Les Terrasses: a new food court
My trawl though news links Tuesday found a press release about how Eaton Centre is to open another rebrand their food court as Les Terrasses as “a tribute to the iconic shopping complex” by that name, which occupied roughly the same space as Eaton Centre does now (from 1976 to 1987, according to the Wikipedia piece on the existing complex) – essentially obliterating the extension of little Victoria Street from de Maisonneuve down to Ste‑Catherine.
Les Terrasses was a confusing labyrinth of levels and misdirections of which it was said that if you got into it, it was hard to find your way out. I guess that makes it iconic.
DeWolf 12:33 on 2026-02-24 Permalink
People seem to have fond memories of Les Terrasses. I never experienced it myself but even if it was confusing, at least it was memorable, which is more that can be said about many places these days.
Also this isn’t “another” food court per se — it’s the existing one in the basement that is being renovated and rebranded. The vendors will be roughly the same as before (more conventional fast food) rather than upmarket like Time Out.
Kate 12:40 on 2026-02-24 Permalink
For me Les Terrasses was mostly memorable because a friend worked in the pet store, back when pet stores used to sell animals as well as supplies, so I used to stop by now and then to say hi and look at the critters.
Even though I’d been there often, I couldn’t reliably always find the store on first try, or find my way straight out. Apparently there was a theory of mall architecture at the time that it was good to confuse people by making them pass by every storefront before they found their way, so that they might buy more stuff. The confusing aspect certainly worked effectively at Les Terrasses.
But yes, it was sort of memorable for that reason. I remember feeling it was slightly sleazy to delete it, and give us the blander wannabe‑Toronto‑ness of an Eaton Centre.
Nicholas 13:34 on 2026-02-24 Permalink
Speaking of old restaurants and Victoria Street, everyone should go see the restaurant exhibit at the McCord, on through October. Lots of old menus and various tableware, and some themed sections on Expo restaurants, restaurants with shows/costumes, some other things. Lots of nostalgia even though most were before my time, and my mom just loved it. Very well done.
Blork 14:55 on 2026-02-24 Permalink
I remember Les Terrasses, and yeah, it was a nightmare to navigate. I hated going there.
Except for the kiosk in the food court (bottom level) called “Dutchburger” that I liked. They made “burgers” that were tubular, like hot dogs. I was so poor at the time that I could only indulge in maybe one Dutchburger a month (they probably sold for less than two bucks each) but I managed to go through six or seven of them before the whole place closed down. I never saw another Dutchburger joint anywhere else, before nor since.
mare 21:13 on 2026-02-24 Permalink
It’s rare to hear something positive with Dutch in it. I’m sorry I missed it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a burger that matches that description in the Netherlands.
I must confess I get lost in the current Eaton centre too. Because there are two structures, side by side and they’re not connected on all levels. I’ve been searching for stores there recently. And for the non-gendered bathroom I wanted to show to an enby friend. Couldn’t find it so we ended up in the *very nice* bathroom on the 9th floor. It was deserted so they snuck with me into the ladies room. (It turned out the non-gendered bathroom was closed because of a renovation, but it was unclear if it was the actual bathroom that was reconstructed, or just the adjacent space.)
Kate 21:38 on 2026-02-24 Permalink
Sounds like a kafta kebab, except they’re not Dutch.
bob 04:18 on 2026-02-25 Permalink
I loved the design of Les Terasses. It was triangular, with each side of the triangle offset by a third of a floor (whence the name), so that once you went around the triangle you were one storey above or below where you started. It always made sense to me. There were elevators, and escalators, but mostly lots of stairs connecting the levels – I can’t imagine it would be up to code today. There are photos of the interior, but you can’t get a sense of what it was like from them. Very early 70’s vibe, almost sci-fi, like someone’s idea of a mall in the not to distant future. I think the levels were more an artifact of a certain kind of brutalist influence than an intentional attempt to keep people lost (that kind of complexity is seen, e.g., in Habitat 67 or UQAM), but that intention is certainly on display in its replacement and other malls.
As to the new foot court, thank god someone is filling the need for more Thai Express and Subway, so that I don’t need to walk more than 50 meters to acquire enough sodium to make Lake Erie into an inland sea.
Kate 10:17 on 2026-02-25 Permalink
bob, you’re right about the triangular form. I dislike architecture that uses 60° angles – I always feel uneasy taking the stairs at de Castelnau metro, because they’re angled like that, and the stairs at one of the entrances to St‑Henri metro are similar. Bad feng shui?
Blork 11:15 on 2026-02-25 Permalink
This is not a reliable memory, but I recall Les Terrasses as being very cavernous and dark, with no natural light (no windows) as if the entire thing were underground. Was it really like that, or is my memory distorting over time?
Joey 12:01 on 2026-02-25 Permalink
Sounds a bit like the random half-levels and staircases to nowhere in the Cours Mont-Royal…
Blork 12:13 on 2026-02-25 Permalink
BTW, mare, the only genderless washroom I’m aware of in the Eaton Centre is the one by the Time Out market over on the (former) Les Ailes side. You go up the escalator to Time Out and then go ahead and to the right (1:00 if you think of straight ahead as 12:00).
Speaking of gender, washrooms, and Dutch, a number of years ago I went to the men’s room at Schiphol airport and was quietly standing at one of a line of urinals doing my business when a woman with a mop and bucket on wheels came around the corner. She proceeded to mop the floor, including around and between my feet while I was still whizzing. It was a bit intrusive, but I thought “they’re Dutch, this is normal.” 🙂