Propulsion : Cantine Végétalienne

I was taken here last year for my birthday and wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
Let me be really clear about this, I’m not only vegetarian, but I’m an extremely picky eater – so when I looked at the menu and my eyes started to glaze over in that «Oh no, What the hell is any of this?» manner I was somewhat crestfallen (it was my birthday after-​all.)
2 – 3 minutes later, and a quick discussion with our server, my meal was on the way. They were extremely happy to customize just about any aspect of my meal to make me happy, and the food that came out was delicious.
Then there’s the price – so affordable, I’d really expect to pay a lot more for the size of portions and quality of food you get here, it’s definitely a great place as far as money spent/​value goes.
The only negative for us were the tables. Ours was a re-​purposed airplane wing which, while cool sounding, really sucked as tables go. I’d make sure you specifically refuse those tables if you’re offered one.
Lastly there was the piano player. I’m not sure if he’s staff, a local, a regular, but he was *amazeballs*. I’d go back just for drinks and to listen to him play if there was some sort of regularly scheduled announcement :)

Very accommodating staff. Ate there late on a Saturday night and they ran out to get supplies for drinks we ordered. Some of the best service we had while visiting Montréal. The drinks were very good and as there were few parties in the restaurant the bartender made us some drinks on the house. Overall, a memorable meal that was very reasonably priced.

La déco vaut vraiment le détour ! Même si dans l’assiette et le service, la présentation fait un peu plus cheap: on est assurément dans une cantine.
On regrette simplement que les savoureux sandwiches né permettent pas d’apprécier davantage les produits (mungo mango par exemple).
Pour les desserts, le gâteau avec glaçage à l’érable est un régal !
Le prix modéré et la terrasse bien placée sur la rue Ste-​Catherine en font néanmoins une très bonne adresse pour les végétaliens et autres omnivores moins fortunés, de passage à Montréal, sans en attendre autant que La Panthère Verte (3 adresses en ville…) ou Crudessence (…mais c’est une autre histoire !).

Went there for a late night lite meal. Great meal, entertaining staff who were exceptionally friendly. Fresh ingredients, good smoothies. Delicious pesto! Perfect for light vegetarian fare.

So much deliciousness… luckily we have time!
Vegan places are popping up big time in Montréal, and Propulsion is one not to miss! The sandwiches are out of this world! My favourite is the purple taro sandwich and I chose to have the fig bread, the homemade vegan mayo is incredible and their rice bowls are delicious too!
The ambience is relaxed, the staff is very friendly, they are licensed and I’m told that they make food until pretty late at night, so double win for vegan midnight snacks!
I look forward to coming back to check out the smoothies, the chili and well pretty much everything!

This small sandwich shop is well located and food is O.K. The sandwich that I had was fine. Nothing memorable, but decent. Many items were not ready when I went there for lunch. Hopefully next time when I visit I would have the chance to try more items from the menu.

At this airplane-​themed vegan resto you have a choice of either bowls, sandwiches or salads (seasonal, but who really craves a cold salad in –30 weather anyhoo…). My dining companion and I went for bowls — she chose the brown rice with Mexican Mole sauce, marinated tempeh and asparagus/​beets. Mine was a quinoa with pumpkin-​fennel-​cashew purée and grilled zucchini and steamed cauliflower. Both had nice little mache, sprouts and a drizzle of balsamic — a beautiful and well-​rounded dish. My only critique would be that the purée wasn’t hot (or even warm) and neither were the veggies and the quinoa was only slightly warm. Consistent temperature (either hot or cold) would have been preferable as it was an odd mix. I’ll just be sure to request that next time as regardless everything was delicious and clean-​the-​plate worthy.
The service was very warm and the selection of drinks both alcoholic and non was nice — kombucha, tisanes, coffees, smoothies etc. No room for desert but they had coconut-​banana and coconut-​mango ice and other sundries that were tempting.
Halfway through our meal we had a lovely surprise where one of the staff started playing the piano… instrumental music — mostly covers ranging from Daft Punk to Bjork to the Mamas and the Papas. A nice touch. Will most definitely return.

Love it.

Super experience, note they now serve alcohol !!
Love the décor and friendly vibe. Had a super nice guy take my order and recommend great stuff, I ate a pesto bowl and a sandwich with tumeric bread. Both great. Also super cheap drinks. Vanilla Smoothie to finish me off which alcohol was added to as well at my request. Prices great and food better than some more famous vegan restaurants in the city I’ve tried. Highly recommend as a vegan !! :)

