Epicure Market: A Taste of Russia in Montreal

Slavic / Eastern European foods at Epicure Market

Would you like to visit a Montreal food store where you will find a generous selection of overseas Slavic foods / brands? If so, visit Marché Epicure, which is tucked away right off of Autoroute Décarie in Le Triangle, a redeveloped condominium district in the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough. Although there are two other Epicure locations (Pointe-Claire and Côte Saint-Luc), the Epicure Market discussed in this post is between the Metro orange line’s De la Savane and Station Namur subway stops (it’s actually on the same block as the latter).

Epicure Market billing itself as “the largest European food chain in Quebec” gives the impression that all of Europe is represented in the store. Let’s be frank: Just as most of us know how Donald Trump caters to Russia, those who shop at Epicure Market know it too is Russian at heart. So much so, you’ll be able to speak Russian with the shopkeepers. To be on the safe side, however, we’ll just refer to it as Slavic food since attaching the label “Russian” is both imprecise and politically messy.

Countries with significant Slavic populations: 50%+ in dark green, 10%+ in light green. Image by Liamnotneeson

If you’re not an immigrant from regions shown above, the store also offers plenty of items you probably already eat, so don’t be too concerned about being confronted with only unrecognizable brands and foods you’ve never tried. The chain offers a Club Epicurien Loyalty Card, but the fine print reveals there’s an annual fee, so it probably is only worth it for dedicated Epicure Market shoppers.

Photo Tour

Notes from photo gallery

Buckwheat groats (French: sarrasin), a glutenless grain-like staple in the region’s cuisine.

Fruits and vegetables fermented by the store.

A brand of ice cream featuring an obese gentleman depicted in the artwork. Wish we’d see that level of honesty in North America…

“Kedroviy Bor” (кедровый Бор) pickled mushrooms imported from Russia.

Tvorog (творог), a type of quark / cheese curd.

Kinto (кинто) makes wonderful Georgian sauces.

Ukha (yxa), a clear fish soup. The one pictured here is an Armenian brand made with sturgeon. Not sure why the translation is “Head Soup”.

Ryazhenka (Ukrainian: ряжaнка) is a baked milk kefir.

Chumak (Чумак) unrefined sunflower oil: rather than destroy this unrefined oil with cooking, try a traditional use such as drizzling it on boiled potatoes.

Chocolate bars!