Cafe Santropol, 3990, Rue St Urbain, Montreal Quebec Restaurant Review

Café Santropol

Homemade pumpernickel & rich vegetarian sandwiches

Photo by This is Why We're Fat

I do the vegetarian thing every now and then when I want to eat healthy. Gasp. Did I lose some of you already? It’s not that bad. And if anything, it makes me appreciate meat all the more. I mostly go meatless at home so I’m not even going to pretend like I know where to find the best vegetarian spots in town. But I’ll tell you about one place I’m okay with, Café Santropol.

Set on the corner of Saint-Urbain and Duluth Ouest, Café Santropol has been around since the 70s, and judging from the crowd at all times of the day, still going strong. They have meat products on the menu, but I bet vegetarian sandwiches are their biggest draw. Santropol bread – wonderful, homemade pumpernickel – is used universally, and you have to love cream cheese because it’s in everything. Salad comes on the side because [insert sarcasm] there’s not enough of it in the vegetarian sandwich…

Lots of clients are hot for the Killer Tomato ($9.00). And you know what? It’s actually good. It starts with two 1-inch thick slabs of Santropol bread, each generously smeared with a harmony of cream cheese, sundried tomatoes, basil and garlic. They’re brought together with crisp romaine lettuce and juicy tomato slices at the center, the final product towering high. I like the bread, it’s fluffy and fresh but the crust is really hard. Leaving it behind is not an option, so I tear it off and eat it separately.

About the author - Erika is a proud Montrealer whose obsession with food borders on insanity. That along with Montreal’s culinary diversity fuel her blog, This is Why We’re Fat. With a big appetite and a very open mind, nothing is off limits. It’s only a matter of time before she eats her way through the entire city!