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Cabbage rolls
Café Baba Yaga

13 Hearty Spots for Eastern European Cuisine in Montreal

From Polish to Georgian, and everything in between

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Cabbage rolls
| Café Baba Yaga

Eastern European cuisine has a reputation for heartiness: different parts of the region have different specialties, but in general this stretch of countries (Romania, Hungary, Georgia, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, and more) is known for ample carbs and starches, sausages galore, and pickled goods.

These cuisines might not be Montreal’s most prominent but there are great options scattered across the city for options like fish and seafood from the Black and Baltic seas, goulash, or smoked meats; from cafés to supper clubs, and bakeries to sandwich counters.

Take note that some of these restaurants can feature live music with the occasional late-night dance party on weekends. Those looking for more quiet and contemplative dinners should aim to try these places out on weekdays, or earlier on weekend evenings.

Opinions differ on what counts as “Eastern Europe” — this guide looks to countries from Poland and the Czech Republic, stretching eastwards to the Caucasus, and as far south as Romania. Certain restaurants that aren’t on this map (such as Arthurs Nosh Bar and Fletchers) — serve dishes synonymous with Eastern European food, like latkes and pierogis, alongside decidedly non-Eastern European options from Sephardic Jewish culinary traditions. Hence, they’re represented over on Eater’s map of Montreal’s Jewish Food Traditions.

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Café Prague

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Open from early morning to early evening, this small Outremont café’s focus is on pastries and obložené chlebíčky, open-faced appetizer sandwiches found in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A good place for an afternoon repast while checking out photos of Prague that line the walls.

Euro-Deli Batory

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For more casual Polish eating, Euro-Deli Batory serves all the tried and true soups and dumplings, potato pancakes, cabbage rolls, and bigos, a hunter’s stew of thinly sliced meat, cabbage, and sauerkraut. All these options can be enjoyed at napkin dispenser-topped tables or from the take-out counter.

Mamaia Resto Lounge Bar

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Named for a resort on the shore of the Black Sea, this supper club touts a long list of Romanian menu items. That means sausages, kashkaval cheese, and charcuterie plates; food service hours here run from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. most nights, with Saturdays reserved for bottle service-style parties.

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Budapest Restaurant

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One of the few places for Hungarian food in the city, this is an incredibly inexpensive choice for a night out. Come for the goulash and cabbage rolls, but stay for the BYOB service and live music on weekends that give this little restaurant a lively feel. 

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Boucherie Hongroise

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It’s hard not to notice the charcuterie hanging in the window of this Hungarian shop. While it’s a great spot to pick up sausages for both summer barbecue or cold winter evenings, the stacked deli sandwiches also lure passersby for a loaded snack.

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Stash Café

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Old Montreal’s Stash has long-served as one of the city’s quintessential Polish restaurants for elegantly dining out. The size and range of this restaurant’s menu makes it a bit of a one-stop-shop with specialties such as pierogi, kielbasa, zurek (sour rye soup), and potato pancakes, in addition to roasted boar and duck. 

Restaurant Rasputin

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While certain menu items have been tweaked for North American palates, Rasputin still represents Russian and Georgian cuisines well; alongside the occasional Hungarian and Baltic options such as goulash and skewered meat. 

La Caverne

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A few steps below street transports customers into the faux-masonry interior of the thoroughly Russian La Caverne. Live music, cave kitsch and classics like borscht with rye bread, herring salad, blini, vodka, and caviar makes this a great spot for a fun night. 

Restaurant Ermitage

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If Stash Café is the go-to spot for finer Polish cuisine, Ermitage is its Russian equivalent. Traditional choices abound here, with pelmeni and vareniki, Olivier and Balkan salads, and blinis in both savory (with caviar) or sweet (cheese-filled) form. Good for night out, or drop-in for their bargain $15 table d’hôte menu at lunch.

Wawel Patisserie

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With several locations across the city, Wawel is the premier address for Polish baked goods, alongside a small selection of imported products for sale. Paczki (doughnuts) are the main attraction no matter the address visited, though a the cold-cut sandwiches are lesser-known secret.

Georgia Restaurant

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This old-school Georgian restaurant gives the feel of walking into someone’s home with its cozy hardwood furniture and tablecloths. Better yet, it’s an enticing location for specialties like lobio (beans with marinated vegetables), chicken in satsivi (walnut) sauce, and khatchapouri (a cheese-filled bread).

