Had to leave a review so I don’t forget this place! It was truly a hidden gem. Delicious combo meat sandwich and matzah ball soup for my husband and I. Fantastic server, fast service, and kind customers around. Will come back every time we’re in Montreal! Thanks for a great experience!
Megan Hoy
After reading about the top spots for a Montreal smoked meat sandwich, I decided that I wanted to try the Main deli. I am sooooo glad that I did because the food and service were excellent.Our waitress was extremely friendly, cheerful, and went over the menu with us when we told her it was our first time. She treated every table the same and definetely made the dining experience a good one from the start.We ordered a combo and an extra smoked meat sandwich to share between two, and it was a good amount for dinner. The combo (~$22) includes a sandwich, pickle, coleslaw, fries, and drink. We subbed the fries for poutine and it was delicious. I really enjoyed the coleslaw as it wasn't overly creamy like many other places, but more on the vingarette side. For the sandwiches we did one with medium meat and the other medium-fat. Both were loaded with meat which was flavourful and tender. There was the perfect amount of mustard added and it wasn't overpowering.Would recommend the Main for a good diner atomosphere sit in for an awesome smoked meat sandwich and service. The menu has a lot of offerings, so I can't wait to try more the next time I'm in Montreal!
Ivan Cohene
Delicious smoked meat sandwich with great service. Ordered medium fat and came as expected with home made fries, coleslaw and pickle. The meat was juicy and tender. The sandwiches are always consistently excellent. never disappointed.
Honest Reviews
The smoke meat sandwich is alright.The service is good.The meat is tender and soft but not well seasoned . The bread is plain and it can be grilled for a tastier sandwich$12.75 for a sandwich.The fries are below average.
Clair W.
Came here 10 years ago as a date, today I came here today with kids, we love this place! Schwartz's is for tourist, and this is for local as recommended by our Montreal friend. No point of lining up for 1hr to get a takeout. The lady is as friendly as usual, they have great smoked meat, onion soup, and poutine. They are very generous with cheese for the onion soup, omg.. I feel like I'm heaven! For the smoked meat sandwiches, she gave me a medium fat, the fat melts in my mouth. Oh we also ordered smoked meat to go, they offered vacuum sealed for extra $1. Highly recommend! Will definitely be back, but hopefully don't need to wait for another 10 years lol
Michael K.
Worst smoked in the world. Steak was horrible. French fries were ok. Cole slaw was ok. Place was dingy and an welcoming Server was efficient.
Kate A.
Please skip the line across the street and head here immediately! The staff are lovely and the smoked meat is so so good. It was flavorful, fatty and melted in our mouths. We got ours to go (there are many parks and street spaces to sit at) but there is a decent amount of space inside to sit.
Mary O.
Great food and service. The smoked meat sandwich is generous and the pastrami lean and tasty. The coleslaw is fabulous. Order a solo side. You will want a big plate! The pecan pie was excellent. A bit of cinnamon made it unique. Our server was a delight. Skip Schwartz's. Come where Leonard Cohen ate.
omary51
The deli where favorite son Leonard Cohen ate is great. The smoked meat sandwiches were loaded with lean, tasty pastrami. The coleslaw is fabulous! Order it as a side so you get a big plateful. Really yummy. The pecan pie was very good with a hint of cinnamon to make it a bit different. The service was great. Skip Schwartz’s and come here.
Pejman Azimi
A fantastic place for that classic Montreal smoked meat.The same great taste as that place across the street without the intense line up especially in the summer heat.A cute little diner with those exact old school diner vibes you're looking for. The place is clean but wears its history as a badge of honour.I would highly recommend the above, as well as the roast beef sandwich (maybe the best in the city) and the fantastically delectable soupe à l'oignon gratinée (French onion soup). Great cheese, great flavour; as a purveyor of French onion soups, I cannot deny its high spot in the rankings.Price is pretty decent. Expect about $5-$7 for soups and salads, $12-$15 for your sandwich depending on if you get pickles (hint: get pickles), and maybe even get some extra bread to halve the meat as they certainly pile it on.It might look small when they bring it but you'll need a nap after as your brain enters the Pure Digestion Zone.
In my opinion, this is the best Hebrew deli in Montreal.It has a great vintage feel that reminds me of my Babcia’s place.In addition, the French fries are easily the best I’ve had anywhere, and the laktes are nicely crisp and served piping hot.They even serve beer, and are not overcrowded like Schwartz’s!The coleslaw is very tasty and the kosher pickles are perfect.The service is... old school deli. They definitely don’t waste any time at this place.
