The Best Casse-Croûtes in Québec: Our Favourites
Tastet has put together a list of suggested addresses full of Québécois flavours: the best casse-croûtes in Quebec!
Any definition of the national cuisine served at the best casse-croûtes in Quebec would without a doubt be incomplete without the words poutine, smoked meat or steamed hot dogs.
Whether you consider yourself a picky eater or not, we all enjoy a good, typically Québécois casse-croûte meal from time to time, especially from the best casse-croûtes in Quebec. Savoured in the dining room or on the side of the road, these simple (but oh so tasty!) meals are often synonymous with vacations, family moments, comfort or simply pure gourmand pleasure.
In this list of the best casse-croûtes in Quebec, you’ll find a wide range of addresses to satisfy any craving for poutine and hot dogs! Whether you want to discover an address near you or plan a gourmand stop on your next road trip, this list will have you exploring addresses full of Québécois flavours. From Pont-Rouge to Gatineau and from Trois-Pistoles to Gaspé, these casse-croûtes are spread across Quebec, so you can discover the many corners of our beautiful province, and its best cheese curds!
This list is by no means exhaustive – there are far too many excellent casse-croûtes in Quebec to name them all! – so don’t hesitate to suggest your favourite addresses.
We hope you discover the best casse-croûtes in Quebec, full of local flavours!
Our List of the Best Casse-Croûtes in Quebec
Outaouais
Pataterie Hulloise — Hull — This true potato shack is a very busy snack bar in Hull! In a lively, colourful atmosphere, the place is known for serving tasty, generous poutines, whether classic or built with the ingredients of your choice!
Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Chez Morasse — Rouyn-Noranda — Open since 1969, Chez Morasse claims to serve the best poutine in the world! You’ll find several variations on this specialty, including one with pogos and another with pâté chinois (!). The restaurant is also great for a late-night stop, since it’s open until 3 a.m.
Lanaudière
Casseau du Quai — St-Sulpice —With its stunning view of the St. Lawrence River, Casseau du Quai cooks up one of the best poutines in the region. Annie and Mike, the owners, always offer a welcoming service.
Montréal
Chez Tousignant — Petite Italie —Having quickly become an essential casse-croûte in Montreal, Chez Tousignant serves one of the best burgers in town as well as several revisited casse-croûte dishes! The establishment is one of our favourite addresses in Montreal..
Paulo et Suzanne — Cartierville — Open since 1980, Paulo et Suzanne is a good Québécois snack bar just the way we like them! The place is as warm as can be, and offers some of the best fries and burgers in town.
Paul Patates — Pointe-Saint-Charles — Open since 1958, Paul Patates is a Pointe-Saint-Charles institution. Here, the watchwords are freshness and quality. Among all its excellent casse-croûte dishes, people come here above all for its excellent steamies, succulent fries and tasty poutines.
Patati Patata — Plateau — Patati Patata is a charming “Friterie de Luxe” in Montreal that has been around since 1996! Don’t be fooled by the tiny space; this legendary address serves one of the best poutines in the city.
Gibeau Orange Julep — NDG — Open since 1930, the Orange Julep is a Montreal landmark. Head over to try their famous orange juice, a Michigan hot dog, a burger, a poutine or a breakfast plate!
Montréal Pool Room — Quartier des spectacles — A legendary spot that seems to have been around forever (1912!). A casse-croûte frozen in time, just the way we like them. You don’t come here for the decor, but for a moutarde-choux and a poutine, devoured standing at the counter, preferably after the bars close in the early hours of the morning (it’s open until 4 a.m.!)
Greenspot — Saint-Henri —A classic among classics, the Greenspot is an iconic Saint-Henri institution. Often imitated but never equalled (who remembers the Green Stop, which had set up shop right across the street!), it’s still one of our favourite places in Montreal for a good hot dog, a smoked meat or a hearty breakfast plate.
Chez Ma Tante — Montréal-Nord — Chez Ma Tante is a historic Montréal monument, and the legacy it began in 1929 lives on. “Ma Tante” — Auntie — is real: her name is Marguerite, and she’s your Auntie too. Order a hot dog and it arrives just the way Marguerite served it: steamed, and with a warm smile.
Montérégie
Restaurant Grégoire — Ville Mercier — Open since 1945, Restaurant Grégoire et fils is a landmark in Mercier. People come for an excellent poutine (their specialty) and a first-rate smoked meat.
Cantine La Fringale — McMasterville — Every summer, Cantine La Fringale draws its share of well-known Québec faces. Its reputation is long since made, and the burger is the reason.
