With its offbeat blend of poutine, pikliz, natural wine, and piri-piri, Montreal is a food city hors pair. You’ll find Italian, Jewish, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Haitian, and, of course, meaty French-leaning restaurants side by side. Add to that our public markets, rooftop greenhouses, urban farms (Montreal is a world capital of urban agriculture), and a surplus of homegrown cooking talent and vibrant immigrant communities. Foodways coalesce, traditions get upheld and upended, and imported techniques are tailored to local flora and fauna. No single influence governs Montreal’s distinct, ever-evolving culinary terrain, and that’s what makes eating here so special.
The 38 Best Restaurants in Montreal, According to a Local Food Writer
Everywhere to eat in Montreal, from bagels and shawarma to fine dining, according to Eater’s on-the-ground food writer
I’m a life-long Montrealer with only growing excitement for all this city has to eat, and I’ve been curating this map for the past six years. Spanning cuisines, neighborhoods, and price points, it’s a shortlist of must-try spots right now, reflecting some of the newer openings driving conversation, the trends playing out across dining tables and award lists, and the generational icons that complete the city. It can also serve as a primer on local food-speak; lesson one: If you order an “entrée,” you’re getting a starter.
We update this list regularly to make sure it reflects the ever-changing Montreal dining scene. Our write-ups include insider tips, as well as a rough range of pricing for each destination — from $ for quick, inexpensive meals with dishes largely under $10 USD (or the equivalent in Canadian dollars), to $$$$ for places where mains exceed $30.
New to the map in July 2026: Aylwin Deli & Barbecue, a smokin’ two-part operation currently crushing it at Atwater Market; Dobe & Andy, a Chinatown staple upholding generations of barbecue meat legacy; Pichai, my absolute favorite purveyor of Thai spice in the city; and a newer arrival to the scene, Bruce, which has garnered well-deserved attention for Scottish cuisine.
Valerie Silva is a Montreal writer and editor. From 2020 to 2022, she ran Eater’s Montreal site and remains a regular contributor for the publication. Her work has appeared in Bon Appétit, Air Canada’s enRoute, ELLE Canada, Maisonneuve Magazine, and elsewhere, spanning everything from the belugas and beer of the Saguenay Fjord to Hochelaga’s clown culture and the history and high notes of poutine in Montreal. Otherwise, you can find her developing concepts and telling stories for multimedia entertainment studio Moment Factory.
The 38 Best Restaurants in Montreal, According to a Local Food Writer
Everywhere to eat in Montreal, from bagels and shawarma to fine dining, according to Eater’s on-the-ground food writer
With its offbeat blend of poutine, pikliz, natural wine, and piri-piri, Montreal is a food city hors pair. You’ll find Italian, Jewish, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Haitian, and, of course, meaty French-leaning restaurants side by side. Add to that our public markets, rooftop greenhouses, urban farms (Montreal is a world capital of urban agriculture), and a surplus of homegrown cooking talent and vibrant immigrant communities. Foodways coalesce, traditions get upheld and upended, and imported techniques are tailored to local flora and fauna. No single influence governs Montreal’s distinct, ever-evolving culinary terrain, and that’s what makes eating here so special.
I’m a life-long Montrealer with only growing excitement for all this city has to eat, and I’ve been curating this map for the past six years. Spanning cuisines, neighborhoods, and price points, it’s a shortlist of must-try spots right now, reflecting some of the newer openings driving conversation, the trends playing out across dining tables and award lists, and the generational icons that complete the city. It can also serve as a primer on local food-speak; lesson one: If you order an “entrée,” you’re getting a starter.
We update this list regularly to make sure it reflects the ever-changing Montreal dining scene. Our write-ups include insider tips, as well as a rough range of pricing for each destination — from $ for quick, inexpensive meals with dishes largely under $10 USD (or the equivalent in Canadian dollars), to $$$$ for places where mains exceed $30.
New to the map in July 2026: Aylwin Deli & Barbecue, a smokin’ two-part operation currently crushing it at Atwater Market; Dobe & Andy, a Chinatown staple upholding generations of barbecue meat legacy; Pichai, my absolute favorite purveyor of Thai spice in the city; and a newer arrival to the scene, Bruce, which has garnered well-deserved attention for Scottish cuisine.
Valerie Silva is a Montreal writer and editor. From 2020 to 2022, she ran Eater’s Montreal site and remains a regular contributor for the publication. Her work has appeared in Bon Appétit, Air Canada’s enRoute, ELLE Canada, Maisonneuve Magazine, and elsewhere, spanning everything from the belugas and beer of the Saguenay Fjord to Hochelaga’s clown culture and the history and high notes of poutine in Montreal. Otherwise, you can find her developing concepts and telling stories for multimedia entertainment studio Moment Factory.
