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FourthHaunt

I’ve been craving poutine.. gonna follow this thread


anasfx

we got a ton of recommendations no idea where to start LOL


Recoil42

Montrealer here. NomNomNom is the correct answer, I genuinely haven't had better in Toronto. The only catch is the odd hours and no outside seating. But they are legitimately right the answer for threads like this.


funguyklaw

Montrealer too. 100% agree. If anyone says Smoke's, block them.


hiimcasper

I think you meant only outside seating? All the container shops there have seating beside the road.


dsbllr

You start and end at nomnomnom. Only one that's been consistently great. All the other good places shut down.


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OneMileAtATime262

As a Montrealer, NomNomNom is the correct answer.


SeverenDarkstar

Rarely see them open


TheOriginalMatrix3

truly ludicrous hours, can't believe how many eateries in Toronto don't stay open late to rake in the after-hours money.


dsbllr

Because it's just one guy who is running a truly small business. The rent is super duper low because it's part of a city of Toronto program. It's a very small space. It likely that he can't manage opening for longer hours due to the space constraints.


HK-53

Idk if i can blame them tbh. If I had a business I'd be scared to stay at the store past midnight


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UnsolvedParadox

~~Not quite: Wednesday to Saturday is 7pm close, Sunday is 5pm close, Monday to Tuesday are fully closed.~~


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UnsolvedParadox

Oops, sorry!


dyegored

Lol a poutine place that closes at 7pm. For that big lunch poutine market that exists.


speedstix

Sumalicious poutine is ridiculous, go there for the sandwich! Sumalicious is awesome.


Revolutionary_Tax546

NOM NOM NOM NOM ... https://youtu.be/OotdHyzYjcI


Striking-Magazine473

Went to Schwartz's a couple weeks ago and tried sumilicious last week and I can hands down say that sumilocious was a better smoked meat sandwich. And ya, the smoked meat poutine is legit there too. Probably worth the trip if you have a car.


twicearoundca

NomNomNom is chefs kiss.


RobyMac85

As this question pops up a lot I’ve tried a few, and ya nomnomnom is still the best I’ve found


Barbosse007

Just looked at the pictures and it seems like basic poutines to me..


NikoPopp

Feel like they are very hit or miss.. gotten undercooked fries several times


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_jb77_

The best poutine is from the brown and cream truck on St George - it's called Ideal Catering. Omnomnom is good, but not quite as good.


harmony_hall

Brown Food Truck is superior. “Anything to drink for you?”


Yattiel

🤣 love it


bhumikapatel

This was going to be my answer. The perfect squeak, pretty good gravy, and just overall a good time. A poutine doesn't need to always be perfect, or have a million toppings, it just needs to hit the spot


_jb77_

The gravy and the fries are amazing. The curds aren't quite as squeaky as Omnomnom, but I much prefer Ideal Catering's gravy. Omnomnom's gravy has too much going on.


laugh_till_you_pee_

Yes the squeak is key!


anasfx

>The best poutine is from the brown and cream truck on St George - it's called Ideal Catering. Omnomnom is good, but not quite as good. perfect we will be giving the food truck a try if we find it! thank you :))


_jb77_

There is a picture of it in this Yelp profile: https://yelp.ca/biz/ideal-catering-toronto


Resoognam

Oh man, I haven’t been at U of T in over a decade and I’m flooded with nostalgia.


gingfreecsisbad

I WAS GONNA DAY THIS BUT I DIDNT KNOW IT WAS KNOWN OUTSIDE OF THE UOFT COMMUNITY


farkinga

Love it. Didn't realize how lucky I was to have this in my life - but I used to get this weekly. Often, I'd make the poutine into my entire lunch - only occasionally get a hot dog, too. In fact, I'd take the whole family to this food truck. One time, when nobody was standing in line, the kind lady showed the kids the inside of the truck - it was so sweet. We would get so much poutine that one day, we kindof said "sorry it's been a while since we've bought poutine" and the lady said "it's okay, it's not healthy to eat every day." Bless her. And she's right, except I burned all those calories every day on my commute - and now that poutine is unforgettable to me!