Chez Dave et Dan — Saint-Liboire — A seasonal canteen the people of Saint-Liboire flock to. Everything here is generous and gleefully over-the-top — a well-known address worth the detour for the classics of the Québec table.
Patate Mallette — Beauharnois —This typically Québécois casse-croûte has been going strong since 1956! The hamburgers here are very good.
Cantine Hurteau — Sorel-Tracy — Cantine Hurteau is a local fixture in Sorel-Tracy. This small spot puts out well-executed snack-bar classics, and like so many addresses on this list, the poutine is what its regulars love.
La Frite à Brigitte — Vaudreuil-Dorion — This place radiates authenticity and a real love of the fry. Behind it is Brigitte Leblanc, who brings more than 40 years in the business.
Restaurant Votre Maison — Longueuil — Votre Maison leans on homemade casse-croûte classics, but also on Greek dishes like spit-roasted gyros. It has built a solid reputation on the South Shore, carried by a generous poutine with plenty of sauce and cheese, just the way we like it.
Estrie
La Cantine — Ascot Corner — The menu is exhaustive and very impressive. You’ll certainly have a hard time making up your mind. On the board: several signature poutines, mac and cheese, pizzas, hamburgers, fried pickles and more!
Chez Ben on s’bourre la bédaine — Granby — It all started in 1950, when Bernard “Ben” Dubé was cooking canteen fare out of his own trailer. Chez Ben caught on fast and became a Granby icon. Come for fresh, tasty snack-bar plates and a good soft-serve ice cream.
Chez Louis — Sherbrooke — It began with a mobile canteen in the 1940s, then a first restaurant at the foot of the Aylmer bridge in 1949, since demolished. Louis Luncheonette now has three addresses: on King Ouest, downtown, and on King Est. Le Gros Louis is a house classic, as is the poutine — and the greasy-spoon breakfasts are well worth it too.
La Friterie — Sherbrooke — A gloriously retro room, an excellent poutine, and great milkshakes: it’s hard not to fall for La Friterie, on rue Bourque in Deauville for more than 40 years. A mandatory stop if you roll into Sherbrooke on Autoroute 10. (To find it on Google Maps, search “Friterie 1995.”)
Centre-du-Québec
Le Roy Jucep — Drummondville — Open since 1964, Le Roy Jucep bills itself as “the inventor of poutine.” A true Drummondville institution, you come for the retro atmosphere and to taste that famous homegrown specialty.
Fromagerie Lemaire — Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover et Saint-Germain-de-Grantham — What could be better than eating one of Québec’s best poutines while the staff make the cheese curds right in front of you? That’s exactly the experience at Fromagerie Lemaire’s two locations, whose dining rooms have big windows looking onto the cheese-making floor. Naturally, you leave with a fat bag of curds for the road.
Chaudières-Appalaches
Cantine Bolduc — Sainte-Marie — Open only in summer, Cantine Bolduc is a rolling canteen serving up succulent Québec classics. It’s known above all for its excellent fries and its good steamed hot dogs.
Québec
Casse-Croûte Chez Gaston — Saint-Roch — A few steps from L’ANTI Bar & Spectacles and open into the small hours on weekends, this is the spot you make for after a boozy night, to soak it up with the poutine Gaston (ground beef, bacon, and fried onions) or the “Incroyable” hot dog (bacon, yellow cheese, ketchup, and mayo).
Diner Saint-Sauveur — Saint-Sauveur — An excellent vintage-look diner with a deluxe snack-bar menu. You’ll want to try everything, starting with the Diner Burger (fried onions and bacon) and the decadent mac ‘n’ cheese with fried Brussels sprouts, torch-flambéed at the table. Two blocks over, the Supérette du Diner stocks local beers, ciders, and wines.
La Baraque À Frites — Saint-Sauveur — Originally set up in the window of Les Salles Gosses in Saint-Roch, La Baraque à Frites now stands on its own in a former Saint-Sauveur canteen. The fried chicken is the obvious draw, but the poutines and burgers are worth the trip too.
Restaurant Hector — Québec — Since 1952, “Gros Hector” has prided itself on fast food made with quality ingredients. The house specialty is the pain à la viande, a hot dog topped with seasoned ground meat from a recipe jealously guarded from one generation to the next.
Ashton — L’Ancienne-Lorette — You can’t talk about the best casse-croûtes in Québec without a nod to the famous Ashton. This one — already part of history — is the very first restaurant in the chain, opened in 1976 by Ashton Leblond, right across from the potato trailer that first made his name.
