Montreal Deli in Mississauga. Who Knew?
Published March 6, 2012 at 5:10 am
1st Impression: Time Warp into the 80’s
Dress Code: Super Casual
Unique for: Montreal Deli Sandwiches
Value: A Steal
Mississauga is home to The Montreal Deli & Greek Grill. Who knew? It is a family restaurant that has been around for 28 years, and their specialty is, of course, Montreal smoked meat.
I had been craving a Montreal smoked meat sandwich this particular Friday morning, after watching an episode of Guy Fieri’s show, Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives, in which he featured a Montreal-based restaurant which specializes in house-made smoked meat sandwiches. Since I wouldn’t be making a trip to Montreal any time soon, I quickly banished the thought of a mouth-watering smoked meat sandwich.
Funny enough, this same night, I decided to hop into my car with a friend to take a drive around Mississauga to find something new to eat, something different than the usual. And lo and behold, the MD sign popped out of nowhere. It was literally an “Aha!” moment, a moment where I heard the food angels from above singing “Ahhhhhhhhhhhh”! Having lived insauga for over 25 years, this was a truly random sighting. This shabby little joint was hidden and tucked away beside a furniture and a carpet and flooring plaza which are notorious finds along Dundas St. E just east of Dixie Rd.
The Montreal Deli & Greek Grill, also simply known as MD, is like walking into a time warp to the 80’s. The decor is a mish mash of random items, just like the randomness of finding this place – ceiling fans, Chinese lanterns, display of Brazilian coffee, dried flowers and footballs in their original packaging at the bar. This is a great contestant for the Food Network’s Restaurant Makeover. However, it appears that they are doing something right if they are still around serving loyal customers 28 years after the doors first opened.
The clientele on this particular Friday night were made up of serious locals and regulars, evident when the only waitress working the shift was greeting and saying goodbye to patrons by their first names. They were made up of ol’ timers having a pint with their Montreal deli sandwiches, predominantly men that probably live a hop, skip and a jump from this local establishment.
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We had remarked to our friendly and helpful waitress that we had no idea this place existed, and she stated that “once you find it you’ll always come back”! She had also indicated that weekday lunches are busy with local business people and weekends are busy with families.
The menu is a mash-up of everything from Roadhouse Burgers, to an unusually large selection of Fresh Salads, Famous Montreal Deli Sandwiches, Great Steaks, Italian, Greek, All Canadian, All Day Breakfast, Deli Reprise, Montreal Pizza, Desserts, and Freshly Baked Pies.
When in a local Montreal Deli, do as the locals do, so I ordered the SUPER Smoked Meat Sandwich ($10.55) and my friend ordered the SUPER Pastrami Sandwich ($10.55). Both come with fries and coleslaw, and a dill pickle.
The sandwiches were huge just like the fries, so delicious looking that both my mouth and eyes started to water. One bite into this monstrosity of mine and the juicy mess of the smoked meat fat ran down the side of my hand, a perfect first bite. The same goes for the SUPER Pastrami Sandwich which was, in fact, tastier than my SUPER Smoked Meat choice. The bread, a light rye, was fluffy and not too thick, which well-suited the sandwiches. The cole slaw, which was a vinegar based slaw (without mayonnaise) was a good side that cut through the fattiness of the meat in my mouth, and a deli sandwich isn’t a deli sandwich without a dill pickle. There is not much to say about the fries which were definitely from a frozen package; McCain’s I think.
Now, while this is most definitely no Schwartz’s (a landmark in Montreal famous for their Montreal smoked meat sandwiches), the Mac-Daddy of Montreal smoked meat, it was a great sandwich with all of the proper fixins’. Despite the fact that the meat and fries are not made in-house, I have to say that for the price, taste and volume of the dish, it was worth it. And with Montreal being a 6 hour drive away, MD saved me from going through smoked meat withdrawals. It’s the next best thing when you can’t make the trip to Montreal.
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