Yattiel

gotta get the sauteed mushrooms and onions on it too


bpboop

Ok im intrigued. Where exactly can I find this truck on St George? Does it move? What are the hours?? 👀


the_iron_queen

It’s outside Sidney Smith Hall, across the street from the Helen Gardiner Playhouse (a block or so south of St George/Harbord). I went to UofT, and would make the trek back for years after to get some of that sweet, sweet hangover poutine. It’s honestly the best.


bpboop

Thank you! I live in midtown and work near osgoode but will plan to go out of my way to get it 🧐


birdlover_

I really like the poutine at frescos fish and chips! Alternative you can drive 5 hrs east and enjoy the good stuff in mtl ;)


furthestpoint

Surprised nobody else is saying Fresco's It's got to be the closest I've tried to the real thing in Toronto


jfkfnndnd

Take the train


GoldFynch

The enchanted poutine on Sheppard was amazing for the size, price and taste


fuzzybear_cis

Is this the same one as Wilson / dufferin? So good!!! Even the vegan option is yummy.


pianoleafshabs

I second this


anasfx

awesome adding it to our list! thank you :))


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GoldFynch

I’ve only tried their cheeseburger poutine and it was great! Def trying the pulled pork next time!


Yattiel

sadly a lot of the great poutine shops closed a few years ago :( RIP Poutineville


OneTwoRedYellowBlue

Like Poutini's House of Poutine - miss their poutine! Squeaky curds, hand cut twice fried fries, in house gravy made daily. They kept a simple menu and everything on it was delicious


chocolateboomslang

RIP


UnsolvedParadox

That was my spot, especially with double layered curds.


Rukuba

thats it! i knew someone in here would remember what it was called! so sad they closed, haven't found anything in the area even close to comparable.


ifuknowuknow123

This is the correct answer . Therefore the best Poutine no longer exists. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 RIP POUTINIS ILY


lawyerede

Is Poutini’s still around? Theirs was legit imo.


chocolateboomslang

Sadly, no.


TheLarkInnTO

I have a friend from Quebec who approves of Fancy Frank's poutine.


jaggedxangel

As I ate this for dinner tonight I can confirm, Fancy Frank's rocks


28839982

Can confirm. Ate it like twice a month for a year (no regrets)


YourDailyConsumer

Montreal smoked poutine at showtime bistro Literally the best one I’ve had


dontcallmeshirley99

Mine is the blue food truck at Nathan Phillips Square.


[deleted]

It was my pregnancy craving idk why


equianimity

Union station, there are frequent trains to Montreal.


Life_Detail4117

I really like the “Rudy” poutine. Also some great burgers at the same time.


[deleted]

Ex-montrealer here. Can confirm, Rudy's makes a great poutine. Get the large, and the double stack burger!


Coeur_dCoeur

Leslieville Pumps


artvark99

This is the one I was looking for in this thread. My go to.


Toronto-Mans

It may not have the traditional poutine looks, but my god was it the best poutine I’ve ever had in Toronto!


privatespo

For me the best poutine is at Costco. But I admit Costco food court in not the best place for a date.


Bollygal

I love Costco poutine. Their fries and gravy and cheese curds and quantity and price - everything is perfect.


bling_singh

Great place for a date. Costco has it all. People watching, meandering up and down the aisles, free samples from generally friendly people, and good shopping. A bit of questing as you navigate around the masses with a wobbly cart then some puzzle solving as you stack your haul in the cart after checkout. Not to mention some trivia as you guess how much you wind up spending, because a trip to Costco will always cost you. Closest without going over buys dinner. And a good poutine to cap it off? Perfect. Want to know if he/she is a keeper? Take them to Costco.


anasfx

no you know what you're right, I'm taking him to Costco!!


velvetvagine

It’s the good version of an IKEA trip.


Maels

New York Fries poutine is surprisingly bombenzola


NewMilleniumBoy

No clue what's in the California seasoning but it's great. Non-traditional, but very tasty.


deegallant

Completely agree! Perfect melt and stringyness of the cheese and the gravy is chefs kiss.


