Penguin Pizza in Brigham Circle. The owners used to have a second restaurant across the street called Grub, that was a poutine shop. Sadly it closed, but at least they still have a good poutine on the menu over at Penguin.

I have had tasty disco fries or “poutine” in the US, but never real squeaky curds outside of Canada. Sometimes the cheese is much fancier and I’d imagine more expensive, but not real fresh curds. Curious if anyone who has spent much time in Canada can vouch for anywhere in town.

Foundry on Elm in Davis Square

You’ve named the ones I know in Boston.

If you’re ever in Portland (which is a fun day/weekend trip I would recommend) Duck Fat makes some fantastic poutine among other things.

/checks spreadsheet

Okay, so...

Saus is the best - and IMO better than most places in Canada. However there's two locations that are very different.
The one in Somerville's Bow Market is Vegetarian. So they use mushroom gravy & vegan cheese. The one Downtown is for meat-eaters & they also serve awesome chicken sandwiches & burgers.

Elephant & Castle is classic poutine, as traditional as it gets. If I recall correctly, they also had an Indian Butter-Chicken Poutine as well which is delicious.

The Porter Cafe in West Roxbury has "Quebecoise Poutine" on their menu. Quite ideal with a beer.

Trident Book Cafe has it - but I haven't had it.

Boston Burger Company has it on their menu, but I haven't tried it either.

Roxy's does Poutine Tots. Scratches an itch, but not quite right.

Double Chin does Peking Duck Fries which they call 'Poutine for your Mouth'. It's not quite Poutine, but it's a great overall menu and open until 4AM on Fridays and Saturdays.

Something similar I enjoyed was Shadowless Fries at Shojo.

There used to be other places that served it but are now permanently closed - like The Gallows or the temporary Air Canada Poutinerie. Saloon and JM Curley used to have it, but no more.

Edit: If you're ever in Portland ME, go to Duckfat. Make a special trip if you have to.

Their poutine was surprisingly excellent.

Just want to say avoid Baramor. They were terrible.

Side note: all the poutine I had in Ontario had cheese curds too, so this is not only a Quebec thing.

> better than most places in Canada

As a Canadian, I respectfully disagree.

Even the poutine at Costco in Canada is better than Saus's in my humble opinion. Either location.

But since you clearly have sampled your poutine, I may have to go today to do some further research.

>Even the poutine at Costco in Canada is better than Saus's in my humble opinion. Either location.

Fellow Canadian chiming in here, maybe I'm being nostalgic but Harvey's poutine holds a special place in my heart.

You’re not wrong. Saus is subpar.

Let’s franchise a Smokes!

From my experiences - Canadians tends to prefer fast food style (like Chez Ashton or Harvey's) whereas in the States, poutine leans gastropub style (like your Frite Alors or Poutine Centrale).

I prefer the gastropub style, so Saus hits my sweet spot. Like, I also enjoy the stuff you find in a gas-station Dairy Queen or something - but it's a different class.

While I'm not Canadian, I grew up in Upstate NY and spent a lot of long weekends in Quebec. I still make a pilgrimage to Au Pied de Cochon like ever other year.

Go Bruins!

Man I miss Grub sooooo much... RIP

Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown ain’t bad. Otherwise the boardwalk at Old Orchard Beach in Maine has legit squeaky poutine

Only place in the US I've had fresh curds is Wisconsin, but they don't do poutine. They do have batter-fried curds, which are excellent.

Boston Burger Company poutine is completely skippable, not worth trying.

I definitely second Saus as the best poutine in Boston, but it would be bottom tier for Canada. They don't use near enough gravy, so the first quarter is pretty good poutine and then you just have a tray of fries.

Silvertone in DTX does it.

If you actually have a poutine spreadsheet, I just want you to know that you are a goddamn hero.

I love these local pride takes you get in r/Boston sometimes about food. Saus is fine but it is objectively not better than most places in Canada lol. Next you'll be telling us that santarpios is world class pizza.

This is the way.

I always find it strange that with the abundance of fresh curds everywhere in that state, poutine is impossible to come by.

By way of indicating the level of French presence in Wisconsin, know that one of Milwaukee's summer festivals is called "Bastille Day Mardi Gras."

Damn have people had good experiences with Baramor? It was the most disappointing poutine I’ve had in the Boston area. They used the wrong kind of cheese and the fries were mediocre.

All-Star Sandwich Bar in Inman has poutine. I really like it but the curds don’t squeak. I’ve had Montreal poutine a bunch and I guess I wouldn’t say it’s exactly like that but it’s still pretty tasty. Out of the somewhat limited options in the area I think it’s at least worth checking out. Their sandwiches are dynamite so worst case scenario, you get a delicious sandwich and poutine that is very enjoyable.

That’s just a theme day in a bigger festival, but it’s still hilarious when you put it that way.

FYI - per the spreadsheet, Duckfat in Portland ME is where you want to go.

Canadian definitely needs to be subdivided into "lived in Quebec" vs "never lived in Quebec".

It's a regional dish with regional expectations. Someone from Edmonton can put in a Canadian vote, but not a poutine heritage one.

Everyone's a critic.

For me, being in Canada adds to a better experience - and better food memories. I totally enjoy poutine more when I travel. But if I account for those biases - I believe Downtown Saus would win in a blind tasting for it's class. It's okay to disagree. :)

For the record - I live near Santarpio's and think it's overcooked and poorly assembled trash. Dough is meh too. There's a good pizza somewhere in there, because the sauce is super garlic forward (which I like) - but it's never come together right. It's still a fun place to go to every now and then for cheap drinks & lamb. I appreciate there's a lot of Bostonians that grew up with it and cherish it, but I didn't and don't.

