Smoke’s Poutinerie

For what it’s worth I am going to give them 1 star because they are successful in capturing the right audience with their long hours. Late at night… say around 2am and you’re too drunk to comprehend what is food, Smokes is your go-​to joint. Well because you’ve had Mickey D’s for the past 5 nights in a row and nothing else is open besides Chinatown and you don’t want to risk getting shot there.
This poutine is loud, rambunctious, oily, greasy and heavy. You are sure to get that left over grease taste of that frying oil gone bad and fries soggy beyond comprehension. Lots of mediocre cheese, meats and a few sprinkles of greens. Of course all this smothered in a sorry excuse of a gravy but of course to the masses – more is more and more is better than better.
In other words, if you want a delicious poutine then take a pass but if you’re way too drunk and still reading this (probably not drunk enough?) then dive in. In here quantity obviously outweighs quality.

The poutine here is pretty good. I’m not a poutine expert, but I’ve had a poutine a couple of times in Montréal and in Boston, and I thought that this Toronto poutine was similar in quality. There are a lot of choices on the menu, including chicken, pork, beef, steak, and vegetarian. I opted for the triple pork (pulled pork, bacon, and sausage) in the «meal size» ($ 8.99). I was satisfied with my order — a generous portion of fries covered in thick, savory gravy and cheese curds, with a gigantic portion of the three different types of meats on top. I definitely think you get more meat if you order the triple pork as opposed to the double pork or pulled pork only. The bacon was salty and slightly sweet with a maple glaze, the pulled pork was smoky, and the sausage was well-​seasoned. Overall, the poutine was delicious for the first couple of bites but in the end became too rich and fatty to finish. I definitely recommend not ordering anything larger than the meal size — I split the meal size with my friend and that was enough for the both of us. My other friend ordered the wow size and he ended up leaving ²⁄₃ of it unfinished.

Dragged my friend to this place one day after school excited to grab a poutine with her. Having google’d smoke’s poutinerie all week and seeing pictures of everyone elses red plaid boxes I was certain i was in for something great. I got the Regular poutine with bacon on it and rubbed my hands in excitement.
Once our poutines were ready we immediately dug in and I could not have been anymore disappointed. I think it had to do with the potatoes used. They were dry, still had bits of the skin on them and just tasted really bland. I can’t put my finger on what was so bad about it but I am almost certain that it was the fries itself. The bacon was pretty salty but even that I could tolerate. I love poutine and usually finish mine but this one we could not get passed and ended up throwing over ¾ of our not cheap poutine away.
I have had better poutine at Hero Burger than this place…

This was my first trip to Canada as an adult. After 3 nights of celebrating the New Year, I had to try the legendary poutine all my Canuck friends keep talking about. So on my last day, we stopped by Smokes, of which they all spoke of highly. I was not disappointed.
I got the Bacon, which had generous amounts of fries, savory and slightly sweet maple bacon, soft cheese curds, and as recommended, extra gravy. The fries reminded me of the ones at Five Guys, the cheese curds tasted like soft and delicate mozzarella balls, the gravy was thick enough to cover every bite (yet not too thick and starchy) and the bacon was, well, maple bacon is just awesome.
Why we don’t have these in the DC area is beyond me. But it’s probably for the best; I’d gain too much weight going there every day.
Bonus: the joke about Canadians being polite is actually no joke. The woman working there was ever so sweet, and had a smile from start to finish. Next time I hit up Canada, I’ll be going there every chance I get.

Poutine at this popular place is just alright, not the best not the worst. I don’t like how salty their gravy is, I had much better gravy in pub joints where they use beef with the gravy. Much more natural than the super salty gravy smokes use.

Awful. Just awful. Seriously the worst poutine I’ve ever had. Toronto should honestly be ashamed of itself for trying to make poutine in the first place. They just don’t know how.
First off, the girl at the counter was awesome. She was nice. Polite, gave me time to peruse the menu and make my choice. The problem wasn’t with her. The problem was that the fries were dry, overcooked and old. The oil was at a temperature that was too high and was burnt or needed changing and you could taste it in the fries, and those two things ruined the poutine. I’d asked for easy on the gravy so there wasn’t even that to save the meal (which I admit was my doing, but I wasn’t anticipating the other problems).
$ 15 for all that and I threw half of it out.
(Note: I’d been to this location before and the poutine was better, but still not that good. Ditto for all other Smoke’s I’ve been to).
Not worth the trip!