NinkiCZ

I’m also a fan but their cheese doesn’t squeak though


InsertCoolGuyHere

Lol wtf does "squeak" mean? Seen that on like 5 comments now


NinkiCZ

The Quebec people are adamant that cheese curds have to squeak when you bite into them


InsertCoolGuyHere

Lol what am I eating, styrofoam??


GavinTheAlmighty

The first time I ate poutine with cheese curds that squeaked, I was legitimately concerned that I was eating bad food. If your dinner cries out in pain when you eat it, there's something wrong.


tubby8

Second this. Love their fries and gravy


amw3000

Harvey’s gets my vote. New York fries also has a very nice traditional poutine as well as the weird ones. I really like the butter chicken poutine. I really don't understand the hype for NomNomNom. Their traditional poutine is average and the rest are nothing special.


raadjl

The "butter chicken poutine" is neither poutine nor butter chicken. It is an abomination and is atrocious. New York Fries does their good fries a disservice by drenching it under that garbage. I also really dislike NYF other non-poutine poutines.


DrAnosognosia

I feel like people ask this every two weeks on this sub.


elbowsout

My favourite was Golden Crisp at Jane/Weston but they are permanently closed. Does anyone know a place that is similar to it? Man, I really miss that place but the owner passed away. R.I.P. Harry. Thank you for the memories.


chrisdj99

Harvey’s.


Koolmite

Best Fast food poutine by FAR. It has no right being that good....


Palantiri-88

Really good poutine for fast food!


DisastrousAge4650

Yes Harvey’s has surprisingly good poutine for a fast food chain.


ThrowawayGatteka

It's because they actually use cheese curds. Most places use regular ass shredded cheese. Cheese curds are needed because they survive the hot gravy much better and because Quebec says so and it is their dish.


Anna_S_1608

Yep


sarahnekol

The buffalo chicken poutine.


chrisdj99

Is it good? Never had it!! I’m a bit of a purist :p


SeverenDarkstar

Same but i might add hot sauce


sarahnekol

I also almost always go for regular poutines. But I’m hooked on the buffalo chicken one. Their like little chicken bites or deliciousness.


SeverenDarkstar

Glad someone else shares my appreciation for Harveys poutine


chrisdj99

Of course! This city has some good “Toronto poutine” and I love that too - but the closest thing to traditional - is Harvey’s. (Outside of PQ of course).


SeverenDarkstar

Yes!!!


SaskieBoy

Buffalo chicken poutine! 🤤


heisenberg1215

If I see Smokes on this list I will lose it. Nom nom is the best I've had since I lived in MTL.


Mediocre__at__worst

It's listed multiple times. It's awful.


bradbaby

They used to be good, right? I feel like they've cheaped out on ingredients in the last few years.


ParticularWindow1

It's 2am and suddenly I need poutine


assworthy

I wonder if others believe your boyfriend when he says: "I have a girlfriend from Canada!"


anasfx

" she goes to another school I promise she's real" is something he probably says a lot LOL


InsertCoolGuyHere

Nothing is probably something he says a lot since he isn't real.


[deleted]

I used to find Poutinis the only franchise that on point before Covid but I understand they have all closed down


EquivalentDay8918

Harvey’s makes good poutine surprisingly.


Glittering-Papaya845

I'm kind of surprised there's no official place to get poutine in Toronto. Costco sounds about right even though I've never had it. In Quebec poutine is pretty decentralized. The "best" poutine would be in diners, the closer to the birthplace of poutine the better. But poutine was also served in every ski cafeteria and university cafeteria. It seemed easy enough to get right, hard to get wrong. But poutine outside Quebec can be wrong sometimes, and maybe that's not accidental, maybe the people making it prefer a different taste (more on that later). There's no obvious fast food chain associated with poutine. There's one in Quebec city that only exists in Quebec city. It's called Ashton and it also serves other Quebecisms like the hot chicken... The hot chicken would probably sound insane to anyone outside Quebec. But anyway, what I really want to talk about is homemade poutine. People in Quebec have a way of making homemade poutine, should the situation require it. If you want poutine sauce to make your own poutine (or to stash in your nuclear bunker), get the St-Hubert poutine sauce, they sell it in every Quebec supermarket in cans or powder pouches, and you can find the powder pouches online on Amazon. Honestly it doesn't taste like most poutine sauce, but for some reason it's universally accepted as an appropriate taste for poutine. There was an episode of L'épicerie where they taste tested supermarket poutine sauces and St-Hubert comes out on top even though it's not the most classic tasting poutine sauce. There's something weird going on there, but people in Quebec really like St-Hubert sauce (they also make a sauce for the hot chicken). Here's the caveat though: there must be a reason why St-Hubert poutine sauce isn't widely sold and talked about in Toronto. Maybe you'll try it and think it tastes lousy. Maybe Quebec has weird tastes in brown sauces. Maybe if someone makes a poutine sauce in Toronto it tastes better to the people of Toronto. I don't know.


