I'll save you some waiting time by starting my review with a helpful note: you can skip the long line! The line outside of Schwart's is for the small dine-in section of the main deli. The building on the left has the same awning and is the take-out deli. The line inside is short and moves VERY rapidly as most people are purchasing packaged meat or smoked meat (aka pastrami) sandwiches to go. A few people (like us) will notice that there are a few stools in the back of this deli against some counters for eating. Short line and a place to sit? Plus a restroom to wash hands afterwards? Win-win!
My friend and I originally waited in the main line on a Sunday afternoon along with other tourists and then realized there was another door. We went in, bought our smoked meat sandwiches ($9.60), cherry soda ($2.35), and poutine with smoked meats ($9.45), and sat in the back to enjoy Montreal's top pastrami sandwich. In less than 10 minutes.
The sandwich looked pretty small when wrapped but once revealed, we were shocked at the amount of meat they stuffed between two small slices of bread. (We should have just gotten 1 to share instead of 2.) They also managed to squeeze in some yellow mustard. Two people can definitely share one sandwich. The poutine was rich and heavy, as expected. It was so much food that we brought the poutine back to reheat for breakfast the next morning.
Unfortunately, the sandwich was more on the dry and salty side. They got the smoky taste down but it's not as good as the pastrami in Katz's Deli back home (NYC).
I loved the cork board in the back and all the love notes that people write on their paper napkins. They're pretty fun to read as they are written in various languages, including pictures and stick figures.