IMO - Ciao makes the best pizza in the area, and would be a solid contender for 'world class'. Followed by Ernesto's. Though - I love the American-Neapolitan styles best.

Secessionists vs. non-secessionists? Vive le Quebec libre?

Beehive used to have a late night poutine menu, which had traditional Québecois and other variations. I’ve been to Montreal and found it to be just as good - not sure if they still do it though.

That's on my short list. I wonder if New England's Tap House Grille in Hooksett NH is on your spreadsheet. The gravy is sublime.

Veggie Galaxy

• Their vegetarian version has the cheese curds.

• Their vegan version has a nutritional yeast-based cheese sauce.

I've tried both, and I think the vegan version is objectively tastier. I order it literally every time I go there.

Moi non plus. Vive le Canada!

Do you have a spreadsheet for other Canadian delicacies?

Ketchup chips - so far I've only found a handful, sometimes at Market basket or other grocery stores. Would so love to find some Lay's Ketchup chips tho, those things are the best.

Cheese curds in general - to make homemade poutine and just eat squeaky cheese. I've only found NY and Wisconsin versions which are so not the same as some OG Canadian cheese curds.

There's gotta be some other stuff too, it's just been so long since I've been up there that I'm forgetting all the goodies they got.

Poutine at McDonald's and Burger King up in Quebec, Canada blows a lot of these places out of the water. So sad, can't some fast food joint just clone it already. 😥

[deleted]

None of the American cheese curds I've found squeak. I've tried various ones from Market Basket and other grocery stores made in NY and Wisconsin. They're all not watery enough I think, they're dry balls of cheese masquerading as cheese curds.

There's gotta be a place around here somewhere that sources true Quebec based cheese curds 🤔 I just haven't found one yet.

Not Boston but there used to be a place in Bridgewater named “Montreal French Fries” about a decade ago. Probably the best poutine I’d ever had. Small venue ran by a Canadian guy. Miss that place.

D'accord! Moi aussi.

I don't have a spreadsheet for other Canadian delicacies. I only made one for Poutine 'cause I organized a food crawl for my friends.

With that in mind, I don't like Ketchup Chips. But I know that Market Basket carries Humpty Dumpty chips, a Canadian brand - and I've bought the All Dressed chips before. The MB in Chelsea (my local one) definitely has a few styles. And it makes me nostalgic for Decarie all-dressed hot dogs in Mtl... excellent drunk food :)

I usually get my diary at Wegman's if I can, as it mostly comes from Upstate New York cows and I like to support my ol' homeland.

I wouldn't know if there is a specific difference in the curds between our country and Canada's - but there will be a difference in brands. So I guess keep trying different brands until you find what you like? Otherwise, you'll just have to order online.

There's Turenne Bagels in Union Square for Montreal-Style. Though I prefer New York Style bagels. Same when it comes to Smoked Meat Sandwiches v Pastrami.

Other goodies.. umm.. BeaverTails, I guess? But it's fried dough and I don't seek that out.

The Air Canada Poutine place was unreal

The Loft in North Andover has poutine. Not worth the drive. ….

Greater Boston but the Scotty dog in Beverly has poutine on the menu, closed for the season tho

Lulus used to have a duck confit poutine that was out of this world but they took it off the menu 😭

Oh, man... I haven't been to Au Pied de Cochon since the summer before the pandemic and now I'm suddenly desperate for it.

Honestly, it’s my favorite restaurant anywhere in the world. Maybe not the best restaurant, but their signature dish is a deeply emotional experience, incredibly rich and complex, and I’ve never had anything quite like it. It’s definitely a Last Meal kind of place.

FYI Roxy's does poutine on fries now too - I think it's a new menu addition.

Foundry in Davis has poutine as well. It's okay, it scratches the itch. Enjoyed it much more than Roxy's in that regard.

[deleted]

I totally agree on BBC. My ex is French Canadian and I’ve become very picky about my poutine. Honestly, I just make it at home now because I can do a high gravy to fry ratio.

If you’re in a bind, I’ve found cheese curds at Target and Market Basket, IIRC. Packet of brown gravy and frozen fries. It definitely curbs my cravings between trips to Montreal.

That totally explains it. Thanks ha.

Yeah I've found those, but they don't squeak (another commenter explained that) and I've yet to find really good poutine gravy. There's some stuff we'd get up in Quebec that was amazing; I think a fried chicken place made it. Gotta Google it and see if I can order some or find it around here somewhere.

You could just cannonball it - what is it, four hours to La Banquise?

Oh totally, it’s definitely not the same. I guess I’m willing to deal because I’m not a picky poutine eater as long as it doesn’t have white gravy or cheese or some imposter shit

The Air Canada pop-up was awesome.

Exactly what's wrong with almost all the options down here. Poutine is supposed to be a sloppy mess that I got from the rink snack bar for $1.50 while waiting for my sister's game to finish.

St Hubert’s gravy and you can get it on Amazon

Idle Hour in Quincy Center.

Ah yes this is the one! Thanks 😁

You’re welcome. My mother brings me cans of it whenever she comes back from visiting family. Lucky for me, I can find cretons around here rather easily.

>Double Chin does Peking Duck Fries which they call 'Poutine for your Mouth'.

I think you might be mixing up two different menu items? The Peking Duck Fries are a different thing from the "Poutine" Your Mouth (which is waffle fries, "kimcheese", and furikake with an optional fried egg).

You might be right.