Established 1932 | Dress code Casual | |
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Street address 34 Fairmount Avenue West | ||
Wilensky's Light Lunch (casse-croûte Wilensky), better known as just Wilensky's is a lunch counter located at 34 Fairmount Avenue West in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened in 1932 by Moe Wilensky, the restaurant was immortalized in Mordecai Richler's novel, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. Scenes in the film version of the book were shot in the restaurant.
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Wilensky's is most famous for its Special: a grilled beef salami and beef bologna sandwich with mustard on a kaiser roll, pressed flat from the grill — mustard is compulsory, as a sign in the restaurant announces. Though recognized as part of Montreal's Jewish community the restaurant is not kosher. Their soft drinks are still mixed by hand.
History
The restaurant was originally located at the corner of St. Urbain and Fairmount Street in the city's Mile End district. It moved to its current location in 1952 and is currently run by the founder's widow Ruth Wilensky, his son Asher and daughter Sharon.
Wilensky's Special
The famous Wilensky's special sandwich is a grilled bologna sandwich. It was included in Travel + Leisure magazine's May 2012 edition's list of the Best Sandwiches From Around the World. It was also featured in the second episode of The Mind of a Chef PBS series with Anthony Bourdain and David Chang.