First of all, I walked into this experience thinking that i wasn’t going to like their poutine. Like, I’ve had poutines before. I’ve had carne asada fries which is sorta the same thing. I’ve had fries in gravy before. Sure, all those things are good so coming into Smoke’s I had this preconceived notion that it was going to be good, but there was no way in hell it was going to be great. Well, I WAS WRONG.
Let me back up a bit. It was my first time in Toronto and of course, I’m making my rounds and trying to eat all that I can in a span of 24 hours. I just finished up a fancy tasting menu of 5 course at Canoe. I wasn’t overly stuffed but i was definitely full. My friend and i grabbed cocktails nearby that took up maybe an hour but then she suggested that we had to get poutine because I’m in Canada. Thinking i would try two bites and be done with it, we ordered a medium-​sized (I forget the technical name they call it) pulled pork poutine, and took it home.
We get home, we open up the box and i try a bite. HO-​LY SH*T, that’s good. And what are these white marshmallow looking things? Oh, they’re cheese curds?! What in the world is this deliciousness! So, long story short, we were not hungry and we devoured it.
And now that i am back home, I dream of poutine, and cheese curds.

Wow. Lots of types of poutine and you will be full when you are done. Tastes very good too. Don’t expect to eat healthy there. Your body will hate you but your taste buds won’t care.

Oh, Canada. I’m an American, but I’ve seen the light and life is better in the north. For starters, there’s poutine. Us Americans have been trying to mimic poutine for some years now. There’s even a place in San Francisco making vegan poutine with shiitake gravy and Parmesan topping. No, thank you. And there’s even a Smoke’s in Berkeley now.
But nothing compares the the first Smoke’s I ever visited: the one on Adelaide in Toronto. The classic poutine is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. The fries aren’t too crispy or greasy, the gravy is plentiful, and the cheese curds squeak just so. Service is friendly and there’s even ample seating at this Smoke’s. The bacon cheeseburger poutine is a treat too, albeit a very greasy one. The Montréal smoked meat poutine would be terrific if it were not for the saltiness.
I only wish that the Smoke’s in Berkeley had quality control down as well as this one does. It’s okay, though. All the more reason to visit Canada.

Why 5 stars? Because this was an excellent introduction to poutine.
— — —
Maybe I have had poutine in my life before this, but if I did, it must not have been that memorable. So let’s call this my first experience with poutine.
I knew I was going try some before my less than 24 hour experience in Toronto was done. I felt somewhat forced into choosing Smoke’s, strictly due to convenience. The reviews were underwhelming, but it was conveniently located near Rogers Centre for my post Blue Jays game trek.
The verdict? Amazing Everything I would have hoped french fries piled high with cheese curds and gravy would be. I’ve thought about it ever since.

My second time having poutine. I was craving it ever since the first time I had it, in Montréal (which is where, I believe, it originated). Being from the States, I was slightly disappointed to find that very few places in Toronto served this characteristic Canadian dish and I had to walk quite far to find it. But was worth the effort.
After being introduced to the menu by the friendly clerk, I decided in just a tradition poutine, without any extras. Just gravy and curds on top of french fries. It was everything I could have hoped for.
HOWEVER! The dude never asked me what size I wanted, and gave me a huge portion! Being that I only intended this as a snack before my arranged dinner later in the evening, I was a little pissed off. Plus, it cost more for the larger one, of course.
Otherwise, there was a large chalkboard in the small, fast-​food style establishment, creating potential for fun (or vandalism?) if you go with a group of friends.
Anyway, l just be sure you specify what size you want, and then bask in poutinous glory (hey, if the restaurant owner can make up a word, why can’t I?)

