Lightning fast and outstanding service. The staff was approachable and so friendly. Thank you for making my first foodie experience in Montreal one to remember. The food was absolutely delicious too! Cannot wait to come back!
Great deli with friendly service and excellent smoked meat, latkas, chopped liver, and matzah ball soup!
I went to Main Deli just prior to the new normal.
They have a compact menu and a cheerful staff serving excellent Smoked meat sandwich (meat is very juicy and well cured) and Jewish Latka with sour cream. You cannot escape this heavenly abode in Montreal. Highly recommended.
The smoked meat was tender and very tasty! Portions were generous and service was attentive. They have a very nice patio out front and was an excellent place to dine on a summer evening. I have eaten at the deli across the street that is more famous and almost always lined up out the door. In all honesty, I think the smoked meat at Main Dei actually better.
I was by myself on Monday evening and I had a car, so I headed to the Plateau for some dinner. I had already been to Schwartz's Deli a few years ago, so I decided to give Main Deli a try. It's interesting that they are across the street from each other. Although the decor looks a bit tired, the food and service were very good.
I ordered the Super Special, which is a smoked meat sandwich with fries, cole slaw, pickle and pop/coffee. I requested lean meat, and was asked to pick from medium lean, lean, very lean and extra lean. I chose lean. :) While it was a bit dry, this is what I expected from a lean cut, so it worked for me. With mustard and a drink, it went down fine.
I wanted poutine and my date wanted a smoked meat sandwich. He said "I know a good place" and when i saw the line up at Schwartz's I said "I hope that's not it". He said most people would indeed line up for who knows how long at Schwartz's but Main Deli Steak House across the street is just as good. There was no wait and a lovely table waiting for us on the patio. My poutine was excellent and his smoked meat sandwich was gone by the time I looked up from my plate! Service was super friendly and it was just such an effortless easy late afternoon meal.
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4.5/5 for Main Delicatessen and Steakhouse. If you ask Montrealers where the best smoked meat in town can be found most people will tell you that it's not at Schwartz's, shattering everything that you've believed to be true. Yet night after night, Schwartz's is lined up down the block... Probably mainly with tourists. Don't get me wrong, you've gotta eat at Schwartz's at least once, given the institution that it is. But once you've taken care of that you may be interested in trying some of the other famous (possibly better) smoked meat joints in town. Because there are others. For example, Main Deli and Steakhouse, located directly across the street from Schwartz's, right within glaring distance. Certainly not open for as long, this place came to be in 1974 and have been perfecting smoked meat ever since. They certainly must have had confidence in their product to open shop directly across from the city's biggest heavy-hitter... And they've stayed open.
I first heard about the Main on the first season of You Gotta Eat Here! and in Cult MTL's Student Survival Guide 2014-2015, naming it as one of the best places for Late Night eats. We showed up on a Saturday night and easily seated ourselves into a cozy booth made for two. The place isn't very large and they offer much more comfortable seating then their counterpart across the street. You'll find plenty of smoked meat on display in the shop window, laid out in huge burgundy blocks, as is typical with these types of places. The room is decidedly diner-esque, with accolades on the walls and a general homey feeling. Our friendly young server was prompt and helpful, taking our entire order down and delivering it shortly afterward. One thing is for sure, the selection of food available is far greater than what you can get at Schwartz's. On top of smoked meat they offer a wide array of both Jewish and Quebecois specialties, making this the ultimate place for authentic regional comfort food.
When it comes to getting something to drink, there's usually only one acceptable choice in these places: a Black Cherry Soft Drink ($2.00). They LOVE this stuff in this province. It's like the "house wine" of most places. Normally you'll see the Cott brand and it tastes exactly like black cherry soda should.
All of our food came out in the order that it was ready, obviously, because it wasn't ordered in a very sensical 'appetizer,' 'main course' sort of way. First to arrive was the Smoked Meat Sandwich ($7.50) and Dill Pickles ($1.50). Starting off with the big guns blazing! We ordered the sandwich 'medium,' which is truly the best way to enjoy smoked meat. You need a little bit of fat to keep everything deliciously moist, creating the best flavours. We appreciated that our request was actually fulfilled when a perfectly medium sandwich was placed in front of us. (Across the street... These requests seem to fall on deaf ears as they simply bring you whatever cut they have going at the moment.) Served on rye bread with mustard and piled sky-high, this meaty stack looked exactly as a smoked meat sandwich should and it tasted even better. The years and years of perfection are evident in the perfectly spiced and smoked layers of brisket. The meat is juicy and tender, taking center stage, happily explaining "what all the fuss is about" with every single bite. I wouldn't call the flavour inherently different from what is being sold at Schwartz's, but I will say that more care was put into it. This place still has the time to care about their customers. The pickle was perfect too.
