There is a new restaurant about to join the Queen Mary Road strip in Montreal. Parthenon, the popular bring your own wine brochetterie and a mainstay on Van Horne Avenue near Côte des Neiges since 1978, is opening a second location on January 3.
That is not great news for Yia Sou, the three year old Greek restaurant right next door. It took over the spot previously occupied by the Arahova chain and has done very well. Parthenon has a lot of the same menu items (not of course Yia Sou's signature Greek Taverna chicken) at a much lower price.
Parthenon's Côte des Neiges location is very popular at lunch, especially with the nearby Jewish General Hospital crowd. It will now attract a new West End crowd in Snowdon.
Can Yia Sou and Parthenon co-exist on a strip which has traditionally not been too friendly to restaurants? We will wait and see.