5 Montreal dépanneurs worth eating at

Deps are Montreal’s unsung heroes: They’re comrades, helping us grab one last beer or pack of smokes for the night, and they’re commissaries for our recipe’s missing ingredients. They’re pharmacists for painkillers and condoms. They’re often our most reliable neighbours, and they can make for pretty good friends.

The term ‘dépanneur’ means "to help out of difficulty" or "troubleshoot" in Québécois French, so it stands to reason that they’re going to be able to be restaurants, too. Even with all of our city’s places to eat, a dep can be as good a place as any—sometimes better—for Montrealers to be able to get a quick snack until street vendors make another comeback.

From spots that make a more-than-decent sandwich to complete meals on the cheap, we’ve pulled together a list of the best depanneurs worth eating at.