Boucherie Capitol

The place is expensive (I suggest you to go to Milano), also, I really don’t like the fact that they poorly display the price of their products, specially for the charcuterie section. You have to ask for each of the item without having the possibility to confirm that what is sold match to the announced price.

Although the quality of the meat and other products here is very good, I find the service quite often indifferent. The youngish butcher who usually wears a hat is excellent — always pleasant and helpful. Most of the others, however, give the impression that asking to be served, and relatively promptly, is too much to ask. I go here less often than I used to mostly for that reason.

This is the kind of market everyone should have nearby! Wonderful selection of cheese and fresh meats, pasta, really everything you need to make an amazing dinner.
The butcher was great, very helpful and even let us taste some of the items we weren’t familiar with. I didn’t have a chance to try any of the items in the bakery but they all looked very tasty and if I’m back in town you can bet I’ll be stopping by again.

Location: Right at the back of Jean-​Talon market. There’s parking on the premises (go early) or street parking available. If you prefer to use transit, the de Castelnau station is close-​by.
The place: Not a huge store by any means, but it’s packed with mostly Italian specialty items. Looking for authentic Nutella? They’ve got it — and for you amateurs, no, the crap you buy here isn’t the same as the Nutella you’ll find in Italy! Need some salami or parmigiano-​reggiano? Some Italian caffé or pasta? Olives? Yup, they’ve got it.
The goods: Having recently returned from Italy, I am presently going through what I like to call, Salami withdrawal. As such, I’ve been scouring the town looking for a place that sells proper salami — not Mastro, and not ‘home-​made’ Montréal-​style salami — Italian salami. Surprisingly, not that many places seem to carry this, and this includes Milano, my usual go-​to for Italian fare. Now, it’s possible that they were just out the last time that I went, but my understanding from the clerk was that they didn’t carry it. Anyway, these guys have a few kinds of Italian salami and prosciutto and they let me try it before I bought it, which was a real bonus because I happened to be hungry when I stopped by. I opted for the Il Golfetta salami and the 18-​month old prosciutto, both of which were delicious. While I was there, I grabbed some black (Moroccan) olives, some Parm, Mozzarella di Bufala and some Lavazza.
Service: Pretty good. The guy was patient while I decided (and tried) what I wanted to buy, though he didn’t know anything about a brand of prosciutto they didn’t sell there, which I thought was a but weird for someone working in the meat section of a place that specializes in Italian fare.
Price point: if we’re talking meat (i.e. the above items) then they’re not cheap. However, I saved $ 2 on the Mozza and $ 2 on the coffee, and their Parm was reasonably priced compared to other places. So at the end of the day, it will depend on what you buy.

Néo-italien.boucherie, charcuterie, fromagerie, huiles, pâtes, cafés.grand choix. prix acceptables. Jamais été tenté par le take-​out. Choix de pain italien. mais pourquoi les bouchers, fromagers se cachent-​ils derrière des comptoirs hauts et surcharges? il n’y a pas d’économie à faire la.

The prepared food at Capitol has always been pretty dodgy. You don’t have to be a foodie to see that it doesn’t look very good and only American tourists seem to like it. Still, I have been buying cheese, meat and Italian groceries here for years. They sold me a $ 7 bag of polenta on Friday that was full of bugs. When I brought it back they acknowleged it was their product but refused to give me a refund. It’s not so much the bugs or the money but the principle of the thing. I won’t be shopping there again. No loss really, because Milano is two blocks away and is essentially a much bigger and better version of Capitol.

Laarv and her companion found this specialty store on there last day of vacation. Too bad because if it was earlier, they definitely would have gone back multiple times. Perfect little lunch spot with reasonably priced sandwiches. Fresh meat and cheese. Nice outdoor seating as well. Four thumbs up from Laarv and her companion.

Of all the specialty stores around the fruit and vegetabley glory that is Jean Talon Market, Capitol is maybe the very best in terms of overall usefulness in preparing a snazzy meal. There are some incredible marinated and prepared meats which are perfect for the bbq: massive beef ribs, pre-​cooked short ribs, filet mignon brochettes, souvlaki chicken, spicy California burgers. Yum, etc. Come early, the bbq stuff sells out. There is also a great cheese and deli counter where the homemade bacon is tasty and the handmade signs to let you know about cheeses that are recently award-​winning are both helpful and endearing.
On the weekend there are a few small tables with umbrellas where you can sit, eat and people watch, but you’re next to a (great) fish shop, so it’s not romantic or anything. The staff are low key, helpful, and seem to speak at least three languages at any given time (English, French, Italian.)
There is a freezer section in the back full of homemade pastas stuffed with things like panchetta and portobello mushrooms and cheap yummy homemade pizza dough. Some things are eyebrow-​raisingly expensive: the multi-​coloured olives and the wild mushrooms are in this category, so are some of the kooky fine vinegars, oils, teas and chocolates, and the rarer cuts of meat. This is to be expected I guess but as a local I appreciate that you can also always get fresh quality basics like eggs, milk and sour cream here.
I also like that they recently expanded the prepared foods section by the cash to include pulled pork sandwiches. And I’ll leave you with this final thought: hooray for pulled pork sandwiches.