Chez Vachon

🫀Heart-attack-on-the-platter! Gotta love a pile of poutine straight from heaven. I’m so glad I’ve moved nearby! I recommend this place- I get the breakfast portion poutine with mixed meats.

If you are looking for a great breakfast, this is your place. The prices are reasonable and the service was great. I had the cheese omelet wrap with hot Italian sausage. Delicious.

You have to remember that this is a diner like establishment so the atmosphere rating is based on that. Definitely still maintains its French Canadian feel from decades ago. Had the egg and crepe breakfast and have to say that I have never seen a crepe as large as the one that came with the meal. I estimate about 14 inches in diameter. Comes with butter and brown sugar but you can get a side of real maple syrup for $1.99. The waitress was very helpful and friendly. (Just a side note that has nothing to do with this visit. On a previous visit I ordered the chicken Parmesan and didn’t care for it at all). Street parking is limited but there is a large parking lot in back of the building.

Food was likely tampered with but not obvious enough to throw a fit at the place over. My toast was watery/dripping with likely not butter. I found several black hairs in my plate, note: my husband is bald and I am blonde. The place closes at 2pm and granted we did show up at 1:10pm.We were seated immediately and we apologized for not coming earlier but it was still well during working hours and guests still arriving after us. I started talking to my husband and noticed a couple walked in and then our waitress complained and stated “why are people still coming in” at around 1:20pm. I started talking about that to my husband in which I thought it was rude due to the fact it should still want revenue and she shouldn’t be complaining about that. I do believe this may be the reason my food was tampered with. My husband did eat his breakfast and thought his was fine, but he noticed more hairs in my food because I could not finish so after he took a few bites. His/my stomach turned less than 15 minutes after we left. It’s upsetting due to the fact my husband has been going to this place since he was a child and this is the first time he’s leaving dissatisfied and we will not be going back. I knew something was off because our waitress didn’t even serve us the food, the cook or whoever brought the food to us while our waitress was conversing to a coworker/ not working. This place has gone downhill and the service is unacceptable.

My friend and I went here because we saw Beard Meats Food's youtube video and we just had to try their poutine, and it was definitely worth our 2 hour drive to get here. Fries were crispy, and the gravy and cheese were savory. I also got the veggie omelet which was perfectly cooked. Amanda was our server and she was absolutely amazing, she was so sweet and generous and made us feel right at home. We'll definitely be back to visit, even if it's just to get a slice of their pistachio pie and say hi to Amanda!!

Yummy crêpes! Their poutine is also quite good. Update 2022: their Smoked Meat Benedict was really good - I had never tried it before. Service was great, and I was really surprised that the place had no wait on a Sunday morning at 9am (it was about 3/4 full I would say).

Super legit Montreal smoked meat on rye & classic poutine. Looking forward to coming back for breakfast. Staff is lovely, prices won’t break the bank.

Everything was great except for the breakfast I ordered. The waitress was great and friendly. But I didn't like the home fries. Not crunchy enough, there was no seasoning and they were cold.

The 2 crepes combo breakfast was more than enough for me. They served large crepes wrapped with my choice of bananas and strawberries respectively. Coffee was also good and it was refilled by the attentive waitress. We visited on a Tuesday and found parking in the rear of the building. Overall, it's a go to place for crepes.

Got the chicken parmesan. Chicken was way overcooked, dry, and couldn't cut it. Marinara sauce was tasteless. Meatloaf came to the table obviously burned. Should never have left the kitchen. It was so overcooked and dry that it made you choke trying to chew it. Even the mashed potatoes were terrible. Dry, and old. The whole experience was just sad.

They are very proud of their poutine. We can understand why. We both love poutine. We had so many different poutines all over the Quebec province. Their poutine may not be the best poutine we've ever had but it is the closest one to poutines that we had in Canada. If you want to try the authentic classic Canadian poutines but do not have time to travel to Quebec province. come and check out this place.

