Wilensky

Expert

5.0

Wilensky's Light Lunch - Montreal

This place has a special kind of magic. Often, well-known or iconic spots can feel rushed or unfriendly, but that wasn't the case here at all. Sharon was incredibly kind & welcoming-happy to chat, answer questions, & genuinely interact with guests.

The special sandwich is delicious in its simplicity, letting the flavours speak for themselves, & the cherry cola is a perfect match. If I return to Montreal, I'll definitely come back. This is truly a must-visit in the city.

Muy Rico 🤤

25 déc. 2025

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Justin

4.0

Was the special sandwich the best thing I ever ate, or a'if you don't stop here you didn't do Montreal justice', no. It's not that. But it's just downright simple & delicious & unique. Where else do you get something like this? Give it a go & you won't regret trying it. What I'd really love to come back again for are the handmade sodas! I usually hate cherry anything but my wife wanted to try the cherry cola & it was fantastic. I wish all pop was like that.

25 oct. 2025

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Francis

5.0

You have to take the special, the cherry coke & half-sour pickles. That's about all there is to know to enjoy!

11 oct. 2025

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Chris

5.0

What an experience. Go in, sit down at an open stool, let them decide! I had cherry coke & their original sandwich - it was absolutely delicious. Don't knock until you try.

23 août 2025

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Nick

5.0

Wilensky's is an absolute gem of a joint. Timeless, simple, delicious.
Had the Wilensky Special with pickles & a cherry cola, who knew a bologna sandwich could be so good!

9 août 2025

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Pierre

5.0

Il faut absolument s'arrêter pour un sandwich & un cherry coke.

6 juin 2025

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Nestor

5.0

Try the hot dogs, onion top, Swiss cheese, with a pickle & a cherry cola. It's heaven!

27 mai 2025

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Glenn

5.0

Very cool experience with the special sandwich with cheddar, cherry cola, & the pickles. I should have had two sandwiches but was trying to pace myself that day.

23 mai 2025

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Jenny

5.0

This place is a Montréal institution!! Stopped in for a quick bite to eat. The place was full at 3:00pm & was greeted promptly by the friendly staff. Ordered an old-fashioned Cherry Cola & the Wilensky Special. The soda was delicious & the sandwich (so simple, yet perfect) was amazing! Perfect ratio of mustard to bread to salami & baloney. Who knew this little grilled sandwich could be so good!

3 avr. 2025

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Elan

4.0

Absolutely worth going. It's a bit like a living museum in there, but I Had to go. My father took me there since I was three years old. It looks exactly the same, except no one is smoking a cigarette in your face. Had the basic sandwich & the cherry cola. Sandwich was good. Soda was outstanding.

23 mars 2025

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Danny

5.0

Amazing, simply amazing. Went for the first time today, chose the Wilensky special with Swiss cheese, an old fashion cherry cola (& an egg salad sandwich to go).

Excellent service, friendly & very quick. I definitely recommend it.

20 mars 2025

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Kevin

5.0

Saw a tiktok about this place & thought it would be a nice place to try. For the price you are getting an amazing sandwich, if you go get at least 2 to start. Old time sodas that are well worth the price, get an egg cream or a cherry coke & you will be very happy.

7 oct. 2024

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Samira

5.0

It had so old vibe. The sandwiches were so tasty. I licked the taste of cherry cola.

28 sept. 2024

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G

5.0

it's been 7 years I go there once or twice a month & noticed never left a comment, it is a classic, it is good, it is genuine, every bite is a comforting hmmmmmm in itself, every scent feels like home, every voice you here in that restaurant is reminiscing of the simpler time. I personally take 2 specials + pickles + cherry soda & take 30 minutes to enjoy every bit of it. taking time to take time is very important.

11 juin 2024

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Joanna

5.0

Feeling the city' culture , tasting the history, discovering Montreal old times & meal in my plan, a kind of nostalgia. The store is not open for convenience that the clerk told me, that's why we returned to it open. Cherry flavour cola was my first time drinking, sat down to eat at the counter, you can eat everything you order, then you pay for all your eating.

2 juin 2024

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Oliver

5.0

Ça faisait longtemps que je voulais essayer le fameux Wilensky spécial avec le cherry coke. Je n'ai pas été déçu! Simple & délicieux, ce fut parfait pour un dîner sur le pouce. Les lieux sont chargés d'histoire. J'ai trouvé le service un peu froid mais j'ai tout de même adoré l'endroit & j'y retournerai.

