Montreal City Weblog

Kate 17:30 on 2021-06-13 Permalink Reply  

• John B 17:38 on 2021-06-13 Permalink

  We need a “Montreal institutions you should eat at before they’re gone for good” list.

• Uatu 18:10 on 2021-06-13 Permalink

  Unfortunate, but if you really want good Portuguese food make friends with a Portuguese resident of Mile end and they will show you the little family run places that nobody knows about that have awesome food

• azrhey 20:10 on 2021-06-13 Permalink

  Good Riddance! They’ve been awful for years! Cheapening out goods, getting rid of experienced workers (most of whom have gone on to work at Piri-Piri ) and replacing them on the cheap… among other less savoury practices. They’re gross in and out..have been since the late 00s.
  Been trying to get people to stop wasting their money there for years

• dhomas 06:27 on 2021-06-14 Permalink

  I agree with azrhey that they haven’t been as good in recent years. The decline seemed to coincide with the son of the original owner taking over. Still, they were one of the first places to make really good Portuguese chicken and for a time they were arguably the best place to get it. Lots of people I know have fond memories of the place. I myself always kind of held out hope that they would reclaim their former glory, but I suppose it was not to be.

• martin 06:35 on 2021-06-14 Permalink

  The Official Montreal institutions you should eat at before they’re gone for good:
  Phó Bang New York
  Daou
  Dic Ann’s
  Elatos
  Chez Ma Tante
  Momesso’s
  Pizza Nino
  Pataterie Chez Philippe
  Pierrette Patates
  Tripolis

• dhomas 06:59 on 2021-06-14 Permalink

  All good choices, @martin! If I could add my 2 cents:

  Phó Bang New York is definitely where you want to go for Vietnamese if you’re in Chinatown, but… Phó Tay Hô on Saint-Denis (close to Beaubien) is better Viet IMO.

  +1 for Momesso’s. Not only for their sandwiches (which are excellent!), but also for a good espresso.

  I have fond (if somewhat vague) memories of Tripolis after a night out on the town, since they were open late (or early, depending on your perspective). The octopus was always a favourite.

  In the same vein as the fast food joints in your list, I might add Dilallo Burger in Little Burgundy. The one near Fabre metro is alright, but I prefer the original.

  Another hotdogerie I would add is Décarie Hot Dog. Unpretentious to the point of circling back to being pretentious again, but great hot dogs and fries.

• Joey 07:50 on 2021-06-14 Permalink

  Seemed odd that Romados didn’t thrive during the pandemic era, given that it was basically a takeout spot.

• Kate 10:44 on 2021-06-14 Permalink

  People have been saying for awhile that Poule Mouillée is better. I knew a Portuguese guy who swore by the place at Clark and Rachel, but I don’t think it’s mostly chicken there, but other grilled meat stuff.

• CE 11:01 on 2021-06-14 Permalink

  Dilallo On Notre-Dame is gone. Surprisingly Still a burger joint but it has a new name.

• Kate 11:02 on 2021-06-14 Permalink

  Is Chalet BBQ still open? I haven’t been there in a long time but i’d feel sad if it finally closed.

• JaneyB 11:06 on 2021-06-14 Permalink

  The other Dilallo Burger branch is still around (Ville Emard).

  Where’s resto maven Zeke, btw? Haven’t seen him around these pages in quite a while.

• thomas 11:24 on 2021-06-14 Permalink

  @Kate your Portuguese guy is correct. Rôtisserie Portugalia is far superior and while they have selection of grilled meats it is definitely chicken focused.

• Joey 11:26 on 2021-06-14 Permalink

  Chalet and CSL BBQ both seem to be thriving, thank heavens. @thomas is right about Rotisserie Portugalia. I think you have to call ahead for certain dishes (like 24 hrs in advance). Tried Poule Mouille but it was a little too fancypants…

• dwgs 11:42 on 2021-06-14 Permalink

  Can confirm that Chalet BBQ is still going strong. The Dilallo that was on ND was always Resto Meloche, I guess they had some kind of side deal they worked out for the burgers for a while. There used to be a Dilallo in NDG on Sherbrooke but it closed close to 20 years ago.
  Chez Doval is my Portuguese grill place go to, just don’t sit on the fancy side.
  Elatos is possibly the best souvlaki in town.
  Marven’s for kalamarakia.

• Alex 13:11 on 2021-06-14 Permalink

  There is a Dilallo on Papineau and Jean Talon. Agreed on Pho Tay Ho. Add Beaubien Nouveau Systeme for burgers and Dobe and Andy in Chinatown for Roast Duck/Pork and other HK specialties

• walkerp 14:40 on 2021-06-14 Permalink

  It does seem like the failure of Romados may have been self-inflicted and not a function of the pandemic or evil landlords. They should have crushed it going full takeout during the pandemic.

  While I appreciate the alternatives, do any of them have the fries that compete with Romados? They did something with that spice and the crispiness that I haven’t been able to find elsewhere.

• dhomas 06:34 on 2021-06-15 Permalink

  So, I hadn’t been to Dilallo on ND since probably early 2019 (maybe even 2018). Looks like I missed the name change:
  https://montreal.eater.com/2019/5/30/18644509/dilallo-burger-notre-dame-meloche-27-kleine-shoppe-move

• dhomas 06:41 on 2021-06-15 Permalink

  And the subsequent final closure:
  https://www.silo57.ca/2020/09/15/lancien-dilallo-de-saint-henri-ne-rouvrira-finalement-pas-ses-portes
  So much for “before they’re gone for good”.