Chez Ma Tante
Open for: Lunch, dinner, and late-night
Price range: $
When Chez Ma Tante first opened its doors, well, there were no doors to swing open. Established in 1929, this quintessential casse-croûte (Quebec-style diner) originally served steamés (local parlance for hot-dogs with steamed bun and franks) out of a horse-drawn carriage. After upgrading to a camper van, it eventually settled into a building on Fleury Street and is now widely regarded as one of the city’s top hot dog and poutine purveyors. Old-school in the best way, Chez Ma Tante’s metallic facade and neon signage — a rarity in the city — draw attention and diners, with parking lot picnic tables to enjoy all-dressed steamés (topped with mustard, onions, relish, and slaw) when the weather permits. Inside, there’s a little space for counter eating.
If you drive: There is a drive-thru open daily until 4 a.m. for meals on the go.
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Restaurant Ho Guom
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
In comparing the city’s leading bowls of pho, diners’ preferences vary wildly. For some, Ho Guom’s nourishing chicken and lemon leaf option is unmatched, as are the beefy varieties topped with heaps of bean sprouts and fragrant herbs. But regulars at this quietly adored spot on Jean-Talon East will tell you other Northern Vietnamese specialties really take center stage. Consider the bò tái chanh, a rare beef salad doused in a sugary lime dressing and roasted peanuts; the bò lá lốt, savory grilled beef wrapped in betel leaf; or the bún ốc, a Hanoi-style snail soup. Go on Tuesdays to get half-off on a second main dish — and to experience the busy, occasionally chaotic energy that comes with it. Now with a second location off-island, in Brossard.
Know before you go: Ho Guom is BYOB, so swing by the SAQ (Quebec’s government-run liquor commission) or a dépanneur (corner store) to pick up some wine or beer beforehand.
Casse-Croûte Sissi & Paul
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $
Montreal is home to the largest Haitian community in Canada, and its influence runs deep, especially in the food scene. The city brims with casual Haitian joints that specialize in marinated, braised, then fried pork known as griot — and everyone has their favorite. Sissi & Paul is a takeout-only spot in Saint-Michel that’s occupied a place in the top tier since opening in 2015. The restaurant is known for griot, but it also serves outstanding chicken and cabrit (stewed goat) with fried plantains, tangy pikliz, and your choice of riz collé (rice with red kidney beans) or djon djon (rice with black mushrooms).
Must-try dish: The moitié-moitié (half chicken, half griot), so you don’t have to choose. Throw in some accras (malanga fritters), and a chilled Cola Couronne, and you’re looking at a Haitian feast that’s become a staple of Montreal life.
- 2517 Rue Jean-Talon Est, Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension, QC, H2A 1T6
- (514) 903-2517
- Visit website
Resto-Bar Le Pick-Up
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$
Walking along Hochelaga’s main east-west thoroughfare Ontario Street, the contrasts hit you. Old-school diners and watering holes, newly minted wine bars and pizzerias, empty graffitied storefronts, and trendy home decor shops all sit side by side, telling the story of a neighborhood both holding on to its past and shifting in real time. This after-dark offshoot of Mile End’s dépanneur-meets-sandwich-counter Le Pick-Up toes the line — part of the next gen, yet projecting a lived-in feel, thanks in part to some holdover features of the former La Belle Province diner that stood in its place. The short menu at this 6-year-old haunt includes must-tries like a Nashville fried chicken sandwich, crispy cilantro-garlic fries that might be the best in the city, and killer house-made doughnuts. For drinking, there are some solid cocktails, natural wines, and beers from neighborhood brewers L’Espace Public.
Vibe check: Laid-back, loud, and rough-around-the-edges — a quintessential Hochelaga hang.
Pâtisserie Armenia
Open for: Daytime
Price range: $
Those in the know head north when a craving for lahmajoun — sometimes called “Armenian pizza” — strikes. At Pâtisserie Armenia, the dough is impossibly thin, crisping beautifully at the edges, and covered in a mixture of minced meat, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and parsley that’s full of flavor, especially with a squeeze of lemon right before eating. A fourth-generation operation, the Merdjanian family have been at their current Fleury Ouest outpost since 1988, but they’re shepherding tradition, know-how, and a lahmajoun recipe that dates all the way back to 1918. Beyond the lahmajoun, there are bags of frozen manti, baton salé (salty sticks), and cheurek (a yeasty brioche traditionally made for Easter, but available here all year long). That’s all. The laser focus works — many consider theirs one of the very best lahmajoun in town.
