I read about this place's poutine (and hot dogs) in many articles. They're open late and since we happened to arrive late, we decided to get post-flight poutine. It's a very casual vibe and it's evident that they have been in business for a long time. Contrary to the name, there are no pool tables in the place. I had a hot dog toasté (hot dog with toasted bun and all the fixings) and we split a grande classique poutine. The fries were crispy and delicious, the cheese curds were melty, and the gravy was flavorful. And the hot dog was quite delicious too. Note that they only accept cash. read more

Cash only. Super casual. Montreal institution since 1912. Service was kind. Food was made to order. Fresh and hot. The fries were made from real potatoes (with skins!) and were very crispy. Really hit the spot at 12am when we arrived late at our hotel around the corner. read more

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Just a cool place that been around since 1912 always my stop when in Montreal nothing fancy just simple food FYI Cash only!

I get that this is a Montreal institution but the steamie wasn't that good. It's a steamed hot dog so not much flavor, and it comes with basic condiments that you get anywhere. Maybe as an American, I've been spoiled by too many delicious dogs in my life or maybe my problem was being sober and not eating this after a night out. Atleast the hot dogs are cheap. The interior isn't anything special either so you aren't missing out there. Cash only spot but they have an ATM inside. read more

Got recommended this place for poutine. Got to say it was pretty average. Generous size, but the fries were pretty soggy, and the gravy/ cheese was pretty tasteless. read more

Do not sleep on checking this place out! The poutine is divine! And get the steamies all dressed!!

Depuis 1912 ce resto a remplis les estomas de centaines de personnes ! L'ambiance est bonne et les hot dogs aussi. Since 1912 this restaurant had fills the stomachs of hundreds of peoples. Mood is good, hotdogs too. read more

Great greasy spoon spot for post drinking snacks! Came for the poutine, which was allegedly also a favorite of prime minister Justin Trudeau back in the day. Hot dogs are solid as well. Spacious indoor area and prices are quite reasonable. Came on a Sunday night and it was not too crowded, but it does get busy occasionally on the weekends. read more

Montreal Pool Room - Poutine - Comfort Food Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

Yelper N recommended Montreal Pool Room to us. Note that this place accepts cash only. I got a hotdog steamie and B got combo number 5 (2 hotdog toaste, a can pop and fries). The fries were soggy. The hotdog steamie was nothing special. It was basically a regular hotdog. All together $16.07. I feel like this place is an institutional place that has been around for a long time that they just get business because people just know about them. They are open late. As well, their food is inexpensive. I feel like their clientele are the night owls. We showed up around dinner time and they were not that busy. They have been around for over 100 years in business in the same location. read more

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We're not sure what a hot dog in an actual pool room would've tasted like 111 years ago but today they are pretty satisfying. Open until 4am its perfectly located for after hours munchies (which makes it taste better, obviously). Large hot dogs that are not overpriced for the location and convinence - we can understand why they've endured this long. (P.S. bring cash) read more

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I had never had Poutine before so I have nothing to compare Montreal Pool Room's poutine. Having said that, it was good. There was enough gravy, cheese, cheese curds and of course fries. Fries were a bit soggy. but the dish was served piping hot with gravy. No frills, late-night food spot. They had a variety of options on their menu but we were in the neighborhood and wanted to try poutine. TIP: Bring cash ! read more

Montreal Pool Room - Comfort Food Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

Unfriendly. No one at counter at 11am. Cash only. Sketchy area and interior is sterile. Give it a pass.

Awesome counter restaurant for delicious, authentic steamies (hotdogs), poutine, fries, etc., in a historic restaurant, in a historic part of town. Highly recommended for tourists & locals alike. read more

Montreal Pool Room - Steamies & poutine - Comfort Food Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

Joe and Betty average with hot dog being small and rather boring but it is a dog. Poutine was small and just okay.

