Portuguese$$plateauMon-Sun 10:00-21:00
Romados is a Portuguese rotisserie and bakery on Rue Rachel in Montreal, drawing daily lines for its charcoal piri-piri chicken and custard tarts.
Order: A charcoal chicken with spicy sauce, plus a pastel de nata for dessert.
Tip: Order the chicken and a couple of natas together; the queue at noon is worth beating early.
Rotisserie$$ndgMon-Sun 11:00-22:00
Chalet BBQ has roasted hardwood-charcoal chicken in NDG since 1944, an unchanged Montreal rotisserie whose quarter-chicken and gravy fries define the genre.
Order: A quarter chicken with fries and the house barbecue dipping sauce.
Tip: The room looks frozen in the 1960s on purpose; dine in for the full retro rotisserie experience.
Chinese$$downtownMon-Sun 11:00-21:00
Nouilles de Lan Zhou hand-pulls its noodles to order in Montreal's Chinatown, the dough stretched at the window over bowls of cumin-spiced beef broth.
Order: Hand-pulled beef noodle soup, watched being stretched at the counter.
Tip: Ask for your noodles thin or wide when you order; the beef soup is the one to get.
Japanese$$plateauTue-Fri 11:00-22:00; Sat-Sun 16:00-22:00
Tri Express is chef Tri Du's cramped, joyful sushi counter on Laurier Est in Montreal, a Plateau favourite for inventive maki eaten elbow to elbow.
Order: Whatever the chef sends out; the omakase-style specials beat the menu.
Tip: The space is tiny and cash-friendly; go early or expect to wait for one of the few seats.
Chinese$$downtownMon-Sun 11:00-21:30
Qing Hua fills its soup dumplings by hand in Montreal's Chinatown, a bustling counter where the pork-and-crab xiao long bao arrive by the steaming dozen.
Order: A dozen pork and crab soup dumplings, plus the coriander ones.
Tip: Order fewer dumplings than you think; a dozen each is plenty and they come out fast.
Indian$$parc-extensionMon-Sat 11:00-22:00; Sun 11:00-21:00
Bombay Mahal is the roaring BYOB Indian canteen of Parc-Extension in Montreal, plating fiery South Asian classics to crowds who bring their own beer.
Order: The butter chicken and a plate of pani puri, with a bottle you brought.
Tip: It is bring-your-own-wine and cash-friendly; grab beer from the depanneur next door first.