Montreal smoked meat is beef brisket cured with a peppery spice blend, smoked, steamed until tender and hand-sliced onto rye with yellow mustard.
Brought by Romanian and Eastern European Jewish immigrants, smoked meat became a Montreal institution through delis like Schwartz's, which opened on Boulevard Saint-Laurent in 1928. Unlike pastrami, Montreal smoked meat uses more black pepper and less sugar in the cure. It is still cured for about a week, smoked, then steamed and carved by hand to order.
3 editor picks for Montreal smoked meat in Montreal, ranked by editorial score. All Montreal signature dishes · Montreal smoked meat across every city.
Schwartz's Deli ★ 4.9
plateau · 3895 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2W 1X9
Schwartz's has hand-sliced Montreal smoked meat on Saint-Laurent since 1928, the city's most famous deli and a permanent queue on the Plateau.
Wilensky's Light Lunch ★ 4.5
mile-end · 34 Avenue Fairmount Ouest, Montreal, QC H2T 2M1
Wilensky's is a nine-stool Mile End counter open since 1932, serving the fried bologna-and-salami Special exactly as it did in Mordecai Richler's novels.
Lester's Deli ★ 4.1
outremont · 1057 Avenue Bernard, Outremont, QC H2V 1V1
Lester's is the Outremont deli locals send you to when the Schwartz's line is too long, smoking its own brisket on Avenue Bernard since 1951.