Restaurant D Lafleur
475 Avenue Lafleur
About
This is as Montreal as you can get. Lafleur's is the city's Casse Crout (burgers and fries) and has been a staple for 50 years. There are now Lafleurs all over the city, so you don't have to go to ground zero, in the somewhat seedy spot where it all began-- nestled under a turnpike in the working class Bourrough of Lasalle-- but if you're looking for an authentic Montreal experience, you can't top a lunch at Lafleurs. Everyone say's their "steamées" (that's a hot dogs, which is made steamed, no one ever says 'chien chaud') are the best dogs around, and in the veggie world, the same is said for their veggie dogs-- best in Montreal. And their fries are legendary. This being Quebec, they take pride in their poutine, and everything even their burgers have vegetarian counterparts. There are Lafleurs all over town-- a charming one just adjacent to the very France-like park, the Carré St. Louis, on Rue Saint Denis, and many downtown. Any Lafleurs will give you a great taste of Montreal and a great alternative to a multinational fast food joint. But hands down, the best way to experience Lafleurs is not only in the original greasy locale in Lasalle, but to get there via canal. The Lachine Canal and bike path begins in Old Montreal at the Old Port and cuts a swath through the city to it's south end. It used to be for commerce, but now its full of pleasure crafts and at the far end is a bird sanctuary, aqueducts and parks, and of course, Lafleurs. About eight kilometers in you will see a number of old trains, a caboose all right on the bike path (one is even converted into a small snack shop). The bike path continues and goes under a bridge, but this is where you get off the path, and take the street, Rue Clemént, a tiny two blocks away from the bridge. This way you can have a Lafleur meal guilt free, and then get back on your bikes and whether you go back downtown or continue out to the lakes and parks, you will be filled up with some Montreal tradition, and ready for more adventures.