Next to arrive were the Potato Latkas ($2.50 each). These are served with your choice of sour cream or apple sauce, sour cream for me. What is a latka? It's a potato pancake. A staple of most European homes, you probably grew up with these if you're a first or second generation Canadian like I did. I'm pretty sure that I was raised on the draniki variety. The latkas at the Main however, are incredible! Probably the best that I've ever had! Not only is the potato mixture perfectly fluffy and balanced, but what it really comes down to is the exceptionally crispy and delicious fried outside. Golden to perfection! I would have to order one of these every single time because they are just too wonderful to miss out on.
Lastly, our Smoked Meat Poutine ($10.25) arrived, and it frankly doesn't get much more Quebecois than that. This poutine was done right with crisp double-fried fries, fresh cheese curds, and sauce (not to be confused with gravy). Smoked meat slabs were laid across the top. This was just as good as any poutine that I've had, but maybe the fries could have been in for just a moment longer. With everything else being so delicious, I would say that this was the most expendable thing that we had. But I mean, if you've got a hankerin' for the whole Quebec shebang on one plate, this is the way to go.
The Main also serves some pretty glorious homemade cakes, however none of the available varieties on this particular evening piqued our interest. I certainly do want to try a slice at some point! This place is doing smoked meat in a supremely wonderful way. Line up for 45 minutes across the street if you must... But just know that the whisperings of Montrealers are true: You'll have a much nicer experience elsewhere.
3 of 4 stars (good, casual dining).. (see explanation of ratings below)
This is virtually right across the street from the more famous tourist destination, Schwartz's. When we arrived, there was a line of would-be customers streaming out the door at Schwartz's, but no line and no waiting at Main.
About $10 per person, no dessert, gratuity not included.
Could use another server as just one finds herself a bit overwhelmed.
Great sandwiches.
About my ratings:
I divide restaurants into three categories.
1) fast food and "fast-casual" (low-priced, no table service).
2) casual, mid-priced dining (table service, average entrée price: $10-$20).
3) fine, high-end dining (linen napkins, no plastic cups, no TV's in dining room, average entrée priced at more than $20, can vary depending on the city).
Fine dining can earn a max of five stars. Casual dining can earn a max of four stars. Fast food can earn a max of three stars.
I loved my smoke meat sandwich. fries and coleslaw were delish. Wanted to try everything on the menu, lots of choices. Service is kinda slow, I guess cuz they don't have enough servers. Overall very happy I went. will def go back.
Great late-night spot on the Main. The smoked meat is miles better than the stuff you have to wait for across the street at Schwartz's, although still not as good as Lesters. A big advantage over Lesters, though, are the hours. This place is open late and on Sundays as well. Great sandwich and cole slaw! Friendly service. Unfortunately they don't chop up the smoked meat into the smoked meat poutine dish (just a few giant slices on top), so I'd opt for the sandwich if you're looking at the smoked meat options.
Better than Schwartz's. One of Montreal's best kept secrets is that the best smoked meat sandwich* is to be found not at the world-famous Schwartz's, but just across the street, at the Main. It's better seasoned and has a better texture.
The Main also has other items on the menu that shouldn't be missed. There is an entire section of charcoal-grilled meats -- the giant entrecote steak with smoked meat, which comes with cole slaw, a pickle, and an appetizer of a mini liver steak (!) and a weiner, is quite a feast. The ribs, which are served with a sticky maple-syrupy barbecue sauce, are also excellent.
What's more, the Main has good beer! Boreale Blonde and Rousse are both available on tap.
Good for very late dinners.
___
NOTE [added July 21st, 2013]
* I've revised my opinion. I now think Lesters has the best smoked meat, but I still like the Main for the other reasons mentioned in the review.
Delicious. I have Eatan at Shwartz deli before and this place by far is more superior with the flavour of their meet and their poutine! We even received a sample plate of their roast need with jus. Must eat here!
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