UPDATE Feb 11 2009

Serre Picasso has closed its doors, for more information on this check out a special post on it here.

Kicking it old skool

The 411

All the way in NDG on St Jacques street, surrounded by motels and next to a strip joint, Picasso’s is one place you would never consider walking into; unless you are using one of the other 2 fine establishments previously mentioned, or you are familiar with the legend that is Picasso’s. Any Montrealer at one point or another has heard of Picasso’s with its 24 hours, 7 days a week breakfast for a fair price. It is a veritable landmark where people will come in at all hours to eat and it’s one of the few places in the city where you can eat breakfast at 3 A.M.

At 1st glance

Now don’t get me wrong, this is no fine dinning establishment nor does Picasso’s try to imply that. It is what it is, a greasy spoon where hungry people and drunk après clubbers will come to. The 24 hour aspect is amazing because sometimes when you have a midnight craving for bacon and eggs you now have a place to feed your need. The decor is not fancy at all; you will see zizagy short order counters and the tables spread out everywhere. The place is pretty big with capacity at 480 people. One thing to remember is that the washrooms are to the right of the entrance and are not easily visible.

Food

The portions are heaping and you will leave nice and stuffed. The options are fair and the food is classic breakfast so don’t expect crazy fusion combos of eggs and saffron because you will not find it here. The menu is best summed up in 2 words: “old school”. Each plate comes with a bottomless cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice. The classic pancake stack known as the “Picasso warning it’s too much” ($9.95) plate consists of 6 pancakes, comes with home fries (mashed) and choice of sausage, bacon or ham. The portion is heaping, taste is good, potatoes could have been more mashed and my one issue is that the pancakes in the next plate (“Blueberry Hill”) are larger than in this one but you can’t go wrong with all that food for under $10. The “Blueberry Hill” ($9.75) is the same as the previous plate, although the pancakes have a larger diameter and the blueberries are a nice touch. The “Belgian Waffle” ($8.95) with fruit ($10.45) is ok, nothing special, and the fruit on top is fresh but not really varied, but like I said before don’t expect anything fancy. The prices are fair; you can get a French toast plate for $8.95 and omelets are $8.45. Avoid ordering the juice glass and plate sharing; they charge $2.25 for what is basically Tropicana and as well there is a $1.50 fee for sharing your plate.

Service

Service is good; refills were frequent, the bill came on time and our waitress was prompt and pleasant.

Vegetarian

Most plates are Veg friendly as long as you ask them to hold the meat; if you are looking for vegan options this may not be the place for you.

Wrap up

This no nonsense Montreal classic is worth a drop by if it’s either at 3 AM or if you’re really hungry and a regular place just won’t cut it. It is filling and cheap, no frills but you know that going in. I should note that although I do mark it as wheelchair accessible it only has a ramp to get in, the washrooms do not have wheelchair stalls and there are no automatic doors.

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Price	$$	<$10
Overall		3/5
Wheelchair Access		1/3

Outside

Blueberry Hill ($9.75)

Waffle with fruit ($10.45)

6 pancake stack ($9.95)

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