Montreal is set to lose yet another culinary institution after Quebec Smoked Meat announced it will close its doors this summer.
The deli, which is nestled in the city’s southwestern Pointe-Saint-Charles neighbourhood, will only continue to operate until the end of June. Owner Richard Nower confirmed the impending shutdown Friday.
“We would like to thank you for your support during these many years,” Quebec Smoked Meat wrote in a Facebook post earlier this week, saying the decision comes with “mixed emotions.”
The family-run business has been serving up smoked meat and other fare prepared by hand since 1950; it proudly boasts it offers service in not only English and French, but Ukrainian, Polish and Russian as well.
Long-time patron Steve Ruttick described the closure as a “big loss for the city and the community.” Quebec Smoked Meat is not only a great place, he said, it also gives him a reason to come visit Pointe-Saint-Charles and discover other local businesses.
“This is the end of an era,” Ruttick said. “It’s extremely sad — best smoked meat in town.”
The deli is “irreplaceable,” he added, and one that he has been going to for generations.
“I’m going to really miss this place. I just wish something would change and it would be able to carry on.”
Quebec Smoked Meat will be open for a few more weeks for anyone wishing to make a final visit. Its last day is June 30.
The announcement follows the loss of another decades-old deli earlier this week.
The Main Deli steakhouse on St-Laurent Boulevard suddenly shuttered after nearly 50 years, with white paper plastered against its windows. The closure prompted an outpouring of messages from gutted customers, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.