Lesters Deli

Mark

5.0

As a child growing up in Montreal in the fifties & sixties I would go to Lester's with my family as my grandparents lived around the corner on Querbes. I left Montreal after university .
Fast forward 50 years to today.
My wife & I are currently in Montreal visiting family & as I craved smoked meat, we decided for nostalgic reasons to go to Lester's for take out. Great decision.
We were greeted by the Alaina who is an absolute delight! So friendly & helpful. It was truly a pleasure telling her our story & listening to hers.
The story just keeps getting better, The giant smoked meat may have been the best I've ever had; certainly the biggest. The meat was perfect.
The karnatzel & the poutine were also as good as it gets.
We are going to buy a whole vacuum sealed brisket before leaving Montreal take it with us to Ontario.
Thank you Alaina! You are terrific!

Martin

5.0

Je suis dans le secteur pour le travail, & je ne connaissait pas ce resto. Quel découverte, vraiment délicieux, service super courtois & rapide, en 20 minutes j'étais ressorti bien satisfait de mon diner. Je vais revenir, meme si c'est un détour.

Rem

5.0

I've been to Schwartz a few time but find Lester's to be better. The meat is juicer, make sure you try the brisket

Alice

5.0

We went to Lester's Deli, a historic Montreal restaurant located in Outremont that has been serving traditional smoked meat sandwiches since 1951, & they are celebrating their 75th anniversary this year. It is considered one of the top smoked meat spots in the city. We ordered the Smoked Meat Special & Smoked Meat Sandwich. The signature classic Montreal-style smoked meats were served with bread, yellow mustard, accompanied by a side of fries & whole dill pickles. It was a casual deli experience but the food tasted delicious & appetizing!

Brian

1.0

Am 35year client. Always have same..Brisket sandwich. This time overly salty,tried to get attention of my server but was busy chatting up 2 tourists.Left half my meal & went to pay. After explaining my experience to cashier,all I received was a glassed over look ,zero response & my bill..... How's that for customer service

A

3.0

It was alright - super smoked meat is small for what it is, 31$ combo - waitress said it is 1.5 times bigger than the regular- doubt it - I could smash 3 of them easily. Tasted fine.

Cayden

3.0

Been here three times now the poutine was pretty bad burnt tasting & rubbery cheese but the hot dogs are great & smoked meat was comparable to Schwartz not my favourite either way

Daniel

5.0

The smoked meat was out of this world good. Very tender. If I lived nearby I'd eat it every chance I got!

Ben

5.0

Tried this back to back after visiting Schwartz's & honestly loved it even more! The meat was smokier & to me had more flavour. The deli itself also had that historic diner feel. Highly recommend if you're visiting Montreal!

Bernard

5.0

Visiting Montreal from Thunder Bay with my wife for the second time. I was looking forward to trying the smoked meats around the city. I hunt & prepare my own meats, so I like to see what locals eat when it comes to meats. I made a point to stop by Lester's because I only managed to hit Schwartz last time & I heard the consensus is split between which is better.
As a meat lover, I found the smoked meat here to be slightly better than Schwartz (I even made a trip back to Schwartz to compare because I needed another taste after 2 years). The moisture of the meat is well balanced, flavorful & not overly chewy or stringy. It has that classic smoked flavor that you only get in the high-quality product.
Experience with the three staff members was memorable & more personal than Schwartz. It was clearly a close-knit family dynamic with the staff which made the atmosphere very welcoming.
The young American lady at the counter greeted us & answered my questions about the menu as well as some friendly small talk with my wife. She was knowledgeable about the shop's history & showed great positive attention to my wife who likes to talk a lot (fortunately the store was empty so she didnt keep anyone from their job). The American woman recommended a hotdogs for my wife, which she loved & ordered a second. The young lady recommended a carrot cake. I dont usually eat desserts for my health, but I tried a bite of my wife's & had to take a few more. The cake was excellent as was the hotdog according to my wife.
Meanwhile, I chatted with the gentleman who prepared the meat, Louie, who told me a bit about the process. I could see he is a master of the craft.
Overall, the atmosphere, service, & flavor exceeded Schwartz, & I believe it was largely due to the care & attention paid by the workers. As a small business owner, seeing these types of people who are knowledgeable & passionate show that the business isn't hiring just anybody to do the most important work, preparing the high-quality smoked meat which Lesters is known for.