For decades, Murray’s Restaurants was a cornerstone of Canadian comfort dining, the place where a heavy revolving door opened onto warm food, familiar faces, and the unmistakable spirit of the Blue M. This page is the definitive archive for the Murray’s Heritage Series: history drawn from original menus, beloved recipes researched and brought back to life, and a Memory Wall where you can add your own story.
My earliest memories of Murray’s are tied to the Lucerne Shopping Centre location in the Town of Mount Royal, a city within Montreal built around the promise of a commuter railway. It was a strip mall beside the Metropolitan expressway, nothing comforting about the setting, but pushing through that heavy revolving door into Murray’s was a different story. You walked straight up to the cashier’s counter, where the shelves were loaded with sweets you could not find anywhere else, mostly British, at least not in my neighbourhood. For a five-year-old, that was the start of a lifelong love affair with a great place to eat.
After chilly mornings picking up my sister from her Rob Roy ski lessons in the sixties, Murray’s was our haven. It was not just a restaurant, it was a ritual. The family-style setting felt like a cozy extension of our own home, the perfect respite with its heartwarming dishes. Whether it was a Sunday family lunch or a quick bite after a day of shopping, every trip was a story, sometimes about the people who joined you, often about the people who served you. As much as this page is about my memories, it is built to honour yours.
About This Archive
The Legend of the “Blue M”
From the bustling corridors of Windsor Station and the downtown energy of Ste. Catherine Street to the familiar outposts in Toronto, Ottawa, and Sudbury, Murray’s was a true institution. For decades it bridged the gap between a high-end dining room and a neighbourhood diner. When the last location closed, it felt like the end of an era. At The Lunch Pro, we believe the best way to preserve history is to taste it.
The Murray’s Heritage Series: Research, Recreate, Modernize
A documented archive, not just nostalgia: This series is grounded in primary sources, including my own original 1950s Murray’s menu and The Treasury of Canadian Cooking, alongside a growing archive of recreated recipes.
Research: I hunt down the primary sources and original methods behind each dish before a single ingredient is measured.
Test: I cook and iterate until the result rings true. There are no one-off attempts here.
Modernize: I adapt each recipe for today’s ingredients and tastes, including vegetarian options such as a suet substitute for the Steamed Fruit Pudding, without sacrificing the original’s character. Dishes I grew up with, like the Orangeade, the Hamburger Royale, and Chicken in the Basket, are on the list to revisit too.
“Rolls or Muffins?”
If you ordered one of their “Complete Meals,” you got your choice of soup (often vegetable or the soup of the day), coffee or tea, and a dessert. But first came the question from the waitress: “ROLLS or MUFFINS?” It took me a few years to understand the rhythm, but I grew to love hearing that question. In this series, you will hear, in a much friendlier way, what this food was all about.
On each table sat two plastic holders with the dessert menu. One listed the daily desserts, the cake of the day and the pie of the day, but always Jello topped with whipped cream, Baked Rice Custard Pudding (my friend Stephen’s and my signature order on our downtown movie adventures), or Crème de Menthe and Rum Parfait. The other carried the seasonal desserts: Steamed Fruit Pudding in the colder months from Thanksgiving until spring, then Strawberry Shortcake, followed by Peach Melba Ice Cream Cake in summer. You do not have to wait for any of them, since I already have the creamy Rice Custard Pudding, the signature Bran Muffins, and the iconic Steamed Fruit Pudding recreated for you.
Explore the Murray’s Heritage Series
Recreated Recipes: Start with the three dishes already brought back to life, the creamy Rice Custard Pudding, the molasses-rich Bran Muffins, and the seasonal Steamed Fruit Pudding with a vegetarian option.
Montreal Dining History: Place Murray’s in its era alongside the story of the Eaton’s Ninth Floor restaurant, another lost icon of the city’s golden age of department-store dining.
Plan a Visit: Tracing the city’s classic lunch culture today? See our guide to the lunch spots tourists often miss in Montreal.
The Memory Wall: What Was Your Order?
This is not just a place for me to tell you what I remember; it is a journal for us to write together. I would love to hear your story about Murray’s Restaurant. Did you always order the same thing, or did you explore the menu? Which location was “yours”? And if you could have one more plate of anything from the Murray’s kitchen right now, what would it be? Leave a comment below to add your brick to our Memory Wall, and let’s keep the spirit of the Blue M alive, one story at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Murray’s Restaurants?
Murray’s was a chain of Canadian comfort-food restaurants that was a beloved institution for decades, with locations in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Sudbury. Known for its Blue M sign and family-style dining, it bridged the gap between a high-end dining room and a neighbourhood diner until the last location eventually closed.
What was on the Murray’s menu?
Murray’s was famous for its Complete Meals, which paired a soup, a drink, and a dessert with the waitress’s signature question, rolls or muffins. Beloved items included the Hamburger Royale, Chicken in the Basket, Orangeade, and a rotating dessert menu of rice custard pudding, steamed fruit pudding, strawberry shortcake, and peach melba ice cream cake.
Can I still get Murray’s recipes?
Yes. The Lunch Pro Murray’s Heritage Series recreates the originals from primary sources, including a 1950s menu, and three are already available: rice custard pudding, bran muffins, and steamed fruit pudding. Each recipe is researched, tested, and gently modernized for today’s kitchen.
Are Murray’s restaurants still open?
No, all Murray’s locations have closed. The chain is no longer operating, which is why this archive exists, to preserve its history through documented recipes, original menus, and the shared memories of the people who ate there.
Murray’s may have closed its doors, but the Blue M lives on in every recreated recipe and every memory shared here. Pull up a stool, pick a dish, and add your story to the Memory Wall. This archive only grows richer with each one.