Smoke’s es uno de los restaurantes de poutine más reconocidos en Canadá. Vale la pena visitarlo todas las veces que puedan (y les permita el hígado).
Tienen una amplísima variedad de estilos de poutine: cerdo, panceta, pollo, salchicha y hasta opciones para vegetarianos. Si tienen dudas en cuanto a los tamaños, siempre pregunten o hagan que les muestren la porción. Como regla general, las porciones son más grandes de lo que parecen. Los precios están bastante razonables, sobre todo teniendo en cuenta esto último (alrededor de 8 CAD). Mi poutine preferido es el de panceta. :)
No me gustó la atención que recibí, al menos en este local en Adelaide ST. El personal era lento y no muy amable. Además, no tenían muchas ganas de explicar nada que les preguntabas.
No se olviden de pedir unos stickers de recuerdo cuando se vayan.

There is nothing like a good poutine with classic ingredients, my favourite part has always been the cheese curds. Even tho this place is considered a fast food place, the poutine is very good.
I always get the same thing when I come here, the large classic poutine. There are a few other choices but the text of a good poutine is not how well you can make it different but how well you can keep to the classic recipe. Because it may seem easy to make a good poutine but it should not be. I like that the fries are hand cut here and that there is care that goes into the gravy.
I have been here many times and have always enjoyed the poutine I de finely see my self coming back several times.

Great place when you’re craving poutine. Endless options. We chose the chicken inferno because we didn’t want the heavy bacon options. It was poutine with jalapeños, roasted red peppers and chicken with a touch of sirachia (sp?) sauce. It was delicious but certainly not healthy. A meal size is enough for two people.
The actual place itself reeks of cooking grease so be prepared to take our order to go unless you want to eat it and smell like a greasy spoon kitchen.

Wow. I thought I knew what poutine was but this blew me away with all the options. The regular meal size is more than enough for two, trust me on that. We got 4 meal sizes for the 5 of us and couldn’t finish them as much as we tried. The bbq bacon and mac n cheese is really good, especially when you add hot sauce. The country style is a great twist on a country style chicken meal with peas chicken and more gravy. Really good place but horrible service. Maybe it would be better at late night and not for lunch. The only person working, some depressed looking man didn’t say a thing to us for ten minutes when we were the only ones in the shop. Finally we ordered and the food is great.

I had the meatiest poutine they could offer. It had sausage, bacon, and pulled pork. Needless to say it would be awhile until I try that again but it was amazingly delicious when I was eating it!

As I gazed upon this huge box of Chili Cheese Fries (the Meal size, $ 8.99 for all types on the wall menu) with extra curds ($ 2), I try to give myself more tummy room by giving myself a break to write this review. Also, as I am eating by myself today, I’m going to furiously tap at my phone screen like somebody important or somethin’. Here goes my free-​form ramblings:
This spot by the door is drafty.
Why is it so cold mid-​May?
I blame global warming.
Squeaky, squeaky, these curds.
These «extra» curds amounted to only maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons’ worth.
Eh, it feels like a lot in the tummy anyway.
This stuff is super salty.
Is it the bacon, or is it the fries?
Man, so. Many. Fries.
This gravy is liquidy.
I heard that’s signature of poutine-​authentic, good gravy.
Ha, somebody mistook the spicy Sriracha with ketchup. What a price to pay.
$ 8.99 isn’t exactly cheap for one or two potatoes, but they’re pretty generous with their toppings, so I can’t complain. Ugh, too many fries. I give up.

One of my first experiences of poutine.
Ordered the hog town and it was tasty at first but it started to taste bland after a while. There was a mixture of all kinds of pork like bacon and sausage. Gravy was delicious (if it was on mash potatoes). The toppings just didn’t go well with the fries. Really wanted to like it.

Thanks Smoke’s for popping my friend’s and my poutine cherry. I got the triple pork ($ 9 pre-​tax), which came with pulled, bacon, and sausage. Talk about overload heaven. I didn’t even get to the fries/​gravy and cheese curds until half-​way down the box! It’s certainly zero mystery what had to occur after this meal = major food-​coma-​nap. A bottled coke was the perfect accompaniment to this heavy meal. As if the bubbles somehow allowed extra room in my stomach for more gravy soaked fries.
There area a couple of seats inside. Seems more like a take and leave kind of place as all the orders were ready in a few minutes. No real hints, just try whatever combo sounds good to you!