Café Baba Yaga

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Montreal’s newest arrival for Eastern European fare, Baba Yaga comes from the restaurateurs behind L’Orignal. The St-Henri nook has more than enough pierogis and turkey schnitzel sandwiches to go around here, in addition to sweets like paczki (a Polish doughnut). There’s been a lot of buzz around this new spot, and hey, an endorsement from actor James McAvoy doesn’t hurt either.

Euro Polonia (Pyza)

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While commonly looked to for their catering services (under the name Pyza), Euro Polonia is also a no-nonsense Polish eatery that keeps things simple: pierogis, sausages, cabbage rolls, grilled meat sandwiches, or variety plates that mix the aforementioned together. Couple that with a Tymbark fruit drink, and call it a complete Polish meal.

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Café Prague

Open from early morning to early evening, this small Outremont café’s focus is on pastries and obložené chlebíčky, open-faced appetizer sandwiches found in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A good place for an afternoon repast while checking out photos of Prague that line the walls.

Euro-Deli Batory

For more casual Polish eating, Euro-Deli Batory serves all the tried and true soups and dumplings, potato pancakes, cabbage rolls, and bigos, a hunter’s stew of thinly sliced meat, cabbage, and sauerkraut. All these options can be enjoyed at napkin dispenser-topped tables or from the take-out counter.

Mamaia Resto Lounge Bar

Named for a resort on the shore of the Black Sea, this supper club touts a long list of Romanian menu items. That means sausages, kashkaval cheese, and charcuterie plates; food service hours here run from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. most nights, with Saturdays reserved for bottle service-style parties.

A post shared by Ioan Roman (@ioan.roman) on

Budapest Restaurant

One of the few places for Hungarian food in the city, this is an incredibly inexpensive choice for a night out. Come for the goulash and cabbage rolls, but stay for the BYOB service and live music on weekends that give this little restaurant a lively feel. 

A post shared by Antoine Mghayar (@instacatch) on

Boucherie Hongroise

It’s hard not to notice the charcuterie hanging in the window of this Hungarian shop. While it’s a great spot to pick up sausages for both summer barbecue or cold winter evenings, the stacked deli sandwiches also lure passersby for a loaded snack.

A post shared by Lance Bantoto (@lancebantoto) on

Stash Café

Old Montreal’s Stash has long-served as one of the city’s quintessential Polish restaurants for elegantly dining out. The size and range of this restaurant’s menu makes it a bit of a one-stop-shop with specialties such as pierogi, kielbasa, zurek (sour rye soup), and potato pancakes, in addition to roasted boar and duck. 

Restaurant Rasputin

While certain menu items have been tweaked for North American palates, Rasputin still represents Russian and Georgian cuisines well; alongside the occasional Hungarian and Baltic options such as goulash and skewered meat. 

La Caverne

A few steps below street transports customers into the faux-masonry interior of the thoroughly Russian La Caverne. Live music, cave kitsch and classics like borscht with rye bread, herring salad, blini, vodka, and caviar makes this a great spot for a fun night. 

Restaurant Ermitage

If Stash Café is the go-to spot for finer Polish cuisine, Ermitage is its Russian equivalent. Traditional choices abound here, with pelmeni and vareniki, Olivier and Balkan salads, and blinis in both savory (with caviar) or sweet (cheese-filled) form. Good for night out, or drop-in for their bargain $15 table d’hôte menu at lunch.

Wawel Patisserie

With several locations across the city, Wawel is the premier address for Polish baked goods, alongside a small selection of imported products for sale. Paczki (doughnuts) are the main attraction no matter the address visited, though a the cold-cut sandwiches are lesser-known secret.

Georgia Restaurant

This old-school Georgian restaurant gives the feel of walking into someone’s home with its cozy hardwood furniture and tablecloths. Better yet, it’s an enticing location for specialties like lobio (beans with marinated vegetables), chicken in satsivi (walnut) sauce, and khatchapouri (a cheese-filled bread).

Café Baba Yaga

Montreal’s newest arrival for Eastern European fare, Baba Yaga comes from the restaurateurs behind L’Orignal. The St-Henri nook has more than enough pierogis and turkey schnitzel sandwiches to go around here, in addition to sweets like paczki (a Polish doughnut). There’s been a lot of buzz around this new spot, and hey, an endorsement from actor James McAvoy doesn’t hurt either.

Euro Polonia (Pyza)

While commonly looked to for their catering services (under the name Pyza), Euro Polonia is also a no-nonsense Polish eatery that keeps things simple: pierogis, sausages, cabbage rolls, grilled meat sandwiches, or variety plates that mix the aforementioned together. Couple that with a Tymbark fruit drink, and call it a complete Polish meal.