Schwartz's is the most famous deli in Canada — a narrow, no-frills smoked meat shop on The Main that has been hand-smoking, hand-cutting, and hand-serving Montreal's signature sandwich since 1928. The queue that forms outside every day, rain or snow, is not a tourist phenomenon but a daily reality — Montrealers have been standing in this line for nearly a century, and the fact that the wait rarely discourages them says everything about the quality.
Montreal smoked meat is similar to but distinct from New York pastrami — both are cured beef briskets, but Montreal's version uses a different spice rub (heavy on coriander and black pepper), is smoked longer, and is steamed before slicing. Schwartz's version, piled high on rye bread with yellow mustard, is the canonical expression — the meat is fatty, tender, intensely spiced, and sliced by hand in thick, irregular slices that have more character than machine-cut precision. The correct order is smoked meat on rye, medium fat, with a pickle and a cherry cola.
The restaurant itself is a single room with communal tables, fluorescent lighting, and the kind of brusque service that New Yorkers will find familiar and everyone else will find either charming or rude depending on their tolerance for being told to sit down and order. There is no menu board — the offerings are smoked meat (sandwich or plate), fries, coleslaw, pickles, and drinks. The simplicity is the point. Schwartz's does one thing, has done it since 1928, and the queue outside confirms that doing one thing exceptionally well is a viable business model.
Verified Facts
Schwartz's has been operating since 1928
Montreal smoked meat differs from New York pastrami in its spice rub and smoking process
The restaurant is located on Boulevard Saint-Laurent
The meat is hand-cut rather than machine-sliced
Get walking directions
3895 Boul St-Laurent, Little Portugal, Montréal, H2W 1K4, Canada