Finally, somewhere we can eat real poutine. It's pretty darn close to poutine you'd find in Quebec. The cheese was good, fresh. Gravy was good. Fries too. We also tried the crepes. Delicious. This place is really crowded and there's limited parking out back. Otherwise, street parking can be a bit challenging. Will definitely go back for poutine and crepes, and next time try out their Montreal-style Smoked Meat Sandwich. Hopefully it's just as good as Schwartz's in Montreal. :)

This is a small diner with some of the best poutine we have ever had (from Canada included!). We shared a large poutine, and we couldn't even finish half of it. The portion was huge. We can't speak on any of their other foods, but their prices were pretty cheap and the service was friendly. Come here if you're looking for a delicious poutine fix!

The best brunch place ! The crepes are delicious and there is both savory and sweet. The stuffed bread is great also. The fillings are baked in. The service is fast and efficient.

It was an OK place, not really what I hoped for. I got the appetizer poutine and the fries were overcooked (not sure if that is supposed to be more "authentic"), not much cheese curd or gravy, maybe the full serving would have been better. I got the Montreal Meat sub "Linda's way" (supposed to have onions and swiss) but it came as a regular (just meat and mustard). I figured maybe they mis-heard me but they billed it as the Linda's way on the slip. I should have spoken up earlier in the meal but wasn't sure if I just read it wrong. Plenty of people, no wait, everyone working there kept busy, I wish my waitress had written down my order as maybe that's why it was missed but it was billed as ordered. Oh well.

I love this place. I've been here twice and both times the service has been fast and friendly, the food delicious and affordable, and honestly just a nice crowd in terms of the other guests. The first time we arrived around ten and were seated immediately. The second time we went around noon for a late breakfast and there were five parties in front of us but we were still seated in less than twenty minutes. My friend loves the poutine here. The crepes are light and fluffy and I absolutely smother them in butter. The first time I had the eggs Benedict which was delicious. I like their potato pancake that they offer too, very crunchy and salty. Then we split the crepes with fresh strawberries and chocolate chips. Second time I got the crepe combo and a slice of their pistachio cake to go. I didn't eat the cake until the next day but it was moist and sweet in all the ways I want my cake to be. Lots of icing but the icing wasn't too heavy and had the perfect ratio to cake for me. I'll definitely be coming back!

Good breakfast & lunch venu. The crapes rock!! The crapes were thin, browned nicely both sides, and quite large. Scrambled eggs & sausage nicely cooled. My omelet was quite good, a side of fruit & potato pancake...so good! Service is friendly & good.

A friend told me that Chez Vachon was the place to go for authentic French Canadian food, especially the pork pie. I went to buy a whole pie for a friend and decided to stay for breakfast and try it myself. It tasted just like the one my own Memere made, which is the highest form of praise. Their menu had so many FC favorites that I went back the next day and had their delicious crepes with maple creme. No room for poutine, but there will be other breakfasts there in my future! Chez Vachon is very casual and homey, with cheerful waitresses and very good service. I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates Acadian food and being comfortable more than fancy aesthetics

The poutine was absolutely amazing! Gravy was smoothed all over and plenty of toppings. The crepe was way too sweet, had to eat some of my husbands fries between bites but I still ate most of it :)

Don't get the Montreal smoked meat. They grill it on a flat top like bacon. Frankly, it's an abomination to the original concept. Sucked.

They are fairly good. The prices are high though. Good place for family or after church on Sunday.

This is a staple in Manchester for its French spin on breakfast and lunch food. The food here is always amazing especially the potato pancakes, poutine, and of course the crepes. I usually am seated fairly quickly and the service is efficient and experienced. The place has the vibe of an older diner which leaves patrons with that charm. Chez Vachon is one of the best breakfast places Manchester has to offer.

The food is some of the best in the area for tasty, affordable and portion sizes. Our waitress Kristen was sport on. Pleasant smile, intelligent and accurate. Keep up the good work! Also a plus they serve Coke products!

I am an Irish Eggs Benedict snob, I will choose places just because it's on the menu. Chez Vachon knocked it out of the park, perfect toast on the muffin, perfect poach on the egg, amazing flavor on the potatoes, perfect flavor to the Hollandaise, wish it was homemade Corned Beef, but that's about it. Wait staff was friendly and fast, food was up before I knew it. Would live here if I could.