Know before you go: With a little pre-planning, the food options multiply — Pâtisserie Armenia takes pre-orders for soubereg (a casserole dish featuring alternating layers of cheese and dough) and zeytov sarma (stuffed vine leaves).
Restaurant Moccione
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
After more than six years in business, a move to a larger space, the opening of a sister pizzeria in its original digs, and the release of a cookbook, Moccione is a Montreal Italian institution worth repeat visits. Slip into its cozy, contemporary space on a quiet stretch of Saint-Denis for an impeccable plate of chef Luca Cianciulli’s pasta tossed in a rich ragu, and you’ll quickly see why nabbing a table here can be a feat. (Note: Reservations open on Resy two weeks in advance and fill up fast.) The regularly rotating appetizer selection — with raw offerings like a color-popping scallop crudo with strawberry, rhubarb, and hibiscus, and a beef carpaccio with aioli, pecorino, and giardiniera — is always on point, as is the olive oil-infused negroni to start, and a slice of olive oil cake (or ricotta cannoli) to finish.
Best for: Italian that’s a sure bet, for when you’re feeling risk-averse.
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Casavant
Open for: Dinner, with lunch on Thursdays and Fridays
Price range: $$$
Mondays can be tough, not least because so many of Montreal’s restaurants are off for a well-deserved rest. But not Casavant, a Bib Gourmand-winning, nouveau French brasserie that set up shop on a Villeray street corner. Open seven days a week and serving food until midnight, it’s a great spot to have in your back pocket. A beef tartare amped up with smoked mackerel, sausage on mash, and a pasta du jour are staples on the trim menu, which gets tweaked with the seasons. The wine list (and gorgeous centerpiece cellar holding the goods) are a main draw, which should come as no surprise given the restaurant partners hail from much-loved Montreal wine bar Vinvinvin.
Vibe check: The brilliant art deco-inspired design, including a striking suspended lamp by Italian glass artist Carlo Nason, calls to passersby through the window.
Automne Boulangerie (multiple locations)
Open for: Daytime
Price range: $
In a city overflowing with quality bakeries, this one, founded by Seth Gabrielse and Julien Roy, attracts lots of customers to its original location on Avenue Christophe-Colomb, as well as a second location nearby on Bélanger Street. Since opening in 2016, Automne has been a magnet for bread buffs — and a supplier for many of the city’s top restaurants — thanks to its expert execution of staples and exciting seasonal creations. The sourdough batard is a weekly must, the broccoli cheddar quiche is spot-on for brunch, and the ham and aged cheddar croissant is decadent but irresistible. For something sweet, the chocolatine might just be the best in town.
Know before you go: Don’t visit too late in the day, the most prized creations get claimed fast.
Bar St-Denis
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
This Little Italy spot from Au Pied de Cochon alums Emily Homsy and David Gauthier resists easy categorization. Housed in a former dive bar (and proudly bearing its name), it offers up some great drinks and an impressive wine list, but is first and foremost a restaurant — and an exceedingly good one at that. The menu is seasonal, with nods to Egyptian flavors with crisp falafel, razor clams filled with tabbouleh, and olive- and pistachio-topped labneh alongside gorgeous flatbread, but dishes also hint at a host of other intermingling inspirations. Seafood and fish lovers are well-served here, perhaps with some unbelievably soft, subtly sweet scallops or rainbow trout atop a pool of beurre blanc. And though you may be tempted to fill up on heftier options like boudin or sweetbreads, be sure to hold space — or be able to summon the will power — for dessert, which is usually a knockout.
Know before you go: Though favorites reoccur, Bar St-Denis’s menu is in flux with the seasons, so don’t get too attached to any particular dishes.
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Les Filles Fattoush
Open for: Daytime
Price range: $$
Aleppo-born entrepreneur Adelle Tarzibachi and filmmaker Josette Gauthier founded Les Filles Fattoush in 2017 with a mission to create jobs and community for women who had fled the Syrian Civil War and resettled in Quebec. That remains true, even as the project has grown from a small catering kitchen into a multifaceted venture including a line of Syrian pantry staples, a seasonal street food stall at Jean-Talon Market, and — as of last summer — a permanent gourmet boutique, also at the market. Go for the creamy baba ganoush and the best-selling muhammara, along with some beef and pine nut kibbeh and the tangy, sumac-spiced eponymous salad. If you catch the stall before it packs up for winter, don’t skip the bouza, Syria’s stretchy ice cream, in nutty and floral flavors.