Mikey
When visiting Montréal deli shops, Main Deli is among the originals. It is often compared to Schwartz as it’s directly across the street! A difference is there’s no wait time here while lineups are outside Schwartz due to the latter’s popularity, and perhaps Main’s larger interior.Beef briskets are soaked in a salt brine cure, then smoked & steamed for that smokiness in the tender meat. Our meat sandwich ($12.75) at Main’s was a little more lean compared to Schwartz’s yet still juicy, with a strong seasoning flavour from the Montréal spice rub. My wife was a fan of smoked meat, so we also ordered 1 lb ($22.95) for our return home.Opened since 1974, Main Deli’s diner decor is dimly lit yet colourful, including its fun tacky ceilings. The deli has a nostalgic vibe with tributes to frequent guest Leonard Cohen, and the same employees as its documentary from years ago!
Mike H.
When visiting Montréal deli shops, Main Deli is among the originals. It is often compared to Schwartz as it's directly across the street! A difference is there's no wait time here while lineups are outside Schwartz due to its popularity, and perhaps Main's larger interior. For smoked meat, beef briskets are soaked in a salt brine cure, then smoked & steamed for that smokiness in the tender meat. Our meat sandwich ($12.75) with mustard & rye bread was a little more lean compared to Schwartz's yet still juicy, with a strong seasoning flavour from the Montréal spice rub. My wife was a fan, so we ordered 1 lb ($22.95) for our return. Opened since 1974, Main Deli's diner decor is dimly lit yet colourful, including its fun tacky ceilings. The deli has a nostalgic vibe with tributes to frequent guest Leonard Cohen, and the same employees as in its documentary (Birth of the Smoked Meat) from years ago!
Kabir de Leeuw
There are often lines across the street, but this place is wonderful and more relaxed. A friend once stalked Leonard Cohen here.
Arash Shahryari
We tried this Restaurent to compare to the other smoke meats and judge it fairly. The purine was not good, the fries were a bit hard and it was just too salty. The smoked meat was also a bit bland (missing pepper and more spiciness) and the portion could be bigger for the price. I honestly was hoping to be blown away by the quality so that I would always return here but it just wasn’t the day I guess. The waitress was helpful and good. Overall I may not return to this Restaurent if I have other options.
Had to leave a review so I don’t forget this place! It was truly a hidden gem. Delicious combo meat sandwich and matzah ball soup for my husband and I. Fantastic server, fast service, and kind customers around. Will come back every time we’re in Montreal! Thanks for a great experience!
After reading about the top spots for a Montreal smoked meat sandwich, I decided that I wanted to try the Main deli. I am sooooo glad that I did because the food and service were excellent.Our waitress was extremely friendly, cheerful, and went over the menu with us when we told her it was our first time. She treated every table the same and definetely made the dining experience a good one from the start.We ordered a combo and an extra smoked meat sandwich to share between two, and it was a good amount for dinner. The combo (~$22) includes a sandwich, pickle, coleslaw, fries, and drink. We subbed the fries for poutine and it was delicious. I really enjoyed the coleslaw as it wasn't overly creamy like many other places, but more on the vingarette side. For the sandwiches we did one with medium meat and the other medium-fat. Both were loaded with meat which was flavourful and tender. There was the perfect amount of mustard added and it wasn't overpowering.Would recommend the Main for a good diner atomosphere sit in for an awesome smoked meat sandwich and service. The menu has a lot of offerings, so I can't wait to try more the next time I'm in Montreal!
Delicious smoked meat sandwich with great service. Ordered medium fat and came as expected with home made fries, coleslaw and pickle. The meat was juicy and tender. The sandwiches are always consistently excellent. never disappointed.
The smoke meat sandwich is alright.The service is good.The meat is tender and soft but not well seasoned . The bread is plain and it can be grilled for a tastier sandwich$12.75 for a sandwich.The fries are below average.
Came here 10 years ago as a date, today I came here today with kids, we love this place! Schwartz's is for tourist, and this is for local as recommended by our Montreal friend. No point of lining up for 1hr to get a takeout. The lady is as friendly as usual, they have great smoked meat, onion soup, and poutine. They are very generous with cheese for the onion soup, omg.. I feel like I'm heaven! For the smoked meat sandwiches, she gave me a medium fat, the fat melts in my mouth. Oh we also ordered smoked meat to go, they offered vacuum sealed for extra $1. Highly recommend! Will definitely be back, but hopefully don't need to wait for another 10 years lol
Worst smoked in the world. Steak was horrible. French fries were ok. Cole slaw was ok. Place was dingy and an welcoming Server was efficient.