The poutine is stupidly good. I know your probably thinking fries, gravy and cheese curds how could it not be. Some how it was even better than I expected. No I am not from Canada and yes I have had poutine many of times. Why was this so great? The hand cut fries definitely were a nice touch and stayed crispy under the gravy and cheese. The cheese curds were super melty and it just all came together so perfectly. Oh and did I mentiom I got it to go and it was still this great! Waitress was super nice and food came out fast.

French Canadian food is good ehh. Breakfast poutine, sausage and Gorton is the best way to start every day. I like this Diner. Good food and good service.

Solid spot all around - the staff is very hospitable and the food is very good. As far as poutine goes, this is definitely the closest you're going to get to a true québécois poutine without going there yourself. The hand cut fries and cheese definitely elevate the dish. The gravy is chicken-based and almost delivers but lacks the deep umami flavor to take it all the way. Don't write this spot off, any French Canadian would be pretty happy catching breakfast here any day of the week.

I've grown up coming here and was very surprised at my food. I've ordered the same thing for years, a crepe and an egg, and today I added fruit. The new updates have made the place very dark, kind of sad looking. It used to be bright in here, i know things change but the change is supposed to be good. The service is very nice! Our server was super kind and made sure the coffee was filled. I will say, if you love the croissants here you can get them at sams club! Someone was placing a pick up order via the phone and the lady answering the phone asked another server if they had them back yet, and the other server said "no, sams club didn't have any this time."

Have been here a number of times over the years when in Manchester and have never been disappointed. The decor is old and a bit rundown but don't let this deter you. The food and service is very good! The best poutine around!

I need to disclaim that, going into the poutine competition, I was pretty certain I was not going to be finishing it. I love poutine, but 5 lb of any one food is a bit much for even a small-time eating champion to stomach. So, yeah, I was right. About 3 lb in, I just couldn't keep going. I could still fit more food, but I just couldn't fit more poutine. This really has nothing to do with reviewing Chez Vachon, just trying to wallow in self-pity for a paragraph before I get to the good part. Well, I mean, I only had the poutine. But I tried my friend's smoked meat just to see. It was on the dry side, which is how I happen to like my pastrami, so I'm all for it. However, my two friends who ordered it both pronounced it unacceptably dry, so I'm going to leave that there for you to decide how you like it. Prices are very reasonable, cheese curds are very fresh, and there are a variety of non-poutine options as if anyone doesn't order poutine when it's available. The poutine is spot-on Quebec authentic. I'd heard about this place, but I couldn't believe I'd find proper poutine in America until the first curd squeaked in my mouth. The gravy is a bit on the salty side, but if that's my worst complaint (and you can see all my other poutine reviews), I'm really proud of Vachon. If I lived locally, I'd be trying some of the other foods like what my friends got. And I would definitely not be ordering 5 lb of poutine again. A large smoked meat poutine itself is about 3 lb, so at half the price it's a veritable bargain. I mean, no, scratch that, it's a total bargain regardless of comparison. I think I will come back through Manchester and vary my order just that key little bit. Caveat comedor.

My server was Christine 10/10 gal. I got the breakfast poutine 10/10 plate, meal came exactly as ordered with my corned beef crisp to perfection just a lil saltier than corned beef already is but still very yummy. perfect hangover cure breakfast.

This was an experience. To start off with mushy home fries there was no flavor or taste. Had a weird red topping. Crepe was too eggy. They served the 'toppings' such as cinnamon or butter as a side in little plastic cups. Crepe was not even warm when served. Eggs had a weird coconut after taste. Almost chemically. Physically dirty. I saw a bug on my table the moment I sat down. I could not use my own napkin because it had bug guts on it. Tables not cleaned and silverware had food residue. Not to mention the location is less than desirable. Little to no parking inner city. All in all,, $26 for 2 coffees. 2 crepes. 2 eggs. And home fries. A little pricey for what you got. Will not be chosing this resturant again.

Great place to eat. Very coxey. Quaint Lovely. Great food staff very nice. There prices little high.