This was a great spot to grab a easy late night meal and are conveniently opened really late. We had poutine, hot dogs, and a burger and they were all pretty good. We wanted to try poutine while in Canada and we stopped at the right place. The service was quick and the workers were really nice. They are a cash only establishment but if you don't have CAD they take USD at a 1:1 exchange and give you your change in CAD. The workers also speak English which was convenient for us. read more

Montreal Pool Room - Comfort Food Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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Have you been drinking all night after a 12 hour flight? Do you need a hot dog to fill that void in your life? Do you just like hot dogs and poutine at 3am? If you said yes to any of the following, have I got a place for you. Honestly, this place has the perfect vibe for you and your crew to stumble into late night and get some food. The fully dressed dog was good and almost tasted light due to the toppings. And then you throw in some serviceable poutine to counterbalance the lightness of the hot dog. Love the aesthetic, love the vibe, would def return for late nights eats. read more

Montreal Pool Room - Comfort Food Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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I had poutine which was recommended by fellow Yelp reviews. The dish was hot and after I tipped, the chef said he'll add more cheese curd to my poutine. However, one of the locals told me afterwards that I should have chosen hot dog over poutine at this place because it's more known for its hot dog. Remember that it's cash only so don't bring your debit or credit card. It's open late which is super convenient when I was working evening shift. read more

Over 30 years of visits to Montreal.. First visit to pool room, been around 100 years the sign said. No more pool tables, just two cooks and lots of hot dogs. I don't love hot dogs, but respect to one of the last remaining haunts in the (once) red light distinct.. the drugs, street workers, booths... all done and gone. Montreal pool room continues on... read more

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All the vibes.. and poutine.. thank you to the nice Russian man for his customer service.

Love a good Montréal steamer. Great French fries and hotdogs. Visited 2 times in a 5 day trip. Looking forward to returning

Highly recommend! This is a must have if you're looking for a local vibe and some great poutine. I got the cheeseburger and poutine and my husband got the hot dog and poutine. Sense a theme? The poutine was outrageous! So good. The burger was good enough - I ordered without pickles and it came with relish on it. I know they're not technically the same thing, but I would have liked it better without the relish. I wish I had known to order without. Now you know! My husband said the hot dog was one of the best he's had in his life. He got it fully loaded (which, as I understand, means mustard, diced onions, and relish). When we are in Montreal again, we will be returning! read more

Montreal Pool Room - Poutine and cheeseburger - delicious poutine! - Comfort Food Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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Very mediocre and overrated to tourists. Steamies are ok, but not much different than La Belle Province or Lafleur. Poutine is subpar, cheese curds aren't squeaky and sauce is very watery and salty. read more

Montreal Pool Room - Hotdogs and poutine - Comfort Food Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

Staff were friendly and sure to make my order correctly. Very much enjoyed the food. Exactly what was needed. I opted for to-go but plenty of seating at this late night joint. read more

I got to try one of Montreal's legendary eateries that has been in business since 1912. They don't speak much English so you may have to order in French. But that's ok. Just ask for two All Dressed and they'll know what you need . This is what a French hotdog should be like. Small wiener sausage in a small hotdog bun. Coleslaw or cabbage and mustard. Then steamed to perfection! Get a soft drink or water and you have a wonder snack of lunch. There are pictures on the wall that shows the history of the place and the original one that was burned down which was across the street. So if you're into legendary fast food try it out. I came all the way from Vancouver just to come here. And it was worth the trip for me. Montreal was just an added bonus . read more

Montreal Pool Room - All dressed - Comfort Food Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

OMG!! I could not believe that I had never been to this place before!! It's like an institution! Okay it's not a fancy place with fancy food but the hot dogs and poutine totally hit the spot after drinking way too much beer at the Foufoune Electric!! haha Plus I like the the owners are working there and they came to the country with nothing and now they own and work there, it makes me feel so good to encourage them! I will be back there for sure!! read more

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Underwhelming ambiance (which, for a snack bar means "great"). Friendly staff, altho be sure your order is complete (they failed to give me utensils) Good value, around $7.00 CDN for a steamed hot dog with fries and black cherry soda. Hot dog was the typically small Montreal size. Fries were done well, but no skins. I got all dressed, and the cabbage/onion topping was a bit woody at times. It must have been good, I was junk food stuffed for hours. read more

A serious spot for poutine. Definitely worth checking out for some true authentic poutine. Bring cash as it's a cash only spot. The staff are friendly and the food service is quick. Definitely worth trying out. read more