20 mai 2024

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Jolson

5.0

The Wilenski Special is definitely worth the visit! Everyone should get it with a side of Cherry Cola! 👌

18 mai 2024

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Hesham

5.0

The best breakfast sandwich ever in Montreal " the special with Swiss or Cheddar cheese" with a sour pickle & the homemade cherry cola. An experience like nothing else ✨️.

20 avr. 2024

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Kes

5.0

Visiting from Melbourne, Australia (on a very cold, snowy March day) - Wilensky's was a must visit destination in Montreal with a timeless experience that you just don't get back home. It's a simple concept - pop yourself onto a counter seat, get lost in time & let the super friendly (& in close proximity, this is a great thing!) staff know what you feel like eating out of their hot or cold sandwiches, or a hot dog if that's your craving, & what you would like to wash it down with & it will be in front of you before you know it. For me, I went with the Wilensky Special, an all-beef & all-bologna hot sandwich with mustard & swiss cheese. I meant to say, I had two because I had to quickly re-live the first experience immediately & crunched on a sour pickle to tickle the palette on the side. The sandwich hit the spot as a tasty pre-lunch filler & was matched by the tastiest cherry cola that is made in-house that i've ever had in my life. As I pulled out my wallet, I was shocked to learn how little I was to actually spend on all of that tastiness - the lovely server even helped me understand how to make sense of the toonies, loonies & other coins that I had put onto the counter. Of all of the fond memories that I went on to make in Quebec, making the trek out to a beloved institute that my culinary & cultural heroes were once in & getting to experience the same sensation of time travel is one that I will cherish forever.

3 mars 2024

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Avy-Loren

5.0

Wilensky's is a very special & dear establishment to the Montreal community. For generations Montrealers have parroted this very special restaurant as it has been a multigenerational eatery where my children go & my grandparents went as well. This is not a deli, this is not a fast food though it is superbly positioned as one due to their ability to serve rapidly, this is not a sandwich shop per se though they do sell a few cold sandwiches & of course their classic Wilensky's special sandwich & their superb Smokey thick juicy boiled then grilled hot dogs in a onion top or plain bottom bun. For those who have heard of the famous restaurant be it from numerous social media posts, multiple documentaries, famous movies (such as the Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz - fact, my uncle played the Grandfather to Duddy), word of mouth, TV shows, you tube stations & the list goes on - you need to manage expectations here. There are some people who come & will say "I don't get it, what is the big deal about this pace". & to these people I would respond by saying the big deal is not specific to the food or value per bite etc. If you have never heard about this place you should learn about its history & humble origins as they are quite interesting to say the least. To those who say the place is dated or outdated, again, learn about the history t'as there is a purpose to maintain its rich history as original as possible as its local & loyal clients prefer. Wilensky's is an institution more so than a restaurant. This is a place where locals go to almost connect to their past & to their families of past who patrons this place & introduced it to them or them parents etc. This is a place where people learn about a community & where everyone is welcome regardless of ideology - religion, politics, language, race, color, or sports teams. Everyone is treated with respect & everyone gets to experience the decades old tradition of eating a historic food that generations of past have eaten & enjoyed amongst friends & strangers hunched over the stool eating & drinking one of the few places in Canada that you can order a fresh homemade soda the way it was done way back in the soda fountain & syrup mixing days of past - cherry cola is the favourite of them all but others are amazing too such as cream-soda, pineapple, cherry, as well as other special drinks of past. When you come to eat then world renowned Wilensky's "special" sandwich comprised of a custom made bun with one side covered in crunchy corn meal & the other smooth like a bun, where the two types of deli are grilled between to perfection & always only served with mustard like a religion. I think the only way to receive ketchup is if you are a young child & don't know any better lol. This sandwich is not large nor is it packed with multiple ingredients. It's a simple "special" quick sandwich made by the wife of the original founder who was asked by her husband to make him something "special" & quick as he hadn't time to eat a full lunch during his work day. This same sandwich is made today & millions have been sold to hungry people from around the world. Even famous chef & TV chefs & personality such as Anthony Bourdaine came, saw, delighted, an appreciated the historic value this focused "nosherie" has in this city - not erroneously judging this place based on restaurant review points such as atmosphere, bathroom, service, presentation & so forth. This is not a chi chi fooderie. You cannot rate this place based on typical rating KPI's as it does not even work in this framework. You are not coming to Wilensky's for just the food, it's an experience that in order to for it to be of great meaning you owe it to yourself to to two things (time provided) before you go. 1- read up about the place. 2- learn about the history of this part of the city & its ethnic regional beginnings & ask questions to the servers. This place is awesome & do but a momento & post it to social media. Enjoy.

1 déc. 2023

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