Always delicious the omelettes and deep fried home fries are the best! Great atmosphere and just seconds from my home

A friend of mine was craving poutine and didn't have his passport, so pile in the car we did and drove out to Chez Vachon in Manchester. From the outside, it's a typical neighborhood diner and the menu generally reflects this. But there are some unique items on the menu that set this place apart from a normal diner. This is a French Canadian diner, with crepes, poutine, smoked meat, and other Quebecois favorites taking center stage. I ordered a smoked meat sandwich with a side of fries. Of the three other people in the group, one had a large smoked meat poutine, another had a smoked meat sandwich with fries, and the third took the Grand Poutine Challenge. The challenge was simple: finish 5 pounds of poutine in an hour and you get your meal and a T-shirt for free. The Grand Poutine came out first and my friend dug in. He only ended up finishing 2/3 of it, but he got a shirt to take home, so all was not for naught. When the rest of the food came out, it was time to see for myself how the food was. The smoked meat sandwich was good, but it loses a star for how dry it was. Schwartz's, Dunn's, and the other known places in Montréal have meat that is quite a bit more moist. The fries were excellent. Overall, 4/5. Service and fries were excellent, but the smoked meat was a tad dry. I'm not opposed to a return visit, but I'd choose another entree.

Ordered banana crepes. The key to amazing crepes are cooked bananas. Not simply sliced raw bananas stuffed inside a crepe. Change it and crepes would be amazing

Been meaning to try this place for breakfast. It always seems to be full on the weekends. Luckily for me I'm an early riser so got there around 7:30am and got an open table. Parking in the back is convenient. Here we go: Food I got the Farmers Skillet because cheese sauce sounded good on my breakfast medley. Huge mistake, the cheese sauce was meh and curdled into a thick salty mess. Sausage links tasted frozen and overall I was not happy with my food choice. Also tried the crepes. These were pretty good and I paid the premium for fresh strawberries. Service The service was as you would expect from this region. Not too friendly and no refills on drinks. Waited 20 mins just to pay out and had to go up to the counter just to get the server to charge my card. Server complained about call in orders the entire time we were there, got awkward after a while. All in all it was typical diner food. Nothing special. Will have to try something different next time. I'm sure I just made the wrong food choice. Happy Hunting Yelpers!

Totally can completely in love. So not what you'd expect. Like the best version of a French Canadian diner in Manchester NH you could possibly imagine. I don't even know I was like dizzy from the amazingness of everything - Serious as a heart attack I was PISSED at my petit ami (bf in Francois) for being 3 years past and he'd never brought me to his neighborhood haunt. I freaking adored everything I had and I know you will too... Where to begin - yes poutine. And poutine accessories! But like let's talk crepes - like hundred of combos both savory and sweet Let's talk waffles - hugely enormousness and all same accouterments (make sure you say it frenchy Frenchers) And let's talk omelettes ? Like more of a giant frittata) holy EFF BALLS - Excellent Sammie's goin on here. Burgers - clubs and more Yuma. Def try the chili- but warning not for people that like tomato sauce with a bunch of beef and beans - this one has a little kick and flavor to it. NOT A BAD CHOICE TO GET CHILI CHEESE POUTINE JUSSAYIN. -and as any self respecting purveyors of poutine - this place has a menu dedicated to the namely dish. Good (not amazing) coffee, and super fast friendly service- so depend on such ! I'm honestly glad it's a ride for me or I'd be about 600 lbs.

The best breakfast in Manchester! I always want the same order - Eggs Florentine is my very favorite. No one makes it better! Friendly staff and a fun experience every time.

Chez Vachon is one of those well known, American "Hole in the Wall" diners that is a true staple to the community and preservation of Franco-American culture. Since it's opening, Chez Vachon has been featured on Phantom Gourmet, and has been a community hotspot for the old west-side of Manchester. The establishment isn't fancy, but casual with a recent facelift with new paints, decor, and flooring on the inside. $15 got me a full sample of Quebecois fare including: a blueberry crêpe with maple sugar and syrup, toast with hot gorton, poutine, and tourtier with baked beans and gravy. Our server was very nice and the food brought back memories of memere's pork pie as a child. As they say, live free and parlez français at Chez Vachon!

Dinner type place Very nice waitress Excellent sandwich had the corned beef w sauerkraut on sourdough And poutine. Yummy

Always been my one of my top go to breakfast places! Great food, great staff, great atmosphere, just overall a great place to eat! Highly recommended! You can't go wrong with Chez Vachon!