Chez Mag, La Fine Cantine — Île d’Orléans — The fame of the lobster guédille at the casse-croûte Chez Mag extends far beyond the region. Or maybe you’ll be tempted by the equally decadent lobster poutine or a gourmet burger? Either way, you won’t be disappointed!
Resto du Sud — Île d’Orléans — A classic casse-croûte in a picturesque red-roofed cabin perched on a hill above the river. We recommend the poutine Filles de l’île, with cheddar from the Île d’Orléans cheesemaker and a peppery sauce.
Le Shack à Patates — Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges — A tasty regional casse-croûte with a gourmet streak and a nice selection of microbrews. Beyond the usual classics, the young, energetic team runs richer daily specials — oyster-mushroom, mozzarella and tomato pizza, ramen, and the like. A fine place to refuel after a day of skiing at Mont-Sainte-Anne.
Casse-croûte chez Micheline — Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures — You can eat at every one of the province’s grandest restaurants and still keep a soft spot for the roadside canteen. On the edge of Route 138, in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Chez Micheline is a textbook example of the pataterie we love. Go for the Interburger — a cheeseburger with onion rings and cheese curds — and the poutine, of course.
Casse-croûte du Vieux Moulin — Pont-Rouge — This seasonal spot is a Pont-Rouge institution. Hugely popular with its regulars, its excellent poutine (loaded with cheese curds) has won over a devoted crowd of locals and passers-through alike.
Casse-croûte Ti-Oui — Saint-Raymond — Casse-croûte Ti-Oui in Saint-Raymond is known for its excellent poutine and its very good chicken. The warm little spot also runs a dairy bar in summer.
Charlevoix
Casse-Croûte aux 4 vents — Baie-Saint-Paul — Open since 1972, this casse-croûte is one of a kind. Inside a mini trailer at a gas station sits one of the most popular casse-croûtes in the region. Killer cheeseburger, tasty poutine, pogos, hot dogs, etc. All to be savoured in the trailer for a truly unique experience!
Chez Chantal — La Malbaie — We’re talking about a legendary casse-croûte of the province! Located along the river, you can feast on ice cream, hot dogs, club sandwiches and more, with a breathtaking view. Seafood lovers take note: the lobster guédille and lobster poutine are essentials here!
Casse-Croûte Chez Ginette — Saint-Irénée — With its cheerfully colourful storefront and a lifeguard statue keeping watch over swimmers from her perch, it’s hard to drive past — which would be a shame, because Chez Ginette has everything to please snack-bar fans, plus excellent lobster and northern-shrimp rolls. What more could you ask for?
Mauricie
Casse-Croute La Florida — Batiscan — Sitting between Montréal and Québec City, this casse-croûte is a required stop if you’re on Route 138. It’s well worth pulling over for a decadent, American-leaning menu: sloppy joe, New York-style hot dog, burger, poutine — there’s something for everyone. Then satisfy your sweet tooth with the generous desserts: sundae, milkshake, ice cream sandwich, banana split, and more.
Côte-Nord
Cantine Armande — Chute-aux-Outardes — In Chute-aux-Outardes, Cantine Armande has earned a faithful following for its burgers and homemade poutines. Simple and classic, it’s loved for its easygoing atmosphere and the sheer generosity of the plates.
Bas-Saint-Laurent
Cantine d’Amours — Trois-Pistoles — In Trois-Pistoles, Cantine d’Amours is known for its excellent cheeseburgers and its very good poutine. One to try if you’re passing through.
Grand’Ourse — Kamouraska — Formerly Pataterie Mamie, this one-of-a-kind pataterie has plenty of charm. The friendly owners serve reworked canteen dishes with a gourmet touch, showcasing the excellence of local products — lobster, bison, regional cheeses. A superb address to discover.
Cantine de la Gare — Rimouski — This Rimouski address serves very good snack-bar plates in a simple, convivial space. Its poutines, available in a whole range of flavours, are what built its name.
Cantine Ste-Flavie — Sainte-Flavie — At the gateway to the Gaspé, Cantine Sainte-Flavie is a riverside stop for a good roadside bite. You pull over for the view, the warm welcome, and above all the famous northern-shrimp poutine, a house classic.
Gaspésie
Chez Cathy — Rivière-au-Renard — Chez Cathy keeps alive a tradition that has become rare in Québec: carhop service (yes, really). Locals prize it for a succulent poutine that stands out for the quality and freshness of its ingredients. A classic to discover in the Gaspé.
Mazmelle Maria — Maria — This casse-croûte in the small municipality of Maria is a perfect place to fill up on excellent Québec classics. Beyond its good fries, poutines, and burgers, it also offers regional specialties like lobster roll, fish soup, and lobster club.
