Dunn's Famous — Restaurant in Montreal

An iconic Montreal eatery, and deservedly so. Among the best places in the city to get a smoked meat sandwich and other deli fare, as well as a whole lot more.

As a former Montrealer who goes on endlessly about how much better the smoked meat is in this city, it's always a pleasure to visit a restaurant that is guaranteed to renew my faith and help me prove my case to someone who's only ever known the stuff they serve elsewhere. Dunn's did this for me last weekend. Twice!

We visited on Saturday for lunch, had a great experience, then we went back for more just before midnight. In a city full of great dining options, we felt it was worth two visits in one day.

The lunchtime server was fast and attentive, and the nighttime server was slower and a bit elusive, but the difference seemed to come down to experience. They were both friendly, bilingual, and made us feel welcome. It was just as busy at noon as it was at midnight.

For lunch, I had the smoked meat sandwich (medium cut). Simple, but phenomenal. Stacked. Tender. Juicy. Flavourful. It practically melts in your mouth. Eating it literally made me close my eyes, savour the moment and smile. Even three days later, my mouth waters at the thought of it.

People will always have opinions on which restaurant has the best smoked meat in Montreal. Even while sitting in Dunn's, I overheard some guys having that discussion and bringing up the other big names in the local smoked meat business. My opinion is that when a place is ranked among the best smoked meat joints in the city, you can't go wrong. You're going to get a delicious sandwich. Dunn's is one of the best and they proved it to me. Again.

This place is almost exactly the same as it was when I ate here back in the 80s and 90s. No longer open 24/7, but still open until 5 a.m. Aside from the hours of operation and maybe a few additions to the menu, it seems little has changed over the decades. For that, I am glad.

The ambiance is cozy. Welcoming. Warm. Smells great. Sounds good. Feels like what a downtown Montreal deli/restaurant should feel like. The kind of place where you're happy to go no matter who you are, what you do, what time of day it is, or what day of the week it is. The place is timeless and for everyone. I saw people of all ages and backgrounds, and heard that charming blend of English and French that is so very Montréal. Everyone appeared content. There were good vibes, even for those wearing Canadiens jerseys and Capitals jerseys in the same booth.

For the late night snack, it was an all-dressed pizza. Again, simple and just the basics, but done right! And delicious. It reminded me of why Montreal pizza is better, too, right along with its bagels and poutine.

Incidentally, we had poutine, too, and it was a winner. Classic. The gravy was spot on. The curds melted perfectly, the cheese stretched and squeaked, and the tasty fries held it all together just right. If you know, you know.

Smoked meat. Check. All Dressed pizza. Check. Poutine. Check.

This is where to eat in Montreal when you want to keep it...

This was one of the nearest smoked meat (or pastrami or brisket) to the Montréal VIA rail station and we had some transit time before the connection to Québec and we rushed here to grab the Super Combo Smoked Meat to share for dinner.

We didn't have very high hopes initially as Montréal had a more famous smoked meat joint called Schwartz Deli where the reputation precedes but disappointed greatly (when we eventually tried it). As we were really hungry, but appetite still relatively Asian, we got the ultimate combo to share.

They took a while to prepare the food, which meant that the food is not like a fast food chain where everything was ready and instant and we needed to wait a while, seeing orders get served and to go orders slowly being fulfilled before ours came. It came packed in a bag in the box and politely handed to us. We did not check and rushed back to the train station to wait for the connection.

When we opened it up, we noticed that the sandwich was already split into half and this was perfect for us, we split the sandwich and started digging in at the train station. First bite, it was very very moist and juicy and tasty (not horrendously salty like some others). The fries were freshly cut and fried and hence really nice. We fought for the for the food and in no time, we finished the smoked meat sandwich and fries and coleslaw.

Verdict, among all the smoked meats we tried, this is by far the best for me, moist, tasty, fresh, no additional seasoning or condiments required. Fat was adequate and melted once it landed on your palate. It was really awesome not because we were hungry and had no standards, but it was great because it was awesome despite the rushed circumstance.

All in all this is really the best smoked meat I had in Montréal and the portion is awesome for the price. Will definitely come...

I visited Dunn’s Famous despite it being a 40-minute drive from where we were staying, based on recommendations. While the smoked meat was delicious, the fries were overly greasy and hard to enjoy, which added to our disappointment.

The restaurant wasn’t busy at all—many tables were empty—yet we waited a long time before anyone came to take our order. The server was noticeably curt and unwelcoming. When handing us the receipt, he tossed it carelessly in our direction, and it ended up falling on the floor.

Because of the poor service, I chose not to leave a tip. After glancing at the receipt and noticing there was no tip added, the server looked at us and said “Nothing??” in a pointed and passive-aggressive tone. I simply responded, “Nothing.”

A few minutes later, my teenage son, who was still eating and clearly picking at his fries with a fork, had his plate abruptly and rudely taken away without a word includingour plates. He looked up and said, “What?” in disbelief. About 30 seconds later, the server returned and put the plate back on the table, saying “Sorry,” but by then the damage was already done. It felt like it was done on purpose out of spite.

We came in excited to try this place, but we left feeling disappointed and uncomfortable. I hope management takes this feedback seriously and ensures guests are treated with respect—regardless of tipping—and that both service and food quality are held to a...