Beauty's Luncheonette
Beauty’s Luncheonette is a long-running, kosher-style diner in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1942 by Hyman and Freda Sckolnick, the restaurant is known for classic breakfasts and brunches, notably the Mish-Mash omelette and the Beauty’s Special. 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.
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. 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.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. 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.
Founder Hymie Sckolnick died in 2017 at age 96.
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. 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.Beauty’s Special — a Montreal-style sesame bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon, tomato and onion, highlighted frequently in guides to Jewish food in Montreal.Other long-standing items include banana pancakes, challah French toast, blintzes and classic breakfast plates.