Beauty's Luncheonette
| Beauty's Luncheonette | |
|---|---|
Beauty’s in February 2024 | |
Interactive map of Beauty's Luncheonette | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1942 |
| Owner | Sckolnick family |
| Previous owner(s) | Hyman "Hymie" Sckolnick and Freda Sckolnick |
| Food type | Breakfast, brunch and lunch |
| Location | 93 Avenue du Mont-Royal Ouest, Montreal, Quebec, H2T 2S5, Canada |
| Coordinates | 45°31′11″N 73°35′08″W / 45.51965908401252°N 73.58543756352603°W |
| Reservations | No |
| Website | www |
Beauty’s Luncheonette (often simply Beauty’s) is a long-running, kosher-style diner in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1942 by Hyman ("Hymie") and Freda Sckolnick, the restaurant is known for classic breakfasts and brunches, notably the Mish-Mash omelette and the Beauty’s Special (lox and cream cheese on a Montreal-style bagel).[1][2] It occupies the same corner of Mont-Royal Avenue West and Saint-Urbain Street that it has since opening and is widely regarded as a Montreal culinary landmark.[3]
History
Beauty’s began when newlyweds Hymie and Freda Sckolnick bought a small snack bar at Mont-Royal and Saint-Urbain and started serving quick hot lunches to workers in the nearby garment district of the former Jewish quarter.[1] Demand for Sunday breakfasts soon followed, and the counter evolved into a brunch destination. The place was initially known as Bancroft Coffee Shop but regulars nicknamed it "Beauty’s" after Hymie’s bowling nickname; the name later stuck officially.[2]
Over time the Sckolnicks expanded into an adjacent space and developed several signature items. Co-founder Freda is credited with creating both the Mish-Mash omelette and the Beauty’s Special bagel and lox plate, dishes that would come to define the diner’s menu.[2] Beauty’s remained a family-run business; their son Larry joined in the 1960s and later took over day-to-day operations, with subsequent generations also working at the diner.[2]
Founder Hymie Sckolnick died in 2017 at age 96.[4]
Menu and signature dishes
Beauty’s is not a kosher restaurant, but it is often described as a kosher-style diner reflecting Montreal’s Jewish foodways, mixing Jewish comfort foods with classic North American diner fare.[1] Two dishes are especially associated with the diner:
- Mish-Mash omelette — a three-egg omelette with hot dog, salami, green pepper and fried onions, typically served with home fries and a bagel. Beauty’s registered Mish-Mash as a Canadian trademark decades ago and has occasionally asserted the mark publicly.[5]
- Beauty’s Special — a Montreal-style sesame bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon (lox), tomato and onion, highlighted frequently in guides to Jewish food in Montreal.[1][6]
Other long-standing items include banana pancakes, challah French toast, blintzes and classic breakfast plates.[1]
Renovation and reopening
Beauty’s closed in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and underwent a substantial renovation. It reopened in June 2021 with refreshed interiors that preserved the classic lunch-counter aesthetic while modernizing infrastructure.[7]
Cultural reception and legacy
Beauty’s is frequently cited as a Montreal institution and a fixture of the city’s Jewish culinary heritage, often grouped with other historic eateries such as Wilensky's Light Lunch and Schwartz's.[8][9] The diner’s multigenerational, family-run character and unchanged location are frequently noted in profiles and travel writing.[1]
See also
- Wilensky's Light Lunch
- Schwartz's
- Mile End, Montreal
- Jewish Canadian cuisine
References
- ^ a b c d e f North, Steve (December 1, 2016). "Everything is fresh at iconic Jewish Montreal eatery frozen in time". The Times of Israel. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "A Montreal tradition for 82 years". Beautys.ca. Beauty’s Luncheonette. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ England, Nathan (January 28, 2025). "From Bagels to Brisket, Montreal Has Incredible Jewish Food". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ "Hymie Sckolnick, founder of iconic Montreal eatery 'Beauty's,' dies at 96". Global News. November 28, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ Forster, Tim (October 31, 2019). "Beautys Sends Cease and Desist Letters to Montreal Diners Over Breakfast Dish Name". Eater Montreal. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ Caplan, Nina (May 12, 2019). "Where to eat the best Jewish food in Montreal". National Geographic. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ "Legendary Mile End Diner Beauty's Reopens After Over a Year of Renovations". Eater Montreal. June 28, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ England, Nathan (January 28, 2025). "From Bagels to Brisket, Montreal Has Incredible Jewish Food". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ "The 80th anniversary of Beautys Luncheonette is approaching, but it's never been younger". Time Out Montreal. July 14, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2025.