Know before you go: The boutique’s wood shelves and counters were salvaged from the roof of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium — currently undergoing reconstruction, and as controversial as ever.
Montréal Plaza
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$$
The city is full of French-leaning, market-driven restaurants, but this raucous spot from chefs Charles-Antoine Crête and Cheryl Johnson, which recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary and nabbed a spot on the 2026 Michelin Guide, stands out for its whimsy and weaving of international influences. Here, seasonal dishes like foie gras terrine with apples and brioche; Pacman Scallop with strawberry water and wasabi foam; or whelks in miso butter and lime with milk bread manage to be elegant and complex without feeling too stuffy and serious. For a daytime meal or lower-key dinner, head next door to just-as-delicious younger sibling Juliette Plaza. Both spots are on Plaza St-Hubert, an anything-goes commercial strip that Montréal Plaza helped turn into the culinary hotbed it has become today.
Must-try dish: Cap off a memorable evening with Montréal Plaza’s trademark Fruit Crispy, a light dessert of berries, white chocolate mousse, sorbet, and crisp slivers of dacquoise.
Le Violon
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
Le Violon sits on a quiet Plateau corner, but buzz about the restaurant is getting louder and louder. The project from chef Danny Smiles (who gained recognition on Top Chef Canada and later at Chuck Hughes’ seafood-centric Le Bremner) feels measured and mature, but not at all stiff or showy. The menu is a steady evolution, so I was pleased to find two favorite dishes on rotation during my recent visit: beef tartare swirled with tahini, and ricotta gnocchi in a rich, earthy cavolo nero pesto. Both were standouts, as was a dish of sea bream served with spring’s first peas in a super velvety beurre blanc. The room itself is a stunner: lots of wood, powder-blue walls, and crisp white linens under the watchful gaze of a colossal Dalmatian, painted by artist and Le Violon co-owner Dan Climan.
Best for: Just as great for a date night as a birthday dinner, or a just-because evening out.
Vin Mon Lapin
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
Mon Lapin is the hottest table in town, especially after clinching the top spot on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list in 2023 and again in 2024, and coming in at number two for both 2025 and 2026. But it isn’t the “fine dining” one might expect of a restaurant with this repute — this spot runs on a warm, casual sophistication. The menu shifts daily, guided by the whims of co-chefs Marc-Olivier Frappier and Jessica Noël and the harvests brought in at nearby Jean-Talon Market. Seasonal seafood and vegetables take center stage, with dishes featuring morels, asparagus, snow crabs, sea urchin, and Ontario peaches. Even with constant reinvention, a few beloved fixtures remain: the Croque-Pétoncle (a scallop mousse sandwich), a signature buckwheat and honey cake for dessert, and a thoughtfully assembled natural wine list.
Know before you go: Eastbound on the same street, the team’s latest venture, Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning Rôtisserie La Lune, pays homage to a Québécois standby: barbecue chicken, fries, coleslaw, and gravy.
Limbo
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
Sitting at the border of Mile-Ex and Little Italy, newcomer Limbo lives up to its name, and geography is only part of it. The dishes coming out of chef Harrison Shewchuk’s kitchen (formerly of Salle Climatisée) inhabit a similar in-between: steeped in classic (largely French) technique, but freely exploring in unexpected directions. On a recent visit to the 2026 recipient of a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation, a beef tartare with little bursts of gelée and trout roe delivered a textural surprise; cabbage and chestnuts arrived slathered in a dreamy beef marrow sauce (an idea that literally came to the chef in a dream); and a mille-feuille for dessert came layered with apples, Avonlea cheddar, and salted caramel pasty cream. One after another, each dish impressed, with sauces so good that at one point my dining companion was driven to lift his plate to lick it clean. With its warm wood panelling, deep burgundy banquettes, marble tables, and metallic bar top, Limbo projects a sense of having been here much longer than it has — and that it plans to stay.
Must-try dish: The move is the choix du chef — a multi-course meal where you hand over control to the kitchen and wait to see what arrives next. It’s liberating, fun, and at $99 a head (about $70 USD), a great value.
