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.
I really wanted to try the smoked meat sandwich here so that is what I have ordered. The bread was soft but thin & to be honest the smoke meat was not so tasteful that I need to add ketchup to enhance the taste but meat was really very juicy & generous portion. Sandwich size is just enough for one person. However, I was expecting to taste a special & unique flavor of the meat but again good thing it's really juicy & almost melts in your mouth. The fries has crispy burnt taste. The price is like around 30$ per person if you will have fries & a drink with it. The ambiance is like 80's or 90's era & I like it.
The staffs are pleasant & they serve fast. Overall, good to try for tourist as it has its history.
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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Took our guest here to try the famous smoked meat. We went for lunch & waited about 30 minutes in line, which is normal. We were three people & all ordered the classic smoked meat sandwich with a dill pickle on the side.
Surprisingly, we got a private table, rare here since they usually seat you with others. The taste was the same as always: classic, simple, & exactly what you expect from Schwartz's.
Only thing we noticed was the bill seemed higher than previous visits, but nothing to complain about.
⭐ 4.4/5 - Iconic spot, worth trying at least once.
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.
I'm traveling with my family, & trying this sandwich is pure gold for my taste buds , I could never get tired of it. The only downside is the service, which is fast & a bit careless, but of course I understand, as it's a busy place with lots of people coming & going.
Nov 20, 2025
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Memory, like smoked meat, requires the proper cure.
At Schwartz's, Montreal's famous Hebrew Deli, both have been marinating since 1928, & I've been sampling the meat & the memory since the 1960s, when my father led me through a blizzard into what appeared to be an entirely male domain wreathed in steam.
I was seven, perhaps eight. The windows were opaque with condensation, as if the deli were keeping secrets from the street. Inside: old men, everywhere. Serving, eating, talking in that particular Montreal patois where French & Yiddish & English form an uneasy trinity.
The original owner moved among them like a presiding deity who happened to know both my grandmothers. That first sandwich - strange, tangy, accompanied by what I remember as'yummy friends' (fries, presumably, though the phrase suggests a child's more profound insight about the fellowship of food) & coleslaw & pickles & a black cherry soda that tasted of artificial everything & absolute happiness.
Then the changing of the guard. New management. The windows no longer steamed. Across the street, the Main, where my uncle Jerry had landed after abandoning high school for the immediate rewards of the service industry. A pragmatic choice that probably made more sense than it should have. His offer of a free Main smoked meat couldn't lure me away from Schwartz's - the place I was smitten with.
Schwartz's endured through its transformations. By my university years, there was Frank Silva, dark-haired & mustachioed, barely older than we were, serving us at 1 a.m. with the air of someone dispensing not just smoked meat but narrative. His daughter now waits tables, another layer of sediment in the archaeological dig that is this place.
The restaurant sold again. Bought by the Nakis & Angelil-Dion families, though everyone says it's owned by Celine.
The lines grew longer, a mixed blessing, like fame. A takeout shop materialized next door, because even tradition must eventually bow to efficiency.
& now, in 2025, the final indignity: Schwartz's has been listed in the Michelin Guide. The countercultural haven where we huddled at 1 a.m., where steam obscured the windows & old men held court, has succumbed to its own fame & glory. Legitimized. Validated. Reduced to a destination for culinary tourists with their tire-company-approved itineraries. One can almost hear the ghost of the original owner sighing into his pickle barrel.
I've brought my children. They love it as my grandmothers did, as my mother did, as my father especially did & many friends we brought there. Four generations united by cured brisket & the persistence of a single address - though now we must queue alongside people consulting their phones for the Michelin star count.
What Schwartz's teaches: that some things - not many, but some - deserve to survive. That a good sandwich is a form of time travel. That inheritance isn't always genetic; sometimes it's culinary. & that recognition, like preservation, always comes at a cost.
Go. Take your children. Let the smoke & spice seep into them as it has into the walls, into the city, into all of us who return again & again to this shrine of meat & memory. Just don't tell them it's in the Michelin Guide.
Great dish we had as the famous smokey beef sandwich. Very good taste & not that much expensive. The place was crowded but had good vibes. Definitely a must go
This place came highly recommended & it did not disappoint. A very old-school deli/diner style. I ordered the smoked meat sandwich, the pickle & a cherry cola. This food was well priced & tasty 😋🤤. Love classic style joints like Schwartzes & would recommend.
Nov 12, 2025
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Une véritable légende à Montréal ! Schwartz's Deli est un arrêt obligatoire. Le smoked meat est d'une tendreté & d'un goût inégalables.
?Petit conseil d'initié : plutôt que le sandwich, je vous recommande vivement l'assiette de smoked meat pour vraiment savourer la générosité & la qualité de la viande sans être limité par le pain.
?Un must absolu si vous visitez la ville ! 😋👍👏👏👏
A true legend in Montreal! Schwartz's Deli is a mandatory stop. Smoked meat is of unrivalled tenderness & taste.
Insider tip: Instead of sandwiching, I highly recommend smoked meat platter to really savor the bounty & quality of the meat without being limited by the bread.👍👏👏👏
I wanted to recreate the Montreal Layover episode by Anthony Bourdain. We got the smoked meat sandwich, a pickle, & cherry coke. It is now my gold standard for smoked meat. Wonderful.
It was my first time in Montreal & I saw the reviews for this place in reddit. Gotta say, I didn't expect this place to have THE BEST SANDWICH EVER. I will definitely go to this place again if I'm in Montreal. 100/10.
Oct 28, 2025
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