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Eating poutine is a quintessential part of the Canadian experience, perhaps even more so than seeing a moose or eating a Timbit donut morsel from Tim Hortons.

A sublime combination of fries, cheese and gravy, poutine is one of Canada's truly definitive foods. It pairs well with beer, you can usually get it after a night out (sometimes it's the only thing you can get) and it can easily be shared by a handful of hungry friends with a fistful of forks.

Poutine purists may argue that the highest-grade cheese curds, homemade gravy and fresh-cut fries are the only ingredients that make an authentic poutine.

But Canada is an incredibly diverse nation, home to people from more than 250 ethnic backgrounds, setting the stage for some truly unique poutine experiences. Here鈥檚 our list of the best places to eat poutine in Canada.

A customer puts some ketchup on his poutine at the Toronto Poutine Festival in Toronto, Canada.
Putting ketchup on poutine is definitely a choice and will definitely raise a few eyebrows in Canada 漏 Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

The uniquely Canadian history of poutine

Poutine can trace its origins to rural snack bars in 蚕耻茅产别肠 in the 1950s. Many cafes and restaurants claim to be the ones who first came up with the idea, likely due to their proximity to the Qu茅b茅cois fromageries that produced the cheese curds.

But poutine really found its groove on Canadian menus in the 1990s. Today, even fast-food chains such as McDonald鈥檚 and Burger King have poutine.

Poutine has even gone political, with many Quebecois claiming that defining poutine as a Canadian dish is an act of cultural appropriation since it originates from Quebec. As of 2022, this contentious issue has yet to be resolved.

Closeup of poutine at La Belle Province restaurant in Montreal, Canada
Poutine comes from a term for a messy mixture 漏 Amanda Ahn/Alamy

So what exactly is poutine?

Here is a barebones definition of basic poutine: French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. It may not be beautiful to look at 鈥 in fact, the etymology of the word "poutine" may come from a term for a messy mixture 鈥 but it鈥檚 exactly what Canadians crave in the dead of winter to warm their hearts and bellies. Non-purists add a variety of extra ingredients, including various meaty toppings.

Where to go for poutine

Here is our pick of the top spots to chow down on poutine across Canada.

Le Banquise 惭辞苍迟谤茅补濒, 蚕耻茅产别肠

Best for late-night poutine

Admittedly, this is a 惭辞苍迟谤茅补濒 tourist hot spot, but it鈥檚 well worth checking out. is open 24 hours and it serves over 30 types of poutine (there are plenty of times you can go without waiting in line, like 10pm on a Wednesday).

The memory of the bright yellow and orange exterior will stay with you for days. Le Banquise has operated as a 24-hour snack bar since 1968, so you can be confident that their poutine offering is tested and true.

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Au Pied de Cochon, 惭辞苍迟谤茅补濒, 蚕耻茅产别肠

Best for a high-end poutine experience

If you want to try a high-end version of poutine, (Pig's foot) in 惭辞苍迟谤茅补濒 is the place to go. Their poutine is incredibly rich, with fries cooked in duck-fat and duck-fat gravy thickened with egg yolks and heavy cream, all topped off with a generous helping of foie gras.

This is a great restaurant to try family recipes for regional Qu茅b茅cois cuisine in general, so make sure you go in hungry for the full gastronomical experience.

A take-out order of poutine on a picnic table in Canada
Canada's poutine is so much more than the sum of its parts 漏 P.F.Mayer / Shutterstock

Fritz European Fry House, Vancouver, British Columbia

Best for melty cheese poutine

Open until 4am some nights, is a quick-serve fry shop in Vancouver with award-winning fries and some of the best poutine in Canada, despite its small size and take-out-only dining.

Poutine is usually made with either crispy fries and squeaky curds or soft fries with melty curds and gravy coating every bite; Fritz does poutine the latter way, and the cheese-pull quotient with every bite is glorious.

Le Chic Shack, Quebec City, 蚕耻茅产别肠

Best for unique poutine variations

蚕耻茅产别肠 City's is an elevated diner for burgers, shakes and poutines. Every one of their ingredients is locally sourced and of the highest quality.

