Ask anyone where you should go in Montreal for smoked meats and they'll say Schwartz's. It's a famous tourist spot loved by locals as well. But just across the road from Schwartz's is another deli ready and waiting to tempt your taste buds with its traditional smoked meat sandwiches and obligatory pickles and black cherry cola.
When we decided one sunny early autumn day to have lunch at Schwartz's, we found a queue of people snaking out the door and up the street. Austin was already hungry so very antsy, not a good thing if you're going to stick him in a line of people for half an hour. While we were looking around for another place to eat, we noticed Main Deli across the road. Michael had heard about it and it was meant to be a close rival of Schwartz's without the fame. And it didn't have a long queue, so decision made!
Having had Lester's smoked meat sandwiches, we were excited about comparing Main Deli's offerings and we weren't disappointed. The meat was a little more fatty and you could taste the mix of spices and smokiness nicely. The chips were good and the pickles were not too strong and perfectly crunchy. Austin had his usual hotdog and even the dog was their original smoked meat sausage, tasty and didn't have that normal hotdog processed meat feel.
If anyone asks us whether Schwartz's is the best smoked meat in Montreal, we still wouldn't be able to say. But we'd definitely recommend Main Deli across the road if the queue is too long for Schwartz's! Hopefully, if we get there early enough one day we can try it out and give a proper comparison!
When we decided one sunny early autumn day to have lunch at Schwartz's, we found a queue of people snaking out the door and up the street. Austin was already hungry so very antsy, not a good thing if you're going to stick him in a line of people for half an hour. While we were looking around for another place to eat, we noticed Main Deli across the road. Michael had heard about it and it was meant to be a close rival of Schwartz's without the fame. And it didn't have a long queue, so decision made!
Having had Lester's smoked meat sandwiches, we were excited about comparing Main Deli's offerings and we weren't disappointed. The meat was a little more fatty and you could taste the mix of spices and smokiness nicely. The chips were good and the pickles were not too strong and perfectly crunchy. Austin had his usual hotdog and even the dog was their original smoked meat sausage, tasty and didn't have that normal hotdog processed meat feel.
If anyone asks us whether Schwartz's is the best smoked meat in Montreal, we still wouldn't be able to say. But we'd definitely recommend Main Deli across the road if the queue is too long for Schwartz's! Hopefully, if we get there early enough one day we can try it out and give a proper comparison!