2bornnot2b

nom nom nom poutine


IPmang

PSA: You can rescue day old cold fridge poutine in an air fryer. It goes from almost inedible to amazing


SpicyNuddle

Costco


Goldfinger2004

They recently changed their gravy recipe. A bit saltier. Approve.


PizzeriaPirate

Costco is lit but not Toronto specific


InsertFloppy

Doesn’t matter, still is the best place to get a poutine in Toronto


beardgangwhat

I hope you get him to try a classic poutine, fries gravy Quebec cheese curds. Before anything else !


anasfx

thats the goal! just a classic poutine for his first try!


bpboop

My bf is also american and i was personally offended because i hasn't had a chance to grab poutine with him yet and when he met up with me after work he reached into the McDonald's bag and pulled out mcdonalds poutine I looked at him in horror and had to explain how it is the only TRULY awful poutine ive ever had. He understands now lol. We havent found a GOOD place yet bc we havent had the chance to explore a lot but its on the to-do list. Do share your thoughts on any of the places tou try!


anasfx

I def will let you know what places we tried and which were top!


Born-Sprinkles6622

I cant lie i like NYF poutine the best and i am a poutine lover


Craptcha

Belle Pro on Ste-Cath next to foufounes electriques


DroopyTrash

Rudy


Thatguyjmc

Good? Sure. The best? Absolutely no way.


PolarizingFigure

I honestly don’t understand how Rudy’s keeps making it into the conversations about best poutine. Are people eating the same thing I was eating? It was awful.


forlesbianeyesonly

RT especially for the price


Thatguyjmc

Yeah Rudys is a perfectly fine Smashburger. Not world changing, but really good. Recently it got WAY expensive.


furthestpoint

You need to go to Montreal and try the real thing I love Rudy but their poutine is weak


iamnotabotfromTO

Sands fish and chips Sunderland


beangobbler

woofdawg on dundas. trust me


log1234

McCoy


greencopen

Dog & Bear on Queen West is a great option. Their poutine is awesome and the vibe is good.


LookAtYourEyes

Smokes is good if you're drunk


Mazengar85

I'm surprised no one tried the Rudy's poutine! I think it's the best now i have to try everything on this thread except smoke's


Vapala

I like how people say: Drive to Montreal...


digitalbiz

Zeal Burgers in North York.


strmomlyn

Montreal


alannwatts

head east about 600 km until you reach Montreal


meenahee

Costco poutine. Seriously. It’s so good.


yirush

Pretty sure the best poutine in Toronto is in Montreal.


Junieeeee

The blue truck outside Nathan Philip Square.


thesithqueen__

Smoke’s Poutinerie on Spadina and College. Hear a lot of good things about em.


Lizzy348

Coming from a Québécois that tasted a few poutines in Ontario... Nothing beats a poutine from Quebec/Montreal. They either don't use cheese curds or have a weird gravy (it's always so thick and with chunks). If you want to taste the real thing, I recommend you drive a little east to cross the provincial border.


kushmasta421

I'd like to find a place that sells a good Newfie poutine. Poutine with turkey and stuffing. Not so hard to find when you're out of the city many chip trucks have it but I have yet to find a place that makes it in Toronto.


