Located at 994 Rue Rachel East in the Plateau, La Banquise is perfect if you’re a tourist coming to Montreal, or a Montreal resident who has not been to this restaurant yet. Don’t make the mistake I did- GO. Right now. It was absolutely delicious and perfect for a night out with friends.
About La Banquise
Haven’t heard of La Banquise? Well, it first opened its doors in 1968 and first served poutine in the 1980s. When poutine was first added to the menu, they only offered two different kinds- the classic poutine and the Italian poutine. Fast forward to 2015, they offer no less than 30 types of poutine! The restaurant which was originally a small ice cream shop, went through major renovations in 2006 to accommodate the growing amount of customers. It is open 24 hours a day, which is great for those late-night food cravings. They also serve great breakfasts. For now, I’ll talk about our dinner experience.
When we first arrived…
we saw quite a long line of people waiting to get in. Of course, it was a good sign. Especially, since it was raining and people were still willing to wait. It took about 20 minutes for us to get in but because of the good company I was in, it didn’t feel long at all. When you walk in, you get to glance at some of the poutines offered as they are on display all over the walls.
The venue is very bright and colorful. You’re in quite a close vicinity to the other diners and the noise level does get pretty high. You basically get to hear everyone discussing the numerous meal possibilities. It gets even harder to wait for your meal when you see your fellow diners receiving their delicious-looking meals.
Even though I had looked at the menu earlier on in the day, it was still very difficult to choose. We all ended up choosing different dishes so we could sample one another’s poutines. This made coming to a decision on what to order just a tad bit easier. Once we ordered, we were asked to pay right away, even before getting our meal. I don’t believe that had ever happened to me at a sit-down restaurant before!
It took less than twenty minutes to get our food and once we did- we barely said three words to each other because we were enjoying our meals so much. Here is what we had:
Ruedi got the “La Savoyarde” poutine which is bacon, onions, swiss cheese & sour cream. La Banquise also offers trios which consist of a burger, drink, and fries. However, you can replace the fries with poutine and the soda with a beer of your choice. I don’t know how anyone could resist the urge to replace the fries with poutine… if you can do that, that is major willpower. Ruedi chose the “Costaud Burger” – 2 patties, cheese, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, pickle, house sauce, all on a sesame seed burger bun.
Ali got a large “La Matty” poutine which has bacon, green peppers, mushrooms & onions. As you can see, the portions are quite big. While we are two chicks who love to eat- it barely looked like we made a dent in the food. The prices are definitely good for what you get.
John got the same burger as Ruedi, the Costaud Burger. For his poutine, he chose the “L’Astérix”. This poutine has smoked meat, mushrooms, sour cream & pepper sauce.
As for myself, I got the “La Banquise” Burger, which has 1 patty, mushrooms, fried onions, swiss cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, spicy sauce, all on a sesame seed burger bun. The poutine I chose (after much consideration) was “La Reggae” – ground beef, guacamole, diced tomatoes & hot peppers. It was absolutely delicious. I will now either have to recreate this every time I make a poutine at home or come back to La Banquise. No poutine I’ve ever had even compares to it (for now). I had a few bites of my burger and a ton of poutine. I got so full, that I gladly took the rest home.
Overall
I definitely recommend this restaurant to any poutine lover. They also have vegan options, healthy menus, a kid’s menu, and other assorted meals. The food was so good, that I came home and ate most of my leftovers right away. For more information, visit their official website or follow their Facebook Page.