Le Chic has three variations of poutine: 鈥淟a Classique鈥 (classic, as the name suggests), 鈥淟a Foresti猫re鈥 (wild mushroom ragout, aged cheddar, cheese curds, shallots, herbs) and 鈥淟a Brais猫e鈥 (ale-braised beef, aged cheddar, cheese curds, pickled onions, horseradish aioli).

奥颈濒濒测鈥檚 Fresh Cut, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Best classic poutine

This is your best stop for classic poutine in eastern Canada 鈥 hand-cut fluffy french fries, squeaky cheese curds and a dependable gravy. in Halifax is a no-frills poutinerie and burger joint, but you can absolutely add frills. "Donair" is one of their most popular combinations, with fried onions, mushrooms, and garlic sauce.

Muslim family eating poutine with forks in Canada
Canada has poutine restaurants aplenty, but the best poutine is often served to go 漏 Habib Sajid / Shutterstock

Whistle Stop Cafe, Peterborough, Ontario

Best for a local poutine experience

Serving no fewer than 100 variations on poutine, with fun names such as "Aku's Big Booty Chicken poutine," the in Peterborough, Ontario, is open 24 hours from Thursday to Saturday (and until 10pm the rest of the week). As a local student hotspot, Whistle Stop is always buzzing with activity. Be sure to try their renowned butter tarts for dessert.

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Nom Nom Nom, Toronto, Ontario

Best food stall poutine

offers a surprisingly large selection (10 poutine varieties) and lots of other French street food such as cr锚pes and croissants.

Many of their ingredients are sourced from 蚕耻茅产别肠 to ensure an authentic experience, but with toppings such as jerk chicken, smoked meat 鈥渟uperdog,鈥 and 鈥渓umberjack,鈥 they still manage to give their poutines a very Toronto customization.

Big Red鈥檚 Poutine Maple Ridge, British Columbia

Best food truck poutine

The poutine at is addictive; if you鈥檙e a regular, you can join their poutine rewards program. The Big Red's food truck drives all over the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland, attending many pop-up events. Despite the mobile setting, everything is fresh and popular variations include "spring roll poutine" and "hamburger poutine."

Poutine with an American flavor at Big T's BBQ in Calgary, Alberta
Poutine with an American flavor, care of Big T's BBQ in Calgary, Alberta 漏 Big T's BBQ

Big T鈥檚 BBQ, Calgary, Alberta

Best American take on poutine

Poutine has even made its way to the USA and Calgary's does poutine in the most American way possible, topped with from-scratch BBQ toppings made with slow-smoked meats and handmade rubs.

This is definitely one of the best places to try a different kind of poutine, such as their pulled pork or smoked brisket. Big T鈥檚 has even been featured on Food Network鈥檚 You Gotta Eat Here, so you probably gotta eat there.

La Belle Patate, Vancouver, British Columbia

Best poutine paired with beer

's ever-changing menu currently includes 32 different poutines, and there's a perfect drinks pairing of Spruce Beer, imported directly from 蚕耻茅产别肠.

This spot is incredibly efficient when it comes to the food turnaround time, so if you're hungry and need a quick poutine fix, this is the place to go. La Belle's most popular poutines include "The Boss" (ground beef, hot dogs, raw onions, BBQ sauce and house gravy) and the "Newfie" (which comes with seasoned breadcrumb stuffing).

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Poutineville 惭辞苍迟谤茅补濒, 蚕耻茅产别肠

Best place to build your own poutine

惭辞苍迟谤茅补濒's is so good it's now a mini-chain, with locations all over 蚕耻茅产别肠 and even one in Ontario.

The build-your-own concept offers plenty of family-friendly fun, and this is the only poutinerie on the list with four different styles of potatoes that you can use as the base of your poutine.

Toppings include melted nacho cheese, blue cheese, marinated eggplant, corn dogs, a 5oz filet mignon steak and a meat-and-tomato sauce instead of gravy (or with gravy 鈥 they don't judge here).

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