Montreal's Portuguese charcoal chicken is butterflied, marinated and grilled over hot coals, then basted in garlicky piri-piri, a Portuguese-community legacy.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Portuguese immigrants settled around the Plateau and Saint-Louis from the 1950s, bringing charcoal-grilled frango and piri-piri sauce. Rotisseries like Romados and Ma Poule Mouillee near Rue Rachel turned churrasco chicken into a Montreal staple, served with fries, rice and hot sauce to long weekend lines.
Tip from the editors. Butterflying the bird keeps it flat over the coals so it cooks evenly and picks up maximum smoke.
Ma Poule Mouillee delivers a big plate of charcoal Portuguese chicken and fries for cheap on Rue Rachel in Montreal, a filling Plateau meal on a small budget.
Try: Portuguese chicken
Tip: A half chicken feeds one generously; the chicken poutine is the indulgent-but-still-cheap upgrade.
Romados serves a big plate of charcoal Portuguese chicken and fries for cheap on Rue Rachel in Montreal, one of the Plateau's best-value filling meals.
Try: Portuguese charcoal chicken
Tip: A half chicken with fries feeds one generously; the custard tarts are a cheap sweet finish.
Why locals love it: A 1944 charcoal-chicken rotisserie in NDG frozen in mid-century decor, off the radar for downtown visitors but a lifelong ritual for west-end locals.
Tip: Dine in for the untouched retro room; the quarter chicken with gravy fries is the only order you need.
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