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 widely celebrated as a Montreal institution, famous for its world famous smoked meat, a bustling old school deli atmosphere, and generous sandwiches that many say melt in the mouth; despite long lines, service is generally fast and efficient and the line often moves quickly, with takeout next door for those pressed for time. Reviewers praise the tenderness and bold seasoning of the meat, the classic rye bread, and the accompanying pickles, fries, and poutine, while some note variability in meat greasiness or portions and occasionally uneven service; overall, it remains a must visit for meat lovers and a memorable slice of Montreal history, though a few say the price and crowds can be a drawback.
I did not see this one coming ! Visiting this place was not really my top priority I just wanna try because so many people recommend this to try out. I am soooo happy I made the right decision to try. Upto now I am still dreaming about this smoky meat flavor. I got the poutine & it was phenomenal! Truly this is the Montreal's a must try !
Apr 12, 2026
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Pire poutine à vie. Le cuisinier dis que c'est la meilleure poutine & incomparable… petite quantité de fromage . Fromage qui squeeck pas, le fromage fond. Patate brulé . Odeur de pipi à l'intérieur du resto . 13.75$ gaspille
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
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
Mar 20, 2026
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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.
