In September 2022, Restaurant Greenspot on Notre Dame Street in St. Henri will celebrate its 75th anniversary.
I have heard many things about this iconic dining establishment over the years, having driven and walked by more times than I can remember. On one recent Saturday morning, I walked through the doors, where I was welcomed by manager Dany Medeiros (no relation to our MtlRestoRap publisher).
The original location was literally across the street, at the corner of Greene and Notre-Dame Ouest. In 1989 they moved to the current space and maintained the original decor from 1947. Nick Ioannidis, Louis Stavropoulos and Stellios Kiliaris are the co-owners.
Greenspot is right out of a movie set. There are a few counter stools and enough vinyl booths to accommodate as many as 140 diners. Each table has a jukebox. While the machines no longer function, some people still try to feed coins inside for some old songs. Music now is piped in via a Bell satellite.
Greenspot has a vast menu, starting with breakfast from 5 am to 11 am weekdays and 7 am to 2 pm on weekends. I enjoyed a plate of pancakes with syrup, eggs benedict, hash browns, a side of bacon and some fruit. Service was quick as can be. While I will have to go back another time for a full lunch or dinner, Dany also sent me away with a smoked meat sandwich to eat later. I placed it in an icepack and ate it a few hours later – cold and tasty.
The menu is vast, including pizzas, submarine and assorted sandwiches, Italian specialties, salads, burgers, hot dogs, brochettes, steak, seafood, deli and a plethora of poutines.
Dany notes that the clientele comes from all walks of life, from students, retirees and families. It is right next to the Lionel Groulx Metro and Atwater Market, so a prime location on the morning I was there a Westmount resident had breakfast with his young son. He was a regular before the pandemic and this was his first time back in 18 months. When the bill came for $26, he left the waitress a $100 tip.
The Greenspot never did deliveries before the pandemic. “We did not offer it ourselves and continued to turn down the different companies that approached us,” he said. “When COVID hit we had no choice. Take-out and delivery really took off. We could not believe how successful it was. Now we are busy in our dining room each day, but the take-out and delivery options continue as well.
As for the staff, there are several mainstays. Chef Denis Vavougios has been opening the place up at 3:30 each morning for 45 years now.
Restaurant Greenspot is located at 3041 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest. Opening hours are 5 am to 10 pm Monday, 5 am to 11 pm Tuesday to Thursday. 5 am to 1:00 am Fridays, 7 am to 1:00 am Saturdays and 7 am to 10 pm Sundays. Delivery is free for orders of $15 or more before tax using their own Portal (greenspot1947.com), Uber Eats, Skip and Doorfash or you can call 514-931-6473 or 514-932-2340.