Montreal Pool Room - a plate of french fries and a can of soda - Comfort Food Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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I heard this place is an iconic establishment and had to try it. Unfortunately, it did not live up to its reputation. I ordered a poutine and a steamed hot dog, all dressed. The hot dog was fine. The bun was sort of getting soggy from either the hot dog or from the coleslaw that was slapped on top. Don't get me wrong, it was good. However, there are much better and cheaper alternatives to this one at other restaurant. As for the poutine, I heard such great things about it and had to try it. However, it was quite underwhelming. The fries were sitting on a metal staging area (which seemed for quite a while) before being deep fried when my order was placed. As such, they did not taste all too fresh. The poutine sauce was actually really good. It tasted authentic and really comforting. As for the cheese 'curds', they weren't that great at all. It was very stringy and was melting so quickly that it almost felt like mozzarella 'curds'. The taste of these cheese curds did not go so well with the overall taste of the poutine and honestly made it worse. Overall, the customer service was friendly and the order was prepared very quickly which was great. However, the food just didn't do it for me and I gotta unbookmark this place for good. read more

Met Jean Drapeau there one Saturday night about 50 years ago. Still enjoy two chien chaud, fries and a diet soda, whenever

The hot dog, while small, has a very soft bun with crunchy layer. The dog is very juicy. Very delicious. The italian poutine, on the other hand, does not taste very well. The fries are greasy, the meat sauce is dull and watery, and things just didn't add up. Maybe regular poutine would be better. read more

Montreal Pool Room - Italian Poutine (Meat sauce poutine) and toasted hotdog - Comfort Food Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

Simple and tasty food is how I would describe this place. The staff were lovely and prepared the food for us fast. A friend and I split one of their combos ($9.95) that come with two hotdogs (with all the fixings - sauerkraut, onions, relish and mustard) a poutine and a drink. The hot dogs are small so if you have a bigger appetite - order a few more. The hot dog was great - simple and satisfying. The poutine was good as well. TBH I'm not a poutine person so a good from me is great! There was some tables of four in this area and bar seating styles. This place is also cash only. I would recommend this place for those who want good food and a good price! read more

Montreal Pool Room - Comfort Food Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

I was in Canada so I had to get some poutine. The last time I had poutine was in Toronto, at Poutini's House of Poutine. It was amazing, with sour cream, bacon, and chives. But this time I wanted to try something more traditional. Poutine with just gravy, mozzarella cheese curds, and fries. My siblings opted for the same except with chicken and with tomato sauce. The small sizes are quite large, and the large is a platter. We did not finish our food. We noticed that the other patrons were actually just sharing the small size. No wonder the guy at the counter was surprised with our order. Three stars, because it was good, but it came out to about $25 Canadian dollars, which is over $20 US dollars. Fries shouldn't be that expensive, covered in cheese/gravy or not. read more

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Wow this place is garbage. I don't understand why it has good reviews. I came here late night on a Thursday after arriving in Montreal for a long weekend getaway from NYC. To have this place as the first impression of Montreal was a mistake. They don't take card and I only had US dollars. My friend and I ordered 2 poutines, 2 sodas, 2 corn dogs (pogos), and 1 chicken burger sandwich. The total came to be 26 Canadian which is about $18 American. This guy completely ripped me off and charged me $26 American, because he made up his own exchange rate. $26 for this meal was a slap in the face. The chicken sandwich was dry and tasted like bad school cafeteria food. The poutine was whatever and the corn dog was also nothing special. Won't be back, don't recommend. read more

Amazing Poutine. The people working there are also really friendly and kind.

Out of all the places I visited for Poutine in Montreal I thought Montreal Pool Room was the best. The poutine here is really good and the portion sizing is huge. Plus you can get it with a steamie combo for around $10. But if you get the poutine on your own it is a large portion and very good. I tried out about 5 different places for poutine and this place is it. My pick, and yea people will say Le Banquiste but I personally found this place did poutine better, with larger portions and without baving to add a whole bunch of weird toppings on their poutine. Montreal Pool Room you have earned my 5 stars read more

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Solid choice for poutine in Montreal. Everything from the fries to the cheese was perfectly balanced. The owner was even nice enough to bump me from a small to a large poutine when I was short ten cents (what a champ). My only gripe was that the sauce was almost too hot and the cheese was not tempered enough which resulted in a melted cheese mess and no squeaky cheese. Otherwise, a very nice alternative to add to your collection of poutine spots. read more

Montreal Pool Room - Poutine - Comfort Food Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

Probably one of my favorite hotdogs and poutine in Montreal! Chez Tousignant and Chez Claudette make the best poutines and I think Pool room is just as good, if not better! Their poutine gravy is incredible, good amount of cheese curds and their fries are just crispy enough. Service was fast, cash only, enough said! read more

