I visited Montreal's Costco and found amazing French baked goods and a shockingly disappointing poutine

Dominick ReuterJan 15, 2024, 21:33 IST

Poutine, Tim Horton's coffee, and hockey sticks – pure Canada.Richard Truong

Richard Truong is a 26-year-old software engineer who has been a Costco member since 2016.
On a recent trip to Canada, Truong visited a Costco warehouse in Montreal to see the differences.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Richard Truong. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I work as a software engineer for a large insurance company, and I've been a member of Costco since 2016. I started taking pictures of the signs and the prices because that's how I would budget my food expenses in college.

After checking out Costco on recent trips to Australia and Japan, I traveled to Canada for an anime convention near Montreal.

I found a Montreal Costco that's near a train station, so it was easy for me to drop by this warehouse.

I heard Costcos in northern regions usually have the cart area enclosed because of the snow and cold.

The main entrance to Costco in Montreal.Richard Truong

The bakery had a distinct French influence.

The bakery menu at Costco in Montreal.Richard Truong

The tomahawk steak looked like a pretty cool item that I’d want to try.

Steaks on sale at Costco in Montreal.Richard Truong

There were a lot of different chicken options in the prepared and pre-made section.

Chicken drumsticks for sale at Costco in Montreal.Richard Truong

And, of course, cheese curds for poutine.

Cheese curds for sale at Costco in Montreal.Richard Truong

I'd never seen a price checker at a Costco before.

A price-checking station at Costco in Montreal.Richard Truong

The KitKat-flavored ice cream was definitely enticing.

KitKat-flavored ice cream for sale at Costco in Montreal.Richard Truong

This giant container of feta cheese makes more sense when you realize there’s a sizable Greek population in Montreal.

Bulk containers of feta cheese.Richard Truong

Even though it was still summer, there were hockey sticks for sale.

Hockey sticks for sale at Costco in Montreal.Richard Truong

I read that a few years ago, Tim Horton's started roasting their own coffee, so McDonald's grabbed their old supplier, and now McCafe coffee is better.

Tim Horton's and McDonalds McCafe ground coffee for sale at Costco in Montreal.Richard Truong

I bought a jacket because it was cold in the store, but I also wanted to see if my US Costco Visa card would work.

My receipt for a jacket from Costco in Montreal.Richard Truong

In the food court, the hot dog combo was still $1.50, but in Canadian dollars.

The food court menu at Costco in Montreal.Richard Truong

Naturally, I had to try the poutine.

Pizza and poutine at Costco in Montreal.Richard Truong

This version had a lot of cheese curds, and the fries seemed like the frozen kind.

The poutine at Costco in Montreal.Richard Truong

I did eat a lot of poutine during my trip, and I’d say this poutine from La Banquise was probably the best I had.

Poutine from La Banquise in Montreal.Richard Truong

Overall, I still preferred this location to the one I usually go to at home.

Outside the Costco in Montreal.Richard Truong

I’ve got more travel lined up for the new year, and I’ll keep visiting Costcos around the world.

The Costco near Kyoto in Japan.Richard Truong

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