Although the menu is quite large at Chez Vachon, I was not overly impressed with the food. Known for their french canadian specialties, this is what brought us in (to try something different). Like any diner, they have a large variety of eggs, omelets, pancakes, etc. What makes them stand out is their crepes and french canadian pork items. The crepes are large and you can have with or without filling. I was happy to see they had cold brew coffee on the menu, that was a pleasant surprise. All in all, you cant mess up breakfast.

Waited over an hour to pickup food that I called ahead about. Watched people be sat and given food before I received mine, cold. Awesome job!

Chez Vachon has renovated and updated their space! We went this past Sunday and they finally reopened and they have a new sign, carpet, flooring, paint, ceiling tiles, and some new furniture. Same great menu, however some recipes have changed. The coffee is better (stronger). and the home fries are better too. Not sure how. Menu prices are the same but I think the specials on the board, the prices are lower. $5.00 omelet? Hello? Can't beat that ANYWHERE. Same great staff and over all French Canadian charm. I heart this place.

Chez Vachon serves up typical diner fare with a French Canadian flair for breakfast and lunch at very reasonable prices (most items under $10). The luncheonette atmosphere has lunch counter seating, booth seating and table seating. On the back wall, there's a bulletin board with several political campaign stickers from the national to local level. The breakfast menu (served all day) offers egg dishes, omelettes, pancakes, crepes, waffles, Texas French toast, fruit, pastries, Poutines (a popular dish in Quebec) and more. The coffee is fresh ground before brewing. The lunch menu offerings include comfort dishes, sandwiches, salads, chicken, seafood, salmon pie, pork pie, senior menu, kids menu, and les desserts (pies, cakes, puddings, jello). There are daily specials on the paper placemats and on the boards. Beer, wine, and liquor served here too. I had lunch here today and sat myself at a booth. I decided to try the Sausage Poutine ($7.60 - hand cut fries, Canadian cheese chunks, choice of meat (sausage) or vegetables, & smothered in rich brown gravy) and a side of Macaroni Salad ($0.75). The Poutine was a good sized portion. I enjoyed the Canadian cheese and the crispy hand cut fries, but the brown gravy was very salty. The side of Macaroni Salad (elbow macaroni with mayo, celery, cucumber, tomato served over lettuce) was good. My friendly waitress called it my dessert. The service here was good. HOURS: Monday-Friday: 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM; Saturday & Sunday: 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Those are the hours posted on the door.

Its Wonderful to feel like I'm back in my home country of Canada and having a Poutine. The staff was great and the food was amazing. And thanks for entertaining us with the Impatient and offended Kaaaaren Door dash Driver

We had the smoke meat, potato pancakes and crepe combo. The smoke meat was nothing like Montreal. Everything was so salty it overwhelms your palette and you could hardly taste the ingredients. We are adding one star for the cheery service from our waitress. Otherwise we'd have rated this one star.

As usual this place is the king of Crepes the best of the best!!!! I had one of the combos with crepes so I had the banana maple cream crepe so good. Scrambled eggs bacon and beans were okay, I was not impressed with the baked beans it seems as something was missing I couldn't figure it out until finally it was the brown sugar it was really bland.

This review has been edited after information was made available to me which changed my perspective, and as a result I will limit my review to the food and service. The service was not the same. In fact, it was bad. Which was surprising since I have been going, sporadically to be certain, to Chez Vachon for thirty years and never, even when they've been busy, have I have ever had bad service. It was disappointing to say the least, but I expect that this was a fluke. We'll find out soon, it's nearly fall and Sunday brunch at Chez Vachon is a mainstay, especially during an intense election cycle. The food? Well, if you like poutine, it can be had here, in quantity. Glutton for punishment? There's a challenge to be had here for those daring enough. Additionally, their crepes are divine and filling, and the best in the city- possibly the only crepes in the city. The coffee isn't anything special, but is always hot, and other entrees are typical of diner food, though I will state that the quality is consistent. The big thing that kept this restaurant to three stars is a seeming change in the overall atmosphere. I remember the Chez as a vibrant, thriving joint with so many people conversing it was nearly distracting, and in my recent visits it's seemed to lack that. The waitstaff don't seem as engaged, and the food takes longer to come out. Chez Vachon is a pillar of our collective community, and any loss of vitality here bears witness to a loss in the community as well. I'm going to go back again, and hope that my last few visits were just a fluke. Because anything else would be a terrible blow to the heart of Manchester; if we have one, here it may be found.