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Finally crossed off this institution on my TDL. The all-dressed steamie from here is the main pic on the "Montreal hot dog" Wikipedia article and it definitely doesn't disappoint. First off, the chopped cabbage is not at all salty, balancing the savory wiener and mustard. All-dressed from other places always came off as "too much" but this one is quite the thing. Then the bun was perfectly steamed, slightly sweet, which made the whole thing such a joy to eat (puffed up bun on the outside, soft wiener on the inside, and chopped cabbage to add some additional texture). This might be the best hot dog I ever had. I personally prefer this one over Décarie hot dog. The vibe is authentic and retro. Lots of locals from the old era talking politics and other AM channel topics over hot dogs, fries, and ketchup pooled over napkins. Historically signifiant and still relevant. read more

Montreal Pool Room - Comfort Food Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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Okay, so here's the deal with every city that has a soul - it always have a great hot dog variation. DC has its half-smokes. New York is eternally Sabretts versus Hebrew National, griddled versus sewer water style. Chicago has their Vienna beef on a steamed poppy seed bun and dragged through the garden. Buffalo has its Sahlens grilled up. Detroit has their coneys, and Cincinnati has their cheese coneys. Toronto has comically large bland weenies to complement their image. And Montreal....? Before the casse croutes made their poutines, before the Jews bought forth the smoked meats and the bagels, and before the Montreal melon became extinct, there were Montreal hot dogs. There's the LaFleur versus the Lester's, and the steamies versus the toasties (and to a certain extent, a Michigan dog). So, what makes each special? First, the dominant steamies - the buns and the dogs are steam cooked, and they come all-dressed - mustard, chopped onions and coleslaw (not the mayonnaise one - the vinegary/lemony type). Then there's the toasties, which are dog and bun griddled. Michigan is similar to a Detroit coney - steamed, meat chili sauce on top, mustard, onions optional, no cabbage, ever. Okay, now that we get the hot dog culture out of the way, it's time to ask the $64,000 question - why have it at the Montreal Pool Room? For one, it's open from 10a to past 2a at the Quartiers de spectacles. Chinatown restaurants usually open fairly late, as does the La Belle Province or the Boustan down the block, but then those restaurants are found all over Montreal, and there's only one pool room. You also don't get that sense of shadiness that you do with the pool room. For two, check out the surroundings - during Habs games you will no doubt hear the broadcast on the PA in French, and when the announcer screams " Une Goal, c'est la premiere goal pour Pacioretty ce soir" the place erupts in collective approval, driven by the Habs paraphernalia surrounding the dining room. If you are a Habs fan it's like being on the fifth line in mini Bell Centre. For three, it's one of those places where you rub elbows with Montreal's various layers of humanity. Maybe it's the Advocat who just got out of the palais de justice, or the civil servant who spent the afternoon at Complex Guy Favreau. Or perhaps it's the perv who got out of the Cleopatra cafe, or a post-punk who were over at the Army/Navy store on St. Laurent down the block. You can be a prince, a pauper, a tycoon or a tike. All of them eat their steamies the same way. I consider the Steamies at the pool room to be the metric used to evaluate others throughout the city. Are the buns as soft and warm as the Pool Room? Are their Lester's as juicy? How about the slaw? Is it a fresh crisp refreshing counterpoint? How about their onion ratio? The pool room has 105 years to get their hot dogs right, so what can I say? Practice makes perfect. And finally, when you order those Steamies, don't forget to order a poutine to go with it. Remember that a poutine should realize its namesake - a fucking mess. You should see copious amounts of fresh fries, gravy and fresh squeaky cheese curds - they should make you feel like you just got a lap dance at a full contact club, that is, dirty, unhealthy and oh so nice. You should have the culinary equivalent of sweaty-all-over-and-face-glazed-like-a-donut. The poutines at the pool room should do exactly that. If it doesn't, you showed up at the wrong hot dog joint. read more

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Bring cash! The employees here also don't know much english, so do be a little more patient if they don't understand you. Got 2 burgers and a poutine. The poutine was very good, but I've had better. Gravy was savoury, cheese curds fresh, fries were of the Quebec variety, slightly floppy and more potato-ey. I'd definitely rather the poutine here than at La Banquise. Definitely worth a try here! The burgers were mediocre, but you really only should come here to try the poutine! read more

Montreal Pool Room - Comfort Food Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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