Pasta Pooks
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
When a newcomer to Montreal’s dining scene generates as much chatter as Pasta Pooks has, it’s only natural to feel a hint of skepticism. But on every one of my visits, it proved deserving of the attention. Most recently, I came across one of the best plates of pasta I’ve had in recent memory: mushroom and stracchino-stuffed triangoli in a silky, savory broth reduction with morels. The gnocchi in meaty ragu, spaghettoni alla gricia (the Roman staple that’s essentially a cacio e pepe with the added salty depth of guanciale), and those pillowy spinach ravioli you’ve certainly spotted all over Instagram were delicious, too, as were fried zucchini flowers, and tiramisu finished with a satisfying sprinkle of flaky salt. After this Little Italy corner went quiet following the closing of Dinette Triple Crown, it’s a relief to see it alive again, thanks to childhood friends Luca Labelle Vinci and Victor-Alex Petrenko, whose pandemic-born venture has officially taken root.
Know before you go: If you aren’t able to land a spot you can always grab a lemon pookie cheesesteak hoagie and head across the street to Parc de la Petite-Italie.
Star Bar
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $
André Theriault landed on something special when he began crafting pizzas from behind a counter tucked within LGBTQ hangout Notre Dame des Quilles on Beaubien. In 2021, he and a partner moved the operation across the street, opening the pint-sized slice shop Pizza Bouquet, which now draws fans who spill out the door as they wait or squeeze onto a bench out front while juggling their stack of paper plates and warm, cheesy slices. Since 2024, the pizza is also available at Star Bar,the team’s Saint-Laurent watering hole equipped with its very own Pizza Bouquet counter. Though it’s been open for just a little over a year, Star Bar already feels like it’s been there for ages, with solid cocktails and a fun bar setting for trivia, bingo, and more.
Must-try dish: The Upside-Down, with mozzarella at the base and a garlicky tomato sauce and gremolata drops up top.
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Dosa Pointe
Open for: Lunch (Friday to Sunday) and dinner (Tuesday to Sunday)
Price range: $
You’ll find some of Montreal’s best South Indian eats at this family-run spot in the Park-Ex neighborhood, where North Indian restaurants tend to take the lead. Here, it’s all about dosas — crisp, golden, paper-thin, and available in over 75 varieties. Fillings range from garlicky potato masala to tangy green chili paneer or spicy chicken keema. Each massive dosa comes with a rich, flavorful sambhar and two chutneys (classic coconut and the house-special Andhra peanut) — served on stainless steel thalis. Add a side of idlis (soft, fluffy rice cakes) or vadas (crisp, deep-fried doughnuts), perhaps a Hyderabadi biryani or Manchurian chicken to share, and a mango lassi, and you’re set.
Vibe check: Dosa Pointe is a community favorite, often packed with families and friends, but swift service keeps things rolling smoothly.
- 895 Rue Jean-Talon Ouest, Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension, QC H3N 1S7
- (514) 303-7755
- Visit website
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Ma Poule Mouillée
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Given Quebec’s longtime love for rotisserie chicken, it’s no surprise that once locals got a taste of a Portuguese restaurateur’s spicy, char-grilled twist it kindled an appreciation that still burns bright. Digging into some flavour-packing piri-piri chicken is a quintessential Montreal experience, and a testament to its multicultural heritage. There is perhaps no better place for it than Ma Poule Mouillée. The quarter- or half-chicken plates — doused in spicy piri-piri and served with a mountain of well-seasoned fries and a token salad — are the standard play at most Portuguese grill spots, but at this joint, opened in 2013, the take on poutine, bulked up with chicken, grilled chouriço, and São Jorge cheese, has achieved icon status. Ask for extra sauce and an orange Sumol — in my humble opinion the best flavor by far — to wash it down.
Know before you go: Queues of hungry locals and tourists that spill out the door are a regular occurrence here, but some well-coordinated counter service ensures the wait isn’t as long as it might look.
Fairmount Bagel
Open for: 24/7
Price range: $
Asking someone “What’s your favorite bagel?” can ignite a fiery debate in Montreal. The answer is usually a toss-up between Fairmount and St-Viateur. Both are great, but Fairmount has a few things going for it: It’s older (opened in 1919), it’s still open 24/7 (unlike St-Viateur, which scaled back during the pandemic), and it was the first bagel launched into space. Run by the grandchildren of founder Isadore Shlafman — a Russian immigrant who opened Montreal’s first bagel bakery — Fairmount keeps the tradition alive with bagels that are hand-rolled, boiled in honey water for their signature subtle sweetness, and baked in a wood-fired oven. In the early days, poppy seed was the only option, but now the shop sells over 20 varieties, from sesame to all-dressed (the equivalent of an everything bagel). The best option is whatever’s warmest from the oven.
Know before you go: If the plan is to pick up a dozen to stock your freezer, grab a couple extra for the road — it’s near certain they won’t all make it back home.
