When we were up in Montreal for a company meeting a few weeks ago, it was our last night in town. Many people had taken off already and a handful of both long time and new colleagues had morning flights as I did. Trying to figure out what to have for dinner, one of our new colleagues came up with a brilliant idea - a good ol' Montreal Smoked Meat sandwich. Now, I had been to Schwartz's Deli, probably the most famous of the smoked meat places in Montreal (click here to see the Road Tips entry on Schwartz's Deli), and I've had a sandwich from the Main Deli Steak House which is literally across the street from Schwartz's Deli (click here to see the entry on Main Deli Steak House). But our new colleague was told by one of the local Montreal guys we work with that the best smoked meat place in downtown Montreal was a place called Reuben's Deli and Steakhouse. And it wasn't far away from the hotel. There were eight of us who made the walk over to Reuben's Deli for dinner that evening.
Constantin Tzemopoulos immigrated from Greece to Montreal in 1955 at the age of 18. His first job was working in a restaurant in Montreal, something that hooked him for the rest of his life. Learning the restaurant business while working at different levels at various restaurants for the next 20 years, Constantine and his wife, Gloria, decided to open their own restaurant that featured both smoked meat sandwiches and steaks. In 1976, the couple opened Reuben's Deli and Steakhouse, a welcome addition to the smoked meat scene in Montreal, but adding steaks, ribs, chicken, burgers, and seafood items to the mix.
The Tzemopoulos family also had three boys that helped out in the restaurant - Dimitris (Jim), Tony, and Adam - all three eventually becoming a large part of the operation. The sons also opened two other restaurants near Reuben's Deli and Steakhouse - DeVille Dinerbar, a refined, yet casual urban neighborhood restaurant, and Anton & James, a chic upscale cafeteria that features breakfast, sandwiches, wraps, salads and pizza. Constantin Tzemopoulos was still a daily presence in Reuben's up to his unexpected and sudden death in 2016 at the age of 82. The three Tzemopoulos boys continue to run Reuben's Deli, as well as the two other restaurants under their RD3 Restaurant Group umbrella.
There are actually two Reuben's Deli along St. Catherine St. W. in what is called the Golden Square Mile of downtown Montreal. There's one at 888 St. Catherine St. W. that is a subterranean restaurant, but I understand it was the original Reuben's Deli. However, we went to the one at 1116 St. Catherine St. W. - a street level restaurant that was more modern in appearance. (see map) I'm not certain the two are related any longer.
Since we were in a large group, we had a bit of a wait to get a table. There was a small bar area toward the back, but there were only a couple of seats available and it was sort of a high traffic area as it was located just off the kitchen area. We ended up congregating toward the hostess stand up front.
The front deli counter displayed a number of items including pickled peppers and other veggies, along with different types of meats and cheese. There was a large upright glass display case near the front door that held dozens of smoked and cured beef. The wonderful smell in the place was almost intoxicating.
It was about 10 minute wait before we were able to be seated at a larger table toward the very back of the dining room. It was a cozy area with banquette seating along a short wall. We had a couple of waiters who came over to introduce themselves, drop off some menus and take our drink orders. Reuben's has their own private branded India Pale Ale and I ordered up one of those.
Smoked meat is sort of an ambiguous term in Montreal. It's basically smoked brisket with seasonings, at least from what I can tell. It's sort of like pastrami, but more like corned beef. I had a former colleague who was a unique eater - I can't call him picky because he would eat some pretty interesting things, but he was particular in what he ate - and he refused to eat a smoked meat sandwich in Montreal because no one could - or would - tell him what the meat really was. Well, from the first time I had a smoked meat sandwich in Montreal, I was hooked. They had four different types of their smoked meat sandwich at Reuben's - a 7 ounce "76" sandwich; the Super Sandwich, which was their most popular; the Big Bang Sandwich, which was the Super Sandwich piled with more smoked meat; or the Builder's Platter where they just bring out a pile of smoked meat and some rye bread and you have at it.
In addition to smoked meat sandwiches, Reuben's also had a number of other sandwiches, burgers, and "piled-high" club sandwiches. Since "steakhouse" is in their name, Reuben's also had a number of steaks on the menu including a 20-ounce bone-in ribeye steak, sautéed tenderloin beef tips that were marinated in whisky, and a 16 ounce ribeye topped with a house-made chimichurri sauce. They also had seafood, chicken, pasta and ribs on the menu at Reuben's.
We started out getting some appetizers to appease our stomachs since we had a small lunch around noon, then a hearty walk in the woods near the Mont Tremblant ski resort area afterward. We got a spinach and cheese dip, some thick-cut onion rings that were stacked high on a plate, and someone ordered up the chopped beef liver. Deep-friend onion straws came on the top of the chopped liver, but I refused to try some. I'm not big on liver, period.
But the one appetizer that I really wanted to try was the smoked meat poutine. When I found that you could get that as a side for an up-charge, that's what I ordered along with my Super smoked meat sandwich. This was a decadent kind of meal. The chopped smoked meat along with the cheese curds and gravy poured on top of some crispy French fries were a heavenly combination. The smoked meat sandwich was more than enough with 10 ounces of thin-sliced meat, crispy on the edges, topped with Swiss cheese on a wonderful rye bread. I normally don't eat this much food, but it was so damned good that I didn't care that I was going to have to revert back to a massive diet once I got back home. (I gained six pounds during this trip to Montreal. That's sort of normal as we always eat well when we go there.)
Most of us ordered the smoked meat sandwiches, but one of my colleagues with with Reuben's center-cut tenderloin beef filet. He got blue cheese on the top and it came with sautéed mushroom caps and was served in a reduction sauce. He was trying to eat healthy, so he got a side of grilled vegetables on the side. He thought the steak was very delicious and was happy with what he got.
Another one of my colleagues went with the ribs. They were big meaty smoked beef ribs slathered with a house-made barbecue sauce. It was a pile of ribs and he liked them so much that he almost finished off the whole plate. Toward the end, he was offering a couple bones to people around the table, but most of us were so full from the wonderful smoked meat sandwiches - and the great smoked meat poutine that I had.
I've now tried three different smoked meat houses in the downtown Montreal area and I'll have to say that out of all of them I liked Reuben's Deli & Steakhouse the best. I'm sure there are others to try, but the lean smoked meat at Reuben's was tender and full of flavor. The smoked meat poutine was just an epicurean delight, and I while I was a little remorseful from the absolute gluttonous display I put on, it was worth going on a crash diet directly after I got home. The wait staff was attentive and professional, and the whole atmosphere at Reuben's was cozy and inviting. If you're going to be in Montreal and want to try a smoked meat sandwich, you can go stand in line for 30 minutes plus at Schwartz's deli, or you can get a great sandwich in a nice setting at Reuben's. Or you can do both!
Comments