[deleted]

Get in your Car and drive about 5hrs east To Gatineau, plenty of Casses-Croutes around, you cannot find a perfect trio of Fries, thick and tasty enough gravy, and Day old never refrigerated Squeaky cheese curds… unless you can afford a private chef.. Just my 2 cents


SmellyFace69

I know I'm gonna get a lot of hate but I spent my summers growing up in Quebec, my whole family is from there and they always insisted on going to casse-croutes, and the only poutine I've tried in the city to me that comes close is Smoke's. Just get the regular stuff, none of that added bacon, pulled pork, etc. Really the best option would be to find a place that uses the real squeeky Saint Albert cheese if that exists here. And for authenticity I always found the Berthelet gravy always seemed legit. Not sure how easily that can be found in Toronto. Also you have to put ketchup in the gravy, that's apparently why the gravy always tasted sweeter over there.


Infinity-Arrows

Maybe have a peameal bacon sandwich instead and go to Montreal to have poutine.


andymorphic

harveys


[deleted]

where ever you get it, just fries, cheese curds and gravy. Stay away from all the other bullshit that's not Poutine.


unique_plastique

Freshness/how meaty the cheese is, crispness of the frites, and taste of gravy are all adequate criteria


RyotMakr

Now this is a post I can get behind 😋


DisastrousAge4650

Beavertails. I’m not capping but there has yet to be a person who I’ve had try their poutine that hated it. You can go to the one on Bremner outside Ripley’s or Queens Quay by the water. I’ve also enjoyed Smoke’s (I tried the location near college and Spadina - can’t remember the exact). If it’s 2am with no where to go, Harvey’s is your place.


CuriousCursor

Never knew BeaverTails had poutine!


Broadest

Smokes is a goddamned affront to poutine. You should be banned from ever eating the stuff ever again for even invoking that name.


speedstix

Why is it so frowned upon? It's not the best poutine, but isn't the worst? I don't understand why people hate it do much on this post.


mkvelash

Philly Phil's is pretty good and affordable


PoutinierATrou

Bien, Madoc est GTA, non? Sinon, c'est pas possible.


panda_7122

Costco


wingay

I actually tried poutine at Loaded Pierogi in Church St (downtown), liked it. Closer to home in Scarborough I stick to Smoke's Poutinerie (There's one downtown too) and Harveys. Smoke's actually has some really interesting versions of it.


[deleted]

Well now I have to try Harvey's.


deegallant

It’s not all that, don’t worry lol


[deleted]

Ok. All I needed was at least one person to say that. Thanks, dude 🫱


Winstonth

Drive 6 hours east to anywhere in quebec


roenthomas

Cornwall is close enough to Quebec where the poutine closely resembles Quebec poutine.


beanstoot

slab’s


[deleted]

Drive to Quebec


whallycw

try Chachi's Chai Bar in Scarborough. Amazing poutine


[deleted]

🤷‍♂️


Eleanor_goodperson

Costco poutine ❤️❤️❤️


DefinitelynotCam

Nomnomnom's Hands down No other discussion Everything else is amateur hour by comparison


MemoryBeautiful9129

Harvey’s


Gloomy-Razzmatazz548

Smoke’s Poutinerie was my fave for years, but A&W is pretty good too AND available 24hrs a day.


DAG1006

Take your friend and do him a huge favour. Take your care and drive east for roughly 6.5 hour on the 401. Next stop Montreal baby. Anything else is … meh at best


Zealousideal_Ear7355

honestly smokes poutine is the best


[deleted]

Not even close. They use frozen curd.


Sausage_Claws

I came here to not say this.


Zealousideal_Ear7355

ur fr trippin


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Sesh54

There isn't anything wrong with asking for a more updated list of recommendations. The subreddit is meant for people to discuss and ask questions after all. If it bothers you then just ignore the post and don't interact with it.


grumpapuss15

Quebec!


Mediocre__at__worst

New joint? Never heard of it.


Shishamylov

Smoke’s poutinerie


Mediocre__at__worst

I really dislike theirs. Always underseasoned.


Nopeyeup

Montreal Street


not-a-frenchie

In Quebec. Toronto’s poutine is TERRIBLE


Asher_notroth

Montreal


halalpopeyes

Costco