World famous Schwartz's, serving the best smoked meat from the original recipe of spices since 1928. Imagine walking through the door and taking a step back 75 years into "Main Street" history in Montreal. A "true" Montreal landmark that has welcomed celebrities and visitors from all over the world.
Schwartz's Deli is described as a Montreal icon with a legendary smoked meat sandwich that is tender, generously stacked on rye and often paired with pickles and a cherry soda. The atmosphere is old school, bustling, and communal, with long lines that move quickly and shared tables that add to the nostalgic vibe. The sandwich is repeatedly praised as top tier or the best many have tasted, with meat that is flavorful and juicy and options to choose lean, medium, or fatty cuts, though a few reviews note occasional dryness or uneven fat distribution. Poutine and fries are common accompaniments, sometimes great but occasionally criticized for being soggy or underseasoned; service is described as fast and friendly or brisk and crowded, depending on peak times. The experience is widely called a must visit for meat lovers and a defining Montreal experience, with many commendations of the history and atmosphere that make lines feel worth it. Some comments surface about price and crowding, but the overall sentiment remains strongly positive, framing Schwartz's Deli as a legendary staple that delivers a memorable smoked meat experience worth waiting for.
Returning to Schwartz's after 15 years was a highlight of our trip. It is rare for an institution to not only maintain its reputation but actually exceed it-the flavour was even better than I remembered.
We visited with our two young children, & while the deli is famously compact, the staff were incredibly attentive & accommodating. They even found a place to store our stroller for us, which made a world of difference in such a bustling environment.
The smoked meat sandwich remains flawless, but the steak & poutine are equally impressive. From the quality of the meat to the perfect crunch of the pickles & coleslaw, the combination was excellent. This was my husband's first visit, & it immediately became his favorite meal of our entire journey from Mont-Tremblant.
A must-visit for anyone in Montreal, even if you're traveling with a family in tow.
The sandwiches are really great! It's a pretty small store, but the counter was open for us & we were able to dine in. The #4 meat sandwich & #2 poutine were recommended to us - the sandwich was a simple sandwich with a LOT of meat & mustard. Very yummy, the meat was super soft too, but I wish there was a vegetable
Mar 24, 2026
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Food: poutine & a smoked meat sandwich with a pickle on the side. Absolutely delicious! Service: prompt & friendly. Atmosphere: nostalgic, definitely cramped & busy but didn't mind it
Busy at mid day Friday shared table concept. Great portion sizes & huge picked. We three had the trad smoked meat sami which was juicy with a hit of spice & nice! Also had the fries plus smoked poutine which our uni student son enjoyed on his inaugural visit.
This is a popular Montreal restaurant for tours. I went for tried the smoked meat sandwich & poutine. The sandwich was ok, the meat was tender, but too much fat for me, it wasn't anything special or wasn't out of the world, will not go again!.
I loved the poutine w/ smoked meat on top! The atmosphere here is very relaxed, & the staff was understanding that I was new to Quebecois cuisine & very friendly. No regrets eating here!
The poutine & smoked meat sandwich were delicious, the price was pretty good for what we got, & the service was quick; only a few minutes to get everything to us, despite it being relatively busy.
The space is a bit cramped, but that's actually part of the character of this place, & I think it would've felt strange if it weren't like that.
The history about it was pretty interesting, too. It was one of the points of interest on our tour & was really neat to hear about how long they've been open, as well as the celebrity connection that kept it open during hard times.
11/10 would recommend.
Feb 9, 2026
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Amazing roast meat, & don't let them fool you-their poutine is seriously undersold & ended up being the best thing on the menu. This place is just as good as they say it is. I'd definitely come back
Ordered on doordash, we considered going in person but after reading all of these reviews about disrespectful, condecending, & demanding service I am truly glad that we stayed in.
The Sandwich à la viande fumèe was small but delicious, I haven't had pastrami in a long time as I usually follow a pescatarian diet but it was so worth it!
A perfect ratio of fat to meat, genuinely could not have been better except to perhaps have wider slices of bread to not need to stack the meat so high on small slices (makes it difficult to take a bite).
However, the poutine is the first terrible poutine I've ever had in Montreal, the fries were soggy which is to be expected & is understandable when ordering fries for delivery & the cheese curds were pretty decent, but the issue was that they were incredibly burnt & just tasted like char or straight liquid smoke. Don't get me wrong, I love a smokey flavor, I charcoal grill nearly every chance I get in all seasons rain or shine, but these were not just smokey fries they were actually burnt to the point that we just picked out the cheese curds & couldn't stomach the fries at all..
My suggestion is order from a food delivery app like doordash, ABSOLUTELY get the smoked meat sandwich, & avoid the poutine at all costs.
Jan 1, 2026
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The food was extremely bland. The best way to describe it would be boiled meat served with mustard & bread nothing memorable or special. The fries used for the poutine were burnt, which further affected the overall quality. Combined with the long wait, the experience was disappointing. Overall, the wait is not worth it, & I would not recommend this place.
My first two visits were outstanding. My most recent visit this past weekend was not. My smoked meat poutine was just barely warm on arrival to the table. It was pretty disappointing after having such good visits last year with steaming hot smoked poutines. Atmosphere is hectic & expect a line to wait to get in. You also share tables with other people unless you have a party of 6 or you get seated at the high tops.
Authentic taste of Montreal smoke meat. Take out is right next door. Place is always busy, but luckily it is on a street with lots of other options. Combo comes with coleslaw & fries plus a stack of bread, eat with the classic smoke meat or take home. Poutine is lovely with good amount of meat portion. Classic smoke meat sandwich a must try.
Nov 30, 2025
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It's a deli famous for it's beef, & we got the beef! Pretty delicious & a great little delight where you get to meet some people as you'll be sandwiched in with some other travellers. A great experience & hits the exact mark you're expecting.
We had a shwartz beef sandwich & a poutine with beef on top. Both excellent.
The only critique would be the line up. While we expected a wait, the line was filled with /
'I think this of what we're supposed to do'. That being said, we all figured it out.
