The Montreal Pool Room is a well-known and well-regarded

greasy spoon A greasy spoon is a small, cheap restaurant – either an American diner or coffee shop, or a British or Irish cafe – typically specializing in fried foods or home-cooked meals. The term ''greasy spoon'' has been used in the United States sinc ...

restaurant, located in the city's former red-light district on

Saint Laurent Boulevard Saint Laurent Boulevard, also known as Saint Lawrence Boulevard (officially in french: boulevard Saint-Laurent), is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A commercial artery and cultural heritage site, the street runs north–south through ...

, in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The restaurant has been open since 1912 (registered 1921) and is known for its "underground allure", described by some as being a "seedy goodness". Though called a " pool room" by name, it no longer has a

pool table A billiard table or billiards table is a bounded table on which cue sports are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables (whether for carom billiards, pool, pyramid or snooker) provide a flat surface usually made of quarried slate, that ...

Offerings

The restaurant's primary offerings are: * Montreal hot dog: Steamé (steamed bun with steamed hot dog) or toasté (toasted bun with grilled hot dog) * French fries: plain or as a

poutine Poutine () is a dish of french fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy. It emerged in Quebec, in the late 1950s in the Centre-du-Québec region, though its exact origins are uncertain and there are several competing claims regarding it ...

Gallery

Montreal steamie hotdog.jpg, Two hot dog steamé Interior of pool room, Montreal, QC, 1925-26 (5349362778).jpg, Interior of pool room, 1925

History

The Montreal Pool Room, founded in 1912 by Dako Filipov, a Bulgarian immigrant, is reputed to serve some of the best steamed hot dogs and "patates frites" in the city. Despite its name, it is no longer a functioning pool room, with the restaurant's

pool tables A billiard table or billiards table is a bounded table on which cue sports are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables (whether for carom billiards, pool, pyramid or snooker) provide a flat surface usually made of quarried slate, that ...

long gone:

The only remaining evidence of its former billard hall status, aside from the name, are two boarded up tables now used for counterspace in the otherwise table-free eatery.

The Montreal Pool Room was burned down by a fire in 1989, which according to some destroyed its original interior and had to be rebuilt. The establishment was one of several businesses on the strip resisting attempts to redevelop and gentrify the area, which is located within the new Quartier des Spectacles. In March 2010, the restaurant announced that it was moving nearby to make room for new developments in the district. Since then, it has moved across the street.

References

1912 establishments in Quebec Hot dog restaurants in Canada Restaurants established in 1912 Restaurants in Montreal Downtown Montreal Quartier des spectacles {{Canada-restaurant-stub

Offerings

Gallery

History

See also

References