Chenoy's () is a

Jewish delicatessen A Jewish deli, also known as a Jewish delicatessen, is a store that serves various traditional dishes of Jewish cuisine, mostly Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. Known for their robust sandwiches, such as pastrami on rye and Reuben sandwiches, they also ...

and

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

that first opened in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, in 1936. It was originally known for offering the

Montreal-style smoked meat Montreal-style smoked meat, Montreal smoked meat or (mainly in Quebec) simply smoked meat (French: ''viande fumée'', ''smoked meat'', or sometimes ''bœuf mariné'', literally "marinated beef") is a type of kosher-style deli meat product mad ...

sandwich. Chenoy's first opened in the old Jewish neighbourhood on the Main, close to Rue Marie-Anne. The oldest remaining Chenoy's deli is in

Dollard-des-Ormeaux Dollard-des-Ormeaux (; commonly referred to as D.D.O. or simply Dollard) is a city and a predominantly English-speaking suburb of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is the most populous suburb on the Island of Montreal. The town was na ...

opened in 1974 by Morty Chenoy and brothers Nick and Costa Sigounis.

History

Like other great Montreal delis (

Schwartz's Schwartz's, also known as the Schwartz's Deli and the Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen, is a Jewish delicatessen restaurant and take-out, located on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was established in 1928, by Reuben Schwart ...

Dunn's Dunn's Famous Deli and Steakhouse is a chain of Jewish delis serving Montreal-style smoked meat, pastrami and cheesecake founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Myer Dunn. The chain currently has locations in Montreal, and one in Ottawa. Hist ...

), Chenoy's first opened in the old Jewish neighbourhood on the Main (

Saint Laurent Boulevard Saint Laurent Boulevard, also known as Saint Lawrence Boulevard (officially in ), is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A commercial artery and cultural heritage site, the street runs north west–south east through the near-centre of ...

), close to Rue Marie-Anne. As times changed, the deli would move and be franchised. From Chenoy's history:

"...in 1936 we lost the key... The original (4) "Chenoy Boys" had been doing Deli right since 1936. Our story starts in a small local of St.Laurent Boulevard... now over 75 years later we're still turning out our Famous Smoked-Meat from all areas of the city! Their specialty was Smoked-Meat, but the new owners haven’t stopped at that!... from bacon & eggs, to filet mignon.... Chenoys is the place to grab a bite for whatever you might like. The only problem is in 1936 we lost the key... so we’ve been working 25 Hrs a day, 365 days a year ever since to serve you! The illustration on the cover depicts the original location of Deli Chenoys in 1936, then located on St. Laurent Boulevard, near Marianne Street. From its humble origins to modern times, our success has gone through several decades and generations, but one thing has remained the same...."

Chenoy's would later franchise delis, in

Lasalle, Quebec LaSalle () is the most southerly borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located in the south-west portion of the Island of Montreal, along the Saint Lawrence River. Prior to 2002, it was a separate municipalit ...

, at 7660 Newman Boulevad; in

Brossard Brossard ( , , ) is a municipality in the Montérégie region of Quebec, Canada and is part of the Greater Montreal, Greater Montreal area. According to the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, Brossard's population was 91,525. It shares powers with ...

, on

Taschereau Boulevard Taschereau Boulevard is a major suburban boulevard located on the south shore of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is a section of Quebec Route 134 and runs from Longueuil to Candiac (junction of Autoroute 15). It is named after the prominent Quebe ...

; and in Chomedey, in Laval, on Boulevard Curé-Labelle, have closed since 2017. The last family member to be an owner was the late Mortimer (Morty) Chenoy. A Chenoy's franchise opened in

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, directly across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region of Quebec and is also p ...

in 1997 on Boulevard de l'Hôpital, in Complexe Lumière (aka "Cinema 9"). It was closed in 2019 and rebranded as part of the ''Nickels'' deli chain.

Restaurants

The oldest remaining Chenoy's deli is in

, on Boulevard Saint-Jean, which opened in 1974 by Morty Chenoy and brothers Nick and Costa Sigounis. Morty sold his half of the business back to the Sigounis family in the mid-1980s. Not long afterward, he was diagnosed with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. Morty passed away on January 22, 1999. In 2015 the restaurant building was put up or sale, but the Sigounis family has stated that it plans to keep the landmark deli in the

West Island The West Island (, ) is the unofficial name given to the city, towns and boroughs at the western end of the Island of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada. It is generally considered to consist of the Lakeshore municipalities of Lachine (specific ...

.West Island’s Chenoy’s Deli is on the move, Sarah Volstad, Global News, March 19, 2015
/ref> As of 2020, it is the only Chenoys remaining in operation. The building in Chomedey on

Quebec Route 117 Route 117, the Trans Canada Highway Northern Route, is a provincial highway within the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec, running between Montreal and the Quebec/Ontario border where it continues as Ontario Highway ...

no longer exists.

References

{{Restaurants in Montreal 1936 establishments in Quebec Jewish delicatessens in Canada Restaurant chains in Canada Restaurants established in 1936 Restaurants in Montreal Ashkenazi Jewish restaurants in Montreal

History

Restaurants

See also

References