If there’s one thing Montrealers love to do, it's debating the food that is often praised for putting our city on the culinary map: the holy trinity of bagels, poutine, and smoked meat. Is it Fairmount or St-Viateur for bagels? Schwartz’s or Lester's for a classic smoked meat sandwich? Are you lining up outside La Banquise or hitting up your corner casse-croûte?

But while everyone is busy defending their favourites, the real star has been quietly spinning in the background: It’s time rotisserie chicken gets the respect it deserves, and is recognized as the Montreal dish.

On any given day, a line spills out the front door and onto Rachel Street for Ma Poule Mouillée. | Photograph: Audrey-Ève Beauchamp / @audreyeve.beauchamp

The wishbone of the 514

Rotisserie chicken is the true everyday heartbeat of our city. Think about it: Smoked meat and poutine are iconic, sure, but they’re occasional indulgences; a once-in-a-while experience.

But that simply isn’t the case for rotisserie chicken. It’s a weekend treat, an out-of-town showpiece, or it’s your standby when you simply forgot to take out something frozen to thaw that your partner asked you to get out from the morning. Rotisserie chicken has been feeding this city in ways many of us gloss over: it’s what families pick up after work, what friends pick at together on moving day, and what dinner tables across boroughs have in common, no matter what language is spoken at home.

It’s a no-fuss, low-maintenance meal. It's the kind you can eat in your work clothes, after hockey practice, or straight out of the takeout container, and one that is cross-cultural in nature, so much so that a few Montreal restaurants have transformed into must-try institutions that top the “best of” lists of where to eat in the city.

From Chalet Bar-B-Q and La Lune to Côte St Luc BBQ and Ma Poule Mouillée, there’s nothing more Montreal than the unmistakable smell of rotisserie chicken wafting over our street corners. And there’s a reason Quebec has managed to birth an empire of rotisserie chains such as St Hubert, Scores, and Benny&Co: All of them offer the same element of comfort and simplicity that makes the grease under your fingernails worth it.

La Lune co-chef Marc-Olivier Frappier once told The Main: "It’s not intellectual; it’s just for people who love to eat. There's no tasting menu, it’s generous portions—and I like that."

Rotisserie chicken is part of Montreal’s identity

Unlike bagels and smoked meat, which often come with a side of historic debate and rivalry, rotisserie chicken thrives in our everyday; it transcends class and culture, and has taken on a whole spectrum of delicious variations that only Montreal could inspire.

Portuguese rotisseries brought their smoky charcoal flavour, Greek spots added lemony potatoes and oregano, Quebecois diners leaned into that perfect gravy, and the Lebanese got in on the action by serving rotisserie chicken with a side of garlic sauce.

The result? A culinary dialect that only Montreal could invent, one where piri-piri sauce and coleslaw can share space on the same platter without judgment. That’s why hot spots like Romados and Chalet Bar-B-Q have managed to stand out among the competition, effortlessly embodying that perfect Montreal mix.

And then there’s the sauce: The tangy, peppery, deep brown elixir is practically a love potion. Every rotisserie guards its own secret recipe, and every Montrealer swears their favourite spot makes the best. At Chalet Bar-B-Q , the sauce is pure nostalgia, remaining unchanged since the 1940s (don’t pretend you haven’t downed it straight from the container; everyone has, and everyone’s right to). At Ma Poule Mouillée, it’s all about that spicy kick that clings to the fries and leaves fingerprints of paprika on the table.

It’s not just flavour, it’s feeling

Only in Montreal could roasted chicken inspire such fierce loyalty. But the flavour isn’t all to blame, it’s the feeling, too: Rotisserie chicken offers that sense of comfort and community that seeps into every bite. The way the smell lingers in the car after a takeout run is an aromatic souvenir of the city itself, one that so many Montrealers cherish.

Sure, bagels and smoked meat might win with tourists, but rotisserie chicken wins with the locals, which makes sense considering the dish is a shared experience that spans generations and postal codes. Rotisseries in Montreal tell the story of who lives here, how they eat, and what brings them together.

The next time someone asks what dish defines Montreal, be bold enough to skip the clichés. Tell them it’s rotisserie chicken, and say it with your whole chest. It is the one collective meal that lives in our homes, our takeout bags, and our souls.

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Mike Chaar

Forget Poutine and Bagels, a Real Taste of This City Comes from the Chicken