Damas
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$$
A pillar in Montreal’s dining scene, upscale Syrian restaurant Damas orchestrates a full-on sensory experience. Chef and owner Fuad Alneirabeie plates some absurdly delicious dishes, from appetizers like multicolored mezze, fattoush salad, and kibbeh nayyeh (a minty blend of raw lamb and beef), to walnut-stuffed sea bass and a host of hefty char-grilled mains replete with sumac and Aleppo pepper. The 10-to-12-course tasting menu with wine pairings is the foolproof way to make the rounds — though it’s not without a splurge. Damas’s ornate dining room is its own feast, dripping with pendant lanterns, intricate patterns, and rich crimson hues.
Know before you go: For something more grab-and-go, check out Folfol across the street, a street food takeout counter translating Damas flavors into sandwich form.
Bar Vivar
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
It would be criminal to skip the soft, golden, paprika-dusted Spanish tortilla and plate of jamón ibérico at this two-year-old wine and pintxo bar in the Plateau, where dishes feel both humble and meticulous. On a recent midday visit, chef-owner Georges Greiche was carving jamón behind the counter of his open kitchen, with fútbol on the TV screen above and sunlight streaming through the windows. His chalkboard menu offers plenty to enjoy: crispy croquetas with rotating fillings, garlicky boquerones (white anchovies), a crudo delightfully topped with chorizo, and a fried egg and calamari sandwich on a Saint-Viateur bagel smeared with wild garlic aioli — the kind of curveball creation that could only happen in Montreal. Fans of vermouth and Spanish wines will enjoy selections curated by sommelier Patrick Oakes, who, like Greiche, is a Joe Beef alum.
Best for: Gathering a group of friends for snacking the afternoon away, glass in hand.
Kitano Shokudo
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
Formerly known as Otto Bistro, this itty-bitty Japanese joint in the Plateau neighborhood has built a devoted following, largely thanks to its mastery of raw fish — sashimi, chirashi, nigiri, and maguro don. But Hiroshi Kitano’s one-man kitchen operation churns out plenty more than just seafood, including duck confit mazeman, uni carbonara, and wild boar mapo tofu. With just a handful of tables and bar seats offering a front-row view of Kitano’s craft, this nondescript Mont-Royal Avenue spot keeps things low-key and intimate. For yoshoku, Japanese takes on Western foods, check out Ohayo Café, Kitano’s latest project just next door.
Best for: Impressing a date or treating yourself to a solo feast.
Alma
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$$
Chef Juan Lopez Luna is leading the charge when it comes to modern Mexican cuisine in the city, just recently earning the distinction of best Mexican restaurant outside of Mexico for this Outremont hideaway. Luna works with ancestral nixtamalized corn from his home state of Tlaxcala, grinding it fresh daily for hand-crafted tortillas, chips, chileatole, and more. These creations appear on tasting menus — offered in five or nine courses — alongside seafood and Quebec’s seasonal bounty. Luna’s business and life partner, Lindsay Brennan, curates a natural wine list filled with her favorites from the Catalan region and other parts of Spain. Next door, the duo runs their latest project called Bar Luz, a “fonda fina” where Luna’s corn techniques are on full display.
Know before you go: Reservations — a must — are released one Sunday per month.
L’Express
Open for: Lunch to late night
Price range: $$$
Saint-Denis Street has transformed over recent decades: new bike paths, new businesses, new demographics. But L’Express — with its immersive old-world charm, sans pretension — has stayed put. The bistro opened in 1980, intended to cater to the neighborhood’s theater crowd, serving dependable French fare at nearly all hours. Since then, its reputation has expanded far beyond that, drawing in a mix of loyal locals, out-of-towners, and, thanks to its late-night hours, restaurant industry folk. The best seat in the house has to be at the metal-clad counter, where diners enjoy a front-row view of the choreography of servers in well-pressed vests, while tucking into house standards like pistachio-speckled chicken liver pate, steak frites with shallot butter, and veal kidneys in mustard sauce.
Know before you go: L’Express has seen its share of news recently — a new chef has taken the reins; Michelin recognized the restaurant with a Bib Gourmand; and the community mourns the passing of beloved barman Claude Masson, who’d been a fixture behind the bar for nearly 40 years.
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Bar Minou
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$
Just when you thought Montreal had reached full capacity on wine bars serving small plates, this new, no-reservations spot on Avenue du Parc proves there’s still room to make an impression. At Bar Minou, every dish feels like a playful gamble, one that begs the question: “How did they think of this?” A veggie fritto misto arrives with a dollop of kefir and quince jam; cat’s ear pasta comes in a velvety Comté-and-espresso sauce; and an initially indecipherable slice of chestnut semifreddo, hidden under a tangle of slivered bergamot, comes together gorgeously. The space itself is low-key and instantly disarming: warm woods, bar seating, and a narrow room that keeps everyone in close quarters, with music that feels somehow calibrated to the exact moment. Leaving the restaurant after a recent visit, I noticed myself already feeling excited to come back and see where they take things next.
