (topped with ground veggie corn dog & pickles)-both were fantastic! The vegetarian gravy is rich & savory, the fries stay crispy, & there are tons of squeaky cheese curds. Fast service & an amazing atmosphere!
24 mai 2026
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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.
At La Banquise, you have to be patient because it gets crowded, but after the wait, you're rewarded with a delicious poutine topped with that squishy cheese. There's nothing quite like poutine, a cold beer, & a good time. Thanks, Quebec.
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).
Highly recommend the Elvis which comes with a generous portion of meat.
On a slightly negative note, my girlfriend got the classic poutine which was mostly just fries. For some reason there was only a small amount of gravy & cheese curds in the very middle.
Place was very busy so I'm going to assume this was simply a rare mistake.
Still enjoyed the food, it's a classic poutine spot, but it's by no means the best you can find.
Truely incredible experience. The poutine is legit. Gravy is full of flavor. Cheese curds are fresh & squeaky. Fries are absolutely perfect & loved seeing the buckets of prepped potatoes waiting to be fried! Might be the best poutine I've had.