Wait. I love poutine, and I didn’t even know it until I visited Smoke’s Poutinerie.
I’m from Michigan, which is kind of close to being Canada, but not really. So when I visited my boyfriend’s lovely home town of Toronto for the first time, he had to take me to get poutine.
We got the triple pork poutine (pulled pork + bacon + sausage) and it seriously just blew me away. I mean, I love french fries, I love cheese, I love gravy… Why did it never occur to me I would love poutine?! The portion is quite large for CAD9 – perfect to split between two people for a meal. The gravy was not too salty and the pulled pork was seriously just straight up awesome. The bacon probably could’ve been ab it crispier, but that’s just a small nit.
Now every time I go back to Canada, I make it a point to get poutine from Smoke’s Poutinerie. I even chose to eat here when we went to visit the Niagara Falls!
There’s a lot of variety on the menu, which is awesome. I like how they’re so creative with the options. A lot of poutine that I get in the States just give you fries with gravy and cheese. Another place I went to had pulled pork and other toppings, but was way too salty. Smoke’s Poutinerie manages to balance all the flavors just right.
The restaurants themselves are very casual and friendly. The staff has always been stellar (but really, who in Canada isn’t friendly?). Definitely recommend all my American friends to try out Smoke’s Poutinerie, and yes, I’m okay being super American about how much I love this.

As many Unilocalers who follow my reviews know, I have a thing for poutine. It is one of those perfect drunk/​junk foods: starchy, greasy, fatty, delicious.
I’ve been wanting to try Smokes ever since I heard that they existed, and one happened to be in walking distance of the HHOF, so I suggested it to Lee, and off we went.
Now, I am of course still a Dumb American and I haven’t even had «real» (Montréal) poutine yet. So you’ll have to take my review of this sort of thing with a grain of salt.
This place is in a walkup above a Burrito Boyz, so if you’re hungry, you are going to be faced with a dilemma. This was no problem for me, but it might be for you.
Anyway, once you head inside and brave the angry door (it liked to randomly slam whenever someone entered or exited) you are faced with what I like to refer to as The Tyranny of Choice.
What kind of poutine do you want to get? You can get traditional (what Lee got) or select from a ton of different choices, ranging from Philly Cheesesteak to simple bacon (what I got) or pulled pork, or vegetarian.. . or or or or or or
You see what I mean, right? You could go weekly and probably never have the same poutine twice in a year.
And it is excellent. Fries and good gravy and squeaky cheese.
This place gets points off for the cashier bailing on us as soon as we put in our order and not giving me my water, leaving me dying, and also for having rolled up floor mats stored on one of the benches, making it somewhat difficult to get a good seat.
All around delicious though, and I’d definitely go back.

Die Kanadier lieben ihre franko-​kanadische Erfindung: Pommes mit Bratensauce und Käse. Bei Smoke’s Poutinerie kann man ca. 20 Varianten des Klassikers ausprobieren. Wir hatten einmal die Nacho Veg. Also die klassische Poutine aber mit vegetarischer Soße und Salsa, Guacamole, jalapeños und crème fraîche. Herrlich. Beim zweiten mal hatten wir die Chili Cheese Poutine: chili con carne und cheddarsoße. War ganz ok. Das Chili war etwas fad. Aber sonst ganz ordentlich. Zu empfehlen ist die Montréal Poutine bei Smoke’s: klassische Poutine mit geräucherten Rindfleischsteakscheiben und einer Essiggurke. Freunde von uns hatten Phillysteak variante und waren auch sehr zufrieden. Smoke’s hat als kleiner Laden für die Partyganger in Toronto angefangen und soviel Popularität erlangt, dass sie sich in der Stadt zu einer Kette ausweiten. Auf jeden Fall mehrere Besuche wert. Und für sowohl Fleischliebhaber und Vegetarier geignet.