Please skip the line across the street and head here immediately! The staff are lovely and the smoked meat is so so good. It was flavorful, fatty and melted in our mouths. We got ours to go (there are many parks and street spaces to sit at) but there is a decent amount of space inside to sit.
Great food and service. The smoked meat sandwich is generous and the pastrami lean and tasty. The coleslaw is fabulous. Order a solo side. You will want a big plate! The pecan pie was excellent. A bit of cinnamon made it unique. Our server was a delight. Skip Schwartz's. Come where Leonard Cohen ate.
The deli where favorite son Leonard Cohen ate is great. The smoked meat sandwiches were loaded with lean, tasty pastrami. The coleslaw is fabulous! Order it as a side so you get a big plateful. Really yummy. The pecan pie was very good with a hint of cinnamon to make it a bit different. The service was great. Skip Schwartz’s and come here.
A fantastic place for that classic Montreal smoked meat.The same great taste as that place across the street without the intense line up especially in the summer heat.A cute little diner with those exact old school diner vibes you're looking for. The place is clean but wears its history as a badge of honour.I would highly recommend the above, as well as the roast beef sandwich (maybe the best in the city) and the fantastically delectable soupe à l'oignon gratinée (French onion soup). Great cheese, great flavour; as a purveyor of French onion soups, I cannot deny its high spot in the rankings.Price is pretty decent. Expect about $5-$7 for soups and salads, $12-$15 for your sandwich depending on if you get pickles (hint: get pickles), and maybe even get some extra bread to halve the meat as they certainly pile it on.It might look small when they bring it but you'll need a nap after as your brain enters the Pure Digestion Zone.
Restaurantji Recommends
In my opinion, this is the best Hebrew deli in Montreal.It has a great vintage feel that reminds me of my Babcia’s place.In addition, the French fries are easily the best I’ve had anywhere, and the laktes are nicely crisp and served piping hot.They even serve beer, and are not overcrowded like Schwartz’s!The coleslaw is very tasty and the kosher pickles are perfect.The service is... old school deli. They definitely don’t waste any time at this place.
When visiting Montréal deli shops, Main Deli is among the originals. It is often compared to Schwartz as it’s directly across the street! A difference is there’s no wait time here while lineups are outside Schwartz due to the latter’s popularity, and perhaps Main’s larger interior.Beef briskets are soaked in a salt brine cure, then smoked & steamed for that smokiness in the tender meat. Our meat sandwich ($12.75) at Main’s was a little more lean compared to Schwartz’s yet still juicy, with a strong seasoning flavour from the Montréal spice rub. My wife was a fan of smoked meat, so we also ordered 1 lb ($22.95) for our return home.Opened since 1974, Main Deli’s diner decor is dimly lit yet colourful, including its fun tacky ceilings. The deli has a nostalgic vibe with tributes to frequent guest Leonard Cohen, and the same employees as its documentary from years ago!
When visiting Montréal deli shops, Main Deli is among the originals. It is often compared to Schwartz as it's directly across the street! A difference is there's no wait time here while lineups are outside Schwartz due to its popularity, and perhaps Main's larger interior. For smoked meat, beef briskets are soaked in a salt brine cure, then smoked & steamed for that smokiness in the tender meat. Our meat sandwich ($12.75) with mustard & rye bread was a little more lean compared to Schwartz's yet still juicy, with a strong seasoning flavour from the Montréal spice rub. My wife was a fan, so we ordered 1 lb ($22.95) for our return. Opened since 1974, Main Deli's diner decor is dimly lit yet colourful, including its fun tacky ceilings. The deli has a nostalgic vibe with tributes to frequent guest Leonard Cohen, and the same employees as in its documentary (Birth of the Smoked Meat) from years ago!
There are often lines across the street, but this place is wonderful and more relaxed. A friend once stalked Leonard Cohen here.
We tried this Restaurent to compare to the other smoke meats and judge it fairly. The purine was not good, the fries were a bit hard and it was just too salty. The smoked meat was also a bit bland (missing pepper and more spiciness) and the portion could be bigger for the price. I honestly was hoping to be blown away by the quality so that I would always return here but it just wasn’t the day I guess. The waitress was helpful and good. Overall I may not return to this Restaurent if I have other options.