As most of our Canadian readers know, there is one culinary masterpiece that is distinctly Canadian—poutine. There has been a bit of confusion about poutine lately. One restaurant in Dublin was boycotted because people thought the restaurant was serving a dish named after Putin. You can read about that here: Poutine or Putin?
Just to set the record straight—poutine is a glorious, to-die-for comfort food. In the U.S., it is often pronounced “poo-teen.” The correct pronunciation, as this writer points out, is “pootan” with emphasis on the “poo.” So you can see how the uninitiated might mistake it for the autocrat in Russia.
I have to admit that I am a connoisseur of all things comfortable, including comfort food. Here in the U.S., that means mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, and In-N-Out burgers. In Canada, the gooey, flavorful and comforting food that tops the list is poutine. Invented in Quebec, it is a glowing mass of french fries and cheese curds smothered in gravy. There are many variations, but this is the traditional way.
Finding poutine in the U.S.
Where do you find poutine—and I mean good poutine— in the U.S.? I did a bit of research and have a list of a few places that I plan to visit on my road trips. Working my way west to east, here’s what I found:
- Seattle, WA – The Angry Beaver. Now this is my kind of place! It is a restaurant/bar dedicated to hockey and poutine.
- Gilbert, AZ – The American Poutine Co. Food truck and delivery only. I don’t know if poutine can rightly be called “American,” but this menu looks awesome!
- Denver, CO – Au Feu Brasserie. Mostly a French brasserie, but it does have poutine on the menu.
- Austin, TX – Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden. This place will crash any diet you are on. The menu is laden with comfort food.
- Detroit, MI – Brooklyn Street Local. Located in Corktown. Poutine and other good comfort foods.
- Ft. Lauderdale/Dania Beach, FL – Dairy Belle. Owned by Quebecois ex-pats, it has a huge menu.
- Brooklyn, NY – Mile End Deli. They even have poutine Olympics!
- Portland, ME – Duckfat Frites Shack. With a name like that, it must be good!
Heading to La Belle Province?
Now, if you are up in Maine, you might consider taking a trip north to neighboring Quebec and Montreal. Timing it to hit “La Poutine Week” would be a bonus! (Missed it for 2022, unfortunately.) There is a long list of excellent poutine restos, but here are two to get you started:
- La Belle Province – A chain featuring poutine, smoked meat and other great comfort foods. There are many locations throughout Quebec.
- Montreal – La Banquise. Considered by many to be the best poutine restaurant in Canada, it has a huge selection. Located in metro Montreal. This is a restaurant I have eaten at and I highly recommend it.
There is a new option from a website called Goldbelly. Goldbelly ships food from many high-end restaurants to your door and one of those restaurants is Poutine Bros. Say no more!
If you know of a good place to get good poutine, please share here in the comments or on my Forum here.
Bon appétit!
##RVT1044
Hi,
you need my category, Yes I’ve had it, was good but not loved it good.
I agree with you!
For the best poutine ,Resto Belgo, St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec. They make 22 kind of poutine from regular to pull pork. best in the province.
I have put it on my list!
You can get Poutine just about anywhere in Canada not just Qubec. Winnipeg, Manitoba has a very large French population so the poutine is excellent and very popular plus very filling.
Yes, I first tasted poutine in Vancouver, BC.
Surprisingly, one of the best poutines in Canada can be found at Costco!
I have not tried the poutine there. Thanks for the tip!
Beavertails food truck in Arkansas sells Poutine. Only place around our area that I know of to get it. Good stuff! Also love the Beavertails pastries themselves. And a wonderful couple, Bev and Greg Linger who run the food truck.
Oh! Beavertails are another Canadian comfort food. Delicious. Also, maple syrup lollipops where they drip the syrup in a bed of snow and collect it on a stick! Yum.
This is hysterical. Made poutine last night for supper. The most essential ingredient is very fresh cheese curds. Excellent camping dish. Don’t ask for my recipe because I make it a little different every time.
Also known as Heart Attack On A Plate.!
I discovered poutine in British Columbia while on our Alaska trip a few years ago and loved it. Last time I had a version of it (good) was at the Moab Brewery in Moab, UT, but the last time I was there they no longer served it, maybe due to their reduced Covid menu.
Just what I need. More luscious-sounding stuff that is not good for me. But now I will search it out. I MUST have it at least once!!!
I’ve only heard of it from friends that were from New Orleans. Never had it. Don’t know that I want it.
You didn’t mention Michigan’s UP. Many places serve it.
Culver’s https://www.culvers.com/ is a chain of fast food restaurants with Cheese Curds, fries, and gravy. Not on the menu but they will make Poutine for you.
Also Delaney’s Bar and Grill · 2249 North 3rd, Springfield, IL 62702 near the Statefair Campground not on the menu but will serve it. Pretty good.
Had it about 6 times on my 2017 trip across Canada. First place had it real salty and had to stop after about 2/3s of it.
If you are near Springfield IL, the local meal keeping the local restaurants open is the Horseshoe Sandwich https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_sandwich . Basically a plain meat sandwich but instead of a top bun covered with cheese fries and eaten with a fork. Also available in Austin Texas and scattered restaurant.
Thanks Mike! I have added those to my list. The Horseshoe sandwich sounds divine.
It’s actually pronounced “puts-in”. It’s French Canadian. And it’s only legit if they use squeaky cheese. 😉