When signage proclaims that it’s as much a dep as a place to get Chinese food, you know you need to try it. This is one of those proof-of-concept spots where the lower the price goes, the better the food tastes. That said, from tempura shrimps and egg rolls to pad Thai and pad see ew, General Tao, chow mein, and even bowls of pho, it’s all good, and a meal here just barely breaks the $10 mark.

One of the few spots that’s so recognized for its food some would argue it’s barely even a dep. Le Pick-Up brings its owners’ New York roots to the city with a bodega-style spot complete with swivelling stools and outdoor diner tables regularly stacked with clientele. Try the cubanos, chipotle chicken clubs, those grilled halloumi and pulled pork sandwiches everyone orders, burgers, all-day breakfast—and always pull a bottle out of the fridges to go with it.

Since the pandemic, we’ve gotten so used to seeing retail corners in restaurants that we forget we were doing that long before 2020 came around. This grab’n’go comptoir and a wall of Japanese imports has been doing what it does since 2015, and they do it well, pulling together a menu full of maki, hosomaki, nigiri and sashimi, onigiri, poke bowls, and more at cheap and filling prices. Hands down a solid spot for lunch.

This dep from Egyptian owners Michael Mankoura and Sandra Besada is where cultures come together in one entity, serving street food-style dishes you could find on the streets of Cairo—only with a Montreal touch. You want shakshuka? You got it. Slices of cured and spiced basterma steak in a croque-monsieur? Coming right up. A beef-stuffed hawawshi dough pocket? No problem. All that and more at this Jean-Talon Market-adjacent spot.