Know before you go: With taxes included in menu prices and a no-tipping policy, the amount appearing on your check is refreshingly predictable, which for Montreal diners can feel like its own kind of surprise.
Leméac
Open for: Lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch
Price range: $$$
At Leméac, you’ll find some of the best French bistro fare in Montreal, including blood pudding, moules frites, braised beef à la Bourguignon, and a legendary pain perdu (French toast) drenched in maple caramel and topped with dulce de leche ice cream for dessert. The Outremont fixture also excels at brunch, when you’ll find dishes like potato and leek tartlets, and blinis topped with smoked salmon, caviar, and poached eggs. With grand, arched windows, wood paneling, and even a winterized terrace, it’s the perfect refuge at all times of year.
Best for: Everything, really, but it’s particularly noteworthy that Leméac is one of the rare restaurants that takes reservations for brunch.
TNT Palace
Open for: Lunch and early evening
Price range: $
Few spots in Montreal cram as many layers of flavor into a single bite as TNT Palace does with its doubles — and at a great flavor-per-dollar ratio, too. This Indian Trinidadian comfort food features two just-fried baras with curried channa (chickpeas), optional meat (goat, chicken, or beef), and a variety of chutneys: It is spicy, tangy, sweet, and cooling all at once. A poster on the restaurant’s wall breaks down “The Anatomy of ah Doubles” and reminds diners that “a doubles isn’t a doubles without pepper sauce.” Get “plenty pepper,” “medium pepper,” or “slight pepper,” depending on your tolerance to heat. The menu also includes goat roti, oxtail platters, and pelau, plus some crisp Carib lager.
Know before you go: In Trinidad and Tobago, doubles are a commuter’s breakfast and a partygoer’s late-night snack; in Côte-des-Neiges, this doublesmonger runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Snowdon Deli
Open for: Breakfast and lunch
Price range: $$
Smoked meat helped put Montreal on the culinary map, and if you’re looking for some of the best without having to endure the snaking queues, head to family-run Snowdon Deli. This circa-1946 institution offers the city’s legendary smoked meat on mustard-smothered rye — minus the wait time. But don’t stop there. The menu has all the Jewish deli standards: matzo ball soup, chopped liver, eggplant salad, latkes, karnatzel, knishes, verenikas, gefilte fish, blintzes with dollops of sour cream and jam, and more. And if you need to feed a crowd, their party platters are a Montreal tradition — crustless egg, tuna, and salmon salad sandwiches, plus cream cheese, lox, and gherkin pinwheels.
Vibe check: Expect a no-frills atmosphere where regulars squeeze into booths, chatter flows from behind the deli counter, and veteran employees ensure everything goes off without a hitch.
Lulu Épicerie
Open for: All day
Price range: $$
If the city’s Lebanese food scene is undergoing something of a renaissance, it’s in no small part thanks to restaurateur Soufian Mamlouk. He’s one of the driving forces behind Heni, an upscale spot where the flavors of the SWANA region intermingle with Quebec’s seasonal bounty, and Sienna, a wine import outfit focused on Lebanon. But Mamlouk’s dedication to spotlighting the cultural and culinary traditions of his native Lebanon began with Lulu Épicerie, a small street food counter that has been quietly redefining what shawarma means to Montrealers since 2022. Unlike the lettuce- and tomato-stuffed wraps popularized by local chains, the version here is fiercely traditional and uncompromising on the ratio of meat to sauce to bread. The shawarma is wrapped in marqouq, a thin, crisp alternative to pita perfect for soaking in the flavors and maintaining structural integrity. The chicken version — there are also beef and potato options — features garlic sauce, wild pickles, and a touch of pomegranate molasses. That’s it; no filler. Also on offer: charcoal-grilled meats like kafta and shish taouk, an assortment of mouajanat (savory pastries), and manakeesh (try the half cheese, half za’atar).
Best for: Takeout — be it for a quick bite on the go, picnic provisions, or a shawarma party platter fit for a big family gathering.
