I’d walked past Dunn’s many times and finally decided to give it a try. I’ve only had montreal smoked meat once before, so it’s a bit difficult to compare or evaluate the quality or authenticity.
I understand that Dunn’s is a chain of smoke meat sandwich restaurants in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, and that this is the first location in western Canada.
From the outside, the restaurant doesn’t look like a sandwich shop. The multiple TV screens, the servers attire, the full service bar (and the menu) make this place feel more like a “pub”.
I was seated immediately at a small window table and presented a menu. Beyond sandwiches, the menu also offers a varied pub menu of chicken strips, nachos, potato skins, soups, salads, burgers, pasta, steak entrees, and chicken entrees.
But since Dunn’s is known for smoked meat, that was the way I had to go. I ordered the smoked meat sandwich combo with the soup of the day. Service was blindingly quick. I don’t think I waited more than five minutes before my order arrived.
The soup of the day was tomato florentine. It’s a pretty good soup, rich, and properly seasoned.
The coleslaw seemed to be pretty good. It appears to be freshly prepared, and dressed with a vinaigrette, rather than mayonnaise, making it crisp and clean, rather than creamy. I’m not a fan of pickles, so I didn’t eat it.
The smoked meat sandwich (I chose the “medium” cut, as opposed to the “lean” or “fat”) arrived hot. It’s a tasty sandwich, the smoked meat has a nice cure to it, and very tender. The light rye has a nice chew with a lightly developed sourdough flavour.
