| La Banquise | |
|---|---|
 La Banquise storefront | |
  Location within Montreal | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | May 1968 (1968-05) |
| Food type | Snack bar specializing inPoutine |
| Dress code | Casual |
| Location | 994 Rue Rachel East,Montreal,Quebec, H2J 2J3, Canada |
| Coordinates | 45°31′31″N73°34′30″W / 45.525318°N 73.574951°W /45.525318; -73.574951 |
| Website | labanquise.com |
La Banquise (French pronunciation:[labɑ̃kiz]) is a restaurant inMontreal, Quebec, Canada which specializes in the dish ofpoutine. It serves over thirty different kinds of poutine and is open 24 hours.[1] Its address is 994 Rue Rachel East in the borough ofLe Plateau-Mont-Royal.
La Banquise was founded in 1968 by Pierre Barsalou, afirefighter. It was originally anice cream shop, although it became asnack bar later in the year and served mostlyhot dogs andFrench fries. Poutine was not served at La Banquise until the beginning of the 1980s.[2] Only two types of poutine were served at the beginning, although La Banquise is now known for serving over 30 different varieties. From 1994 to 2023 the restaurant was owned by Barsalou's daughter Annie and her husband Marc Latendresse.[2]
As of November, 2023 the current owners of the restaurant are Jean-Christophe Lirette and Émily Adam of the Restaurant ChainAshton.
On his television program,No Reservations,American chefAnthony Bourdain recommended La Banquise as one of his favourite meals in Montreal.[3]
In theMontreal Mirror'sBest of Montreal Readers Poll 2011, La Banquise won the title ofBest Late Night Eat in addition toBest Poutine.[4]
Ryan Smolkin developed theSmoke's Poutinerie chain after being inspired by La Banquise. Smolkin frequented La Banquise whenever he visited Montreal.[5]
