Stash Cafe

200 St-Paul Ouest, Vieux Montreal, XX - (514) 845-6611

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Posted By Michael Stern on November 13, 2005 3:45 AM

In Old Montreal around the corner from the awe-inspiring Cathedral of Notre Dame, Stash's is a comfortable Polish bistro with a traditional menu that ranges from beet borscht to bigos (hunter's stew) to chocolate poppy seed cake. It is a polite place with flowers on every table and gracious old-world service, but it is in no way fancy. Seating in the center of the dining room is on benches at long tables, making this a great spot for a small party or family dinner.

Indeed, the food tastes like it was family-made … if your family happened to be a bunch of excellent Polish cooks. We especially liked the potato pancakes, which are available as a main course (but which we ordered as a side dish to split). They are crunchy and golden with creamy insides. Sour cream is the usual companion. Apple sauce is also available. The pierogi were good, too, but not quite as buttery as we like. The showstopper meal was weiner schnitzel, here made the "a la holstein" way, topped with a fried egg. The veal cutlet was tender and moist, its crust wickedly crisp, and its companion shredded pickled beets sweet and earthy.

Dessert choices include various old-fashioned multi-layer poppy seed cakes, nut cake and a choice of delicate strudels: apple and peach.

The variety of ethnic eateries in Montreal is staggering. If you are looking for a meal of Polish comfort food, Stash is a great place to go.

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Posted By Nicole on August 26, 2011 7:45 PM

Based on the Roadfood review of Stash's, my husband and I decided to check it out during our trip to Montreal, and I can tell you that review was spot on. Stash's has great European ambiance and great food, too.

We started with the borscht. I didn't think beet broth could be so good but it was both beety and tangy, and I liked the little flaky poppy square that came with it. Our main entrees were placki (potato pancakes) for myself and pierogis for my husband. We ended up with a bonus entree as well when a misunderstanding led to an order of krokiety being placed on our table. My husband made the executive decision to allow it to remain with us instead of sending it back and it turned out to be absolutely the right call.

The placki were crisp and crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside, and made more delicious with tangy sour cream. The pierogis were delicious, homemade dumplings filled with a variety of meat, potato and cheese, and cabbage. The surprise dish of krokiety was just awesome. These were fried crepes smothered with gravy and filled with tender beef, and they came with a side of delicious potato salad.

I desperately wanted to try one of their desserts but we were both full to capacity. Service was attentive and kind, and the cafe impeccably well-maintained. This is a definite gem in Old Montreal.

Overall Rating

Borscht

Pierogi

Potato Pancakes

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