Every once in awhile I have a meal at a restaurant that exceeds all my expectations, and it happened recently in of all places, Montréal, Canada. In a city known for smoked meat and french fries loaded with gravy and cheese I had one of the best meals ever at Propulsion Cantine Vegetalienne. A Vegan restaurant with an Airplane theme on the famed Saint Catherine’s Street. From the menu to the décor, from the waitress to the owner, this place is funky, fresh and entirely unexpected. Simone and I brought some friends with us who were Vegan and we actually arrived about twenty minutes before closing. I was a little nervous that the service and the food would be sub par because of the time of night but we were happily greeted on arrival by the quirky and funky waitress whose name I cant remember but whose personality I can never forget. She was more then willing to talk our ears off about the entire menu and about their new restaurant that has only been open since mid summer 2013. The décor is aviation themed including a mannequin of a 1950’s pilot and many parts of an actual propeller plane that had crashed and the owner had bought and turned into the bar and some seating tables. It is all very cool to look at while waiting for the food. Speaking of food, we decided after speaking with the waitress that we would just let her decide what to eat and so she started us off with a sample of a cool and refreshing cucumber smoothie. From there the four of us split a create your own bowl. This was a imaginative concept where you choose a combination of grains, vegetables, and sauces. We went with a Pesto Bowl and had Quinoa, Bean Based Pesto, and fresh grilled Zucchini and roasted Cauliflower in it. Although completely dairy free, and thickened with garbanzo beans, this was the best Pesto I have had. It was creamy, nutty and garlicky great. The quinoa and vegetables were cooked perfectly as well and this was a great start to the meal. Next we wanted to explore the sandwich menu (all sandwiches come with tempeh in them and of course your choice of fresh, moist, light vegan breads) .They all sounded so good our waitress suggested we split a variety of them and she would be sure the kitchen would cut them into portions for us. I didn’t think it would get much better after the Pesto but these sandwiches were just over the top great. The choices we went with were the Lentil Cari sandwich (my personal favorite), The Mungo Mango (voted by my friends to be the best), and The Purple Taro Portabello (still good but third on the voting scale). The Lentil Sandwich on Turmeric Bread was tempeh with a lentil patty that had a hint of curry and spice and just the right amount of smokiness, The patty held together on the outside and when you bit in the lentils were cooked perfectly tender but not mushy. I have never had lentils that tasted so good in my culinary life and the only thing that upset me about this sandwich was that I had to share it with the rest of the table. It was my absolute favorite. Next up was the Mungo Mango. This was also pretty good and consisted of Chinese Mung Beans and Fresh Mango’s with tempeh on Fig Bread… It was earthy and sweet and everyone at the table loved it also. Lastly was the Purple Taro Portabello. It was also good (and very purple) with mashed taro and sauteed mushrooms with tempeh but I found it to be a little soggy and less flavorful then the other sandwiches. By the time we ate all the food it was past closing but when we asked the waitress if she wanted to cash us out to help with closing she told us not to worry about it and then she went and ate her own dinner. We ended up staying for awhile longer and chatting amongst ourselves and with her and it was only when the kitchen (and pilot outfitted owner) had started to leave that we got our check. On the way out we took some vegan cookies with us for the road and they of course were great. That night I dreamed of Lentil Sandwiches and so the next night Simone and I went back for another helping of sandwiches, pesto and good conversation with our friendly waitress. There was also a great piano player that second night who was amazing and we ended up staying again until closing. Everything about Propulsion is five stars, in the future they will be adding Vegan alcoholic drinks and fresh local salads. I hope that people check this place out because it truly is a hidden gem and I hope that I will have the pleasure of many return visits when I travel to Montréal.

On a trip to Montréal, most people will recommend that you check out the city’s culinary scene in some way, shape or form. That’s no simple task when you’re a nut-​allergic vegan dating someone who’s gluten free and lactose intolerant.
So the fact that this place was a five minute walk from our hostel off Ste-​Catherine was a godsend. Do not be alarmed by the pilot-​dressed manikin in the window (which is kinda creepy) or the questionable stability of the upcycled plane wings as tables (which are still extremely rad). The food and service at this place were really exemplary.
I can’t remember the last time I felt so physically healthy and still deeply satisfied after leaving a restaurant.
The miso plate I got was excellent and the complimentary smoothies that we received the first time around were so good that we went back to have them as meal on their own before our return journey to the states. The owner was really friendly and he even switched out my complimentary smoothie for another after he learned about my nut allergy.
Food was delicious and I stress that even if you don’t have a restricted diet, if you just want to feel good and energized after a meal while still enjoying a culinary experience, this place is worth checking out.

After eating at several amazing vegan restaurants in Montréal we didn’t think there was anymore room to be impressed but our lunch at Propulsion was amazing!
We started with a vanilla smoothie and enjoyed every drop! It was very refreshing! My husband ordered the mole maple with brown rice and veg and loved it. I had the pumpkin on barley found it to be very satisfying and tasty. I’m glad I added the extra tempeh. The smokey flavour really worked with the rest of the dish. We finished off our meal by sharing a piece of sweet potato cake topped with maple sauce and fresh fruit. It was mind blowingly delicious! These guys haven’t been open for long but have created something great! I do hope they do well so we have a chance to go back on our next visit.

