What Happened to The Main Deli After You Gotta Eat Here!? (Montreal, QC)
You Gotta Eat Here!, Season 1 Montreal, Quebec
Current status
As of October 2026, The Main Deli has closed — confirmed via cbc.ca, May 9, 2023.
What the source shows: CBC News reported on 2023-05-09 that the deli's windows were papered over with a thank-you note, and CTV Montreal separately reported the same closure. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 1, Episode 21
- Aired
- Address 3864 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2W 1Y4
- Website No current website found
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after You Gotta Eat Here!?
The 2012-09-19 episode of You Gotta Eat Here! (season 1, episode 21), as summarized by TVmaze, had host John Catucci trying smoked meats at a deli in Montreal. The Main Deli Steak House stood at 3864 Saint Laurent Boulevard, where Wikipedia reports it opened in 1974 under Peter Varvaro Sr. and became known for Montreal smoked meat cured and smoked in-house, along with a smoked meat poutine and a smoked meat burger. Wikipedia also reports that the Varvaro family sold the restaurant in 2013. CBC News reported on 2023-05-09 that the deli's windows had been papered over and a note thanked customers for their patronage; the owners did not respond to CBC, and no reason was given.
CTV Montreal's report placed the deli across the street from Schwartz's Deli, which is a separate business. Wikipedia lists the pandemic, long construction work on Saint Laurent Boulevard and rising food costs as factors tied to the closure, citing news reports from May 2023.
The episode
Synopsis (tvmaze.com) : The host enjoys homemade ice cream at Evelyn's Memory Lane Cafe in High River, Alb. He also samples smoked meats at the Main Deli in Montreal and huge burgers with names like the Colossal Colon Clogger at Dangerous Dan's in Toronto.
Also in Season 1
Season 1: 37 of 78 still open · 6 renamed, moved or under new owners
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Ep 20Boon Burger
Closed - Open
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Ep 20The Musket
Closed -
Ep 21Dangerous Dan's
Closed - Open
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Ep 22Chuckwagon Cafe
Open -
Ep 22Flapjack's
Closed -
Ep 22Tubby Dog (Tubby's)
Relocated
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Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- cbc.ca https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/the-main-deli-closes-down-1.6837084
- montreal.ctvnews.ca https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/montreal-s-the-main-deli-has-closed-down-for-good-1.6389717
- Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Deli_Steak_House
- api.tvmaze.com https://api.tvmaze.com/singlesearch/shows?q=you%20gotta%20eat%20here&embed=episodes
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record ygeh-061 · checked by Cal Marchetti.