Fresh-cut fries topped with cheese curds and gravy, a dish from Quebec.

Where did poutine start?

In rural Quebec snack bars in the late 1950s. The exact origin is debated, and Warwick is the town cited most often.

Can I change my vote?

Yes. Tap another city. You have one vote per debate and the latest pick counts.

Do I need to have eaten there to vote?

No. The sides are cities, not restaurants.

Food culture

Best poutine city: Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa or Toronto

Mosey · November 11, 2026 · 4 min read

Poutine is fresh-cut fries topped with cheese curds and hot gravy, and it comes from Quebec. In the Mosey app, Settle it asks people in Canada "Which city makes the best poutine?" with four sides: Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa and Toronto. You pick a side, and the app shows how the country voted once enough people have.

What is poutine?

The Canadian Encyclopedia describes it as a Québécois dish of fresh-cut fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. Curds are fresh cheese that squeak when you bite them, and they are meant to soften in the heat of the gravy without melting away.

The gravy is traditionally a brown, lightly peppery sauce. It is served hot enough to warm the curds through, which is why a good poutine has to be eaten quickly.

Where did poutine come from?

It first appeared in rural Quebec snack bars in the late 1950s. Several towns claim to be the birthplace, and Warwick is the one cited most often. Britannica and the Canadian Encyclopedia both say the exact origin is debated and that the dish developed in stages, from fries with curds to fries with curds and gravy.

The curds help explain the geography. Quebec's dairy regions produced them fresh, and a dish that depends on fresh curds grew up near the cheese.

What makes a good poutine?

Start with the fries: cut fresh, fried until crisp, and sturdy enough to hold the gravy. Then the curds, which should be fresh and at room temperature so they stay squeaky. Then hot gravy, poured on at the last moment.

What spoils it is slow service. Poutine sitting in a takeout box steams its fries soft, so eat it soon after it is made.

Ask whether the gravy is made in house and whether the curds are local. Those two answers tell you more about a plate than its name does. Plenty of places add toppings such as pulled pork or bacon, which can be good, but judge the base first.

What about the four cities in the vote?

The vote names Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa and Toronto because each has a poutine scene people talk about. Mosey does not rank them or say which is right. The sides are cities, not restaurants, and you do not need to have eaten a particular plate to vote.

If you have a plate you love in any of them, the way to give it credit on Mosey is to rate the dish itself.

A city can also lose a vote it deserves to win, simply because fewer of its fans use the app. That is one more reason a result is a snapshot of who voted, not a verdict on the food.

How does the Settle it vote work in Mosey?

Settle it shows as a card on Home when your market has debates. You pick one of the four cities. You get one vote per debate and can change it by tapping another city, and the latest pick counts.

You can read without an account but need one to vote. After you pick, you see how Canada has voted, and you can share your pick as an image.

When does the result show?

Only once at least three counted votes are in for Canada. Until then the app says there are not enough votes yet. The shares are whole numbers that add up to 100, and when the top two are level the app says it is too close to call.

A counted vote comes from a real customer account that has not been shadow-banned, and votes are kept per country, so the Canadian result is made of Canadian votes.

Does the vote rank poutine restaurants?

No. The app says it plainly: this is what Mosey diners voted, and it is not a ranking of any place. A city is not a restaurant, and a vote about a city says nothing about one kitchen.

Is the poutine vote open outside Canada?

No. It is the Canadian debate, and it runs in Canada only. In another market the card does not show. Debates about American food run in the US and not in Canada.

The result you see is the Canadian result, built only from votes cast in Canada. The app never works the shares out on the phone: the server does, and the app draws what it is sent.

How this works in the app: Settle it and Daily food games.

Common questions

What is poutine?
Fresh-cut fries topped with cheese curds and gravy, a dish from Quebec.
Where did poutine start?
In rural Quebec snack bars in the late 1950s. The exact origin is debated, and Warwick is the town cited most often.
Which cities are in the Mosey vote?
Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa and Toronto.
Can I change my vote?
Yes. Tap another city. You have one vote per debate and the latest pick counts.
When does a result appear?
Once at least three counted votes are in for Canada.
Do I need to have eaten there to vote?
No. The sides are cities, not restaurants.