This place is so good. Whenever we have free time on the weekend I usually want to go here for breakfast or lunch. The food is amazing. My favorite is the eggs benedict and the crepes. So good. It's a very busy place, depending on when you go. Not much room to wait for a table. The host is awesome. For me, I was put off by the waitress at the counter. I chalked it up to a bad day, but since we've been back it seems not much has changed. Still, the food is really good. I've had meatloaf which I found delightful. I'll definitely keep going back.

ZERO COMPLAINTS! The poutine is fantastic ( skip the trip to Montreal and just eat here for breakfast) , the Crepes were amazing as well! We were a group of 5 on a Sunday morning and not one of us was disappointed! There was no wait ( I'm not sure if we just got lucky with our timing). Waitress was very friendly and we plan to return again soon!

I ordered a Reuben baked omelette through Doordash and received a Reuben sandwich that has barely any meat in it with a side of fruit that's already brown. I'm on a restricted diet and can't eat bread so thanks for ruining my breakfast. Not to mention that I only got partial credit back on this order so money wasted as well. Edit: Restaurant owner called and gave a gift card for incorrect order. Increased to 3 stars for taking ownership; its appreciated.

Stopped by this place on the way to Sunapee Mountain and was very happy with our meal. We ordered the Westsiders omelette and pancake combo (1 pancake,1 egg, 1 bacon & 1 sausage). The pancake was a little dry and not as fluffy as I would like but that was my only complaints about this place. Our server, Jennifer, was very sweet and attentive. The Westsiders omelette was delicious. Warning: it's BIG! So come hungry! I'd like to come back and try the pouting sometime because it looks amazing.

Anyone who gives Chez Vashon less than 5 stars is a moron looking for issues to complain about. Yes, parking can be a problem (small lot behind and street parking) and sometimes there is a wait... Isn't that confirmation that this place is fantastic. People - ignore the haters. This is a must try breakfast joint. First- consistently rated as the best poutine south of the Canadian border. The french fries would be great alone (crispy without tasting like frying oil) throw in cheese curds and rich, thick gravy and it will blow you away. The crepes are a must try. A countless combination of fillings and toppings awaits you . The crepes themselves are tasty, with a great texture to serve as the backdrop to your filling choices. We live about an hour from Chez Vashon, but we find reasons to get to Manchester and grab breakfast here. My opinion- this is a must try restaurant.

Chez Vachon seems to be more known for its breakfast and poutine, but I actually came here for Montreal-style smoked meat, which I'd previously seen only in pictures. This place seemed like my best bet to have somes short of actually going to Canada. So I made the beautiful two-hour drive from Hartford. When I walked in, I saw families, couples, teenagers... all indicating a well-loved local spot that crossed generations. An elderly couple took the table next to mine, and it was some time before I realized that they were speaking the Québécois flavor of French, which I'd never heard before. Delightful. I wasted no time ordering: the six-ounce smoked meat sandwich, with an appetizer of poutine, and, because that apparently wasn't enough fried potato for me, a side of fries as well. The smoked meat did not disappoint! It reminded me of pastrami, but with no marbling, and a distinctly different spice mix. I tasted, or think I tasted, coriander, garlic, black pepper, and cumin. The coarse mustard was a wonderful match, though I understood that yellow mustard was used in Montreal. It was also much saltier than any pastrami or corned beef that I could remember having, almost to the point of imbalance. Some additional mustard might have helped offset that. The poutine had excellent fries, a brown gravy that could have used a tad more flavor, and rather sparse cheese curds. I suspect I would have been more satisfied with it if I'd ordered a bigger portion, and perhaps included some meat. Overall, I'm glad I made the trip, and I would certainly stop by if I happened to be in the area. Perhaps next time I'll try one of those amazing-looking omelettes...

I want to give it a million stars just for being one of the last French Canadian restaurants but the last time I ate there the food was so salty I couldn't even finish it .. Kudos to them for single handedly keeping all the cardiologist at CMC gainfully employed for the next 10 years and the expansion of the New England heart institute . Please just consider lightening up on the salt the food is good enough it really doesn't need that much salt .