Such a relaxing, calm place with delicious, healthy food. The people who work there are friendly, too. You don’t need to be a vegan or vegetarian to enjoy it. I loved the quinoa bowls and also the mango mung bean sandwich. I went here a few times during my vacation in Montréal because it’s one of the few healthy options in this area.

Amazing little vegetarian restaurant with delicious, simple food and a really inviting concept. My wife enjoyed the fennel/​pumpkin bowl while I indulged in the mole bowl. We split a vanilla smoothie, and ended the meal with the most delicious sweet potato cake topped with maple frosting, and sliced kiwi and mango. To top it off, the owners both front and centre and really really nice guys. We will definitely be back!

Being a vegan tourist is not easy, as you probably know, so I was really happy to find this place. And it was excellent! The staff were incredibly helpful and sweet. The food was delicious and fresh. The iced tea was amazing. A wonderful compliment to poutine for lunch!
I had the fennel sauce and my partner had the mole. Both were incredibly savoury and the vegetables were perfect. Each flavor was so distinct and complimented the others nicely. The zucchini cake with avocado icing was a delicious dessert.
I only wish I could eat here all the time!

Cantine oui dans le sens où c est vraiment convivial on est bien accueillie et non pas pour une grosse bouffe grasse calorique etc.
La décoration dans le style aviateurs des années 60 est vraiment cool et donne tout son charme à cette place. Le bar est une aile d’avion (c est vraiment cool) et ils ont un vieux congélateur et un vieux frigo des années 60.
Pour l ouverture nous avons eu droit à un musicien qui jouais du piano et ce sera la cas tout les vendredi et samedi soir et avec un thème différent a chaque fois d’après ce que le musicien disait. On a aussi eu droit à un spectacle de danse de salon, toute ces petites choses font qu on se sent bien dans ce restaurant.
La serveuse était très dynamique et à l’écoute des clients et malgré que le restaurant était plein son service était très rapide.
Le propriétaire de la place qui est aussi le chef a vraiment réussi à accomplir une chose formidable (le restaurant). Il passait à l avant et on pouvait lui parler un peu même si il était dans le rush. Puis j ai adoré sa tenue style mécano: salopette, chemise, vieille casquette et goggles.
Pour manger j ai pris la salade de roquette à la vinaigrette au framboise accompagné de vegepate. C était vraiment bon. Il n y en avait ni trop ni pas assez. Juste suffisamment pour avoir de la place pour le bon gâteau au patate douce.
La carte affiche des prix vraiment abordables.
J espère que ce petit restaurant va réussir à se faire une bonne clientèle. En tout cas ils m ont gagné et j y retournerai. X)

Qu’on né se laisse pas avoir par le mot «Cantine», ici on est bien loin des patates frites grasses et des hot dogs relish moutarde salade de chou. Le concept est intéressant; On propose un menu interactif (et extrêmement abordable, les prix n’allant pas plus haut que 15 $ pour un plat) où l’on peut créer à l’aide d’une liste d’ingrédients originaux son sandwich, sa salade, son bol-​santé et même son dessert! Et qu’on né s’imagine pas un comptoir à la Subway; tout est préparé à partir d’aliments frais et bio dans la cuisine pour ensuite vous être livré dans un bol genre «petit cul-​de-​poule» ou «gamelle à chien», dépendamment de vos références de vie. Ça fait pas de très belles présentations, mais ça fait parti du thème j’imagine. Un clin d’oeil au chutney de poivre rouge, j’en aurais acheté un pot à ramener chez moi si j’avais pu. Mais Propulsion, c’est plus que de la nourriture, le gars avait une idée encore plus poussée derrière tout ça. Voulant donner un aspect théâtral au souper de ses clients, on peut donc jouir de la présence d’un pianiste qui se donne en spectacle les vendredis et samedi durant toute l’heure du souper. Ça, en plus du décors style rétro sous le thème de l’aviation (Le bar est en fait une réplique d’aile d’avion!), ça vient créer une ambiance vraiment agréable et qui sors de l’ordinaire. Par contre, je cherche encore le rapport avec la nourriture végétalienne et les avions… Et soulignons la serveuse qui fut d’une rapidité exemplaire, je veux dire, pour un souper d’ouverture et un restaurant à presque pleine capacité, j’ai vraiment été impressionnée par son travail.
En tant que nouveau restaurant végétalien (ça pousse cette année à Montréal non?), ils ont réussi à se démarquer grace à leur concept original. Est-​ce que ça va être assez pour les faire survivre à la forte compétition qui commence à s’établir dans le milieu? Je leur souhaite! Mais ce qui est sur c’est qu’ils valent le détour, autant pour un lunch on the go, un souper entre amis ou un healthy craving à 4h du matin! (Un resto végétalien ouvert jusqu’à 5am les vendredis et samedis? Yé!)