Le Vin Papillon
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
With a fresh coat of paint in creamy butter yellow and pastel pink, this lovely Little Burgundy wine bar has undergone a glow-up that makes it an even better spot to soak in the rays of summer. A leafy backyard patio and a chalkboard menu flourishing with seasonal vegetables and seafood also make strong cases. Prepare to be plied with natural wines, and dishes that offer something lighter than the menus at sibling spots on Notre-Dame’s restaurant row. It was a seamless addition to the Joe Beef family when it opened more than a decade ago, and it remains one of the city’s most coveted places to eat and drink.
Must-try dish: The cheddar-topped, brown butter-slathered ham — it’s one dish that never goes out of season.
Gia Vin & Grill
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
This ode to Italian grilling honors the simplicity and comfort of meals shared in the Tuscan and Abruzzese countryside, but lovingly transplants them into an annex of Saint-Henri’s historic RCA building. Run by the team behind ever-cool Elena and intimate and elegant Nora Gray, Gia’s exceptional Italian menu comes as no surprise — though it leans slightly more rustic and of-the-earth than its siblings. Expect dishes like arrosticini (grilled meat skewers), Florentine steak, rabbit with mushrooms and mustard sauce, and other smoky, charcoal-grilled proteins, alongside fluffy focaccia, rustic pastas (think pici in creamy white Bolognese), and a selection of soulful, mostly Italian wines. Gia is also open for lunch, with antipasti, sandwiches, and a pared-down selection of primi and secondi. Its exterior doesn’t give much away, but inside, wood, terracotta, granite, and olive-green tiles warm the concrete walls.
Best for: Getting together in all kinds of ways — for a cozy date night, a catch-up with friends, or, if you book the whole space, a wedding, staff party, or other festive celebration.
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Paul Patates
Open for: Daytime
Price range: $
Chrome stools, countertop jukeboxes, and a jumble of retro ephemera set the tone at this family-run, community-loved casse-croûte that’s held onto its corner of Pointe-Saint-Charles since 1958. Regulars come for the club sandwiches, steamies, and poutine made with hand-peeled spuds and cheese curds that squeak just right. But the claim to fame here is on the drinks menu: spruce beer brewed in-house from a century-old recipe inherited from the long-gone Émile Bertrand snack bar, plus another modern spin devised by Barry Fleischer, Émile Bertrand’s former owner, who’s now Paul Patate’s brewmaster. Montreal restaurants come and go, but Paul Patate reminds us that continuity is often as delicious as change.
Must-try dish: That spruce beer — fermented, foresty, and tracing back to the Indigenous practice of boiling pine for medicinal use.
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Chalet Bar-B-Q
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $
Montreal sure loves its rotisserie chicken; ask anyone who does it best, and there’s a more-than-good chance Chalet Bar-B-Q will land near the top of the list. With over 80 years to its name, this true NDG landmark is famous for its slowly spit-roasted bird, and gravy so good some diners sip it straight. Opened by Swiss immigrant Marcel Mauron, the old-school, wood-paneled rotisserie on Sherbrooke Street has changed little over the years — and that’s part of why local lifers love it. The standard play is a chicken dinner with fries, a toasted bun, and a side of tangy coleslaw, but don’t sleep on the poutine or the hot chicken, a traditional Quebecois dish of chicken, sliced white bread, and peas, all soaked in gravy.
Vibe check: No frills, like it’s always been.
Restaurant Beba
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
With their 2019 opening, brothers Ari and Pablo Schor sought to recreate the confluence of Spanish and Italian immigrant cuisines from their native Argentina, complete with a few nods to their Jewish roots, too. Slip away from Promenade Wellington into Beba’s snug dining room, perched on a residential street corner in Verdun, for a menu consisting of bright, seasonal seafoods and salads, brilliantly boiled and braised meats — tripe and tongue aren’t uncommon — and some lovely pasta dishes. The cooking is clever, yet emphatically simple, a style that leaves you feeling that every ingredient has been considered, has earned its place.
Must-try dish: Kick off the meal with their signature potato knishes topped with caviar, or try the montadito (a small sesame-speckled bagel with Japanese mackerel and horseradish) for a bite-sized reflection of Beba’s cross-cultural inspirations.
Aylwin Barbecue
Open for: Daytime
Price range: $$
Montreal isn’t exactly known as a barbecue town, but Aylwin may single-handedly make it deserving of the designation. Since popping up as a summer stall at Atwater Market in 2017, it has year after year been one of the city’s most smokin’ spots for succulent, slow-smoked, Texas-style meats — juicy BBQ ribs, half-pound platters of brisket, pulled pork sandwiches — plus the classic fixin’s, including what I’d venture is the best mac and cheese in the city. Last summer, the team behind Aylwin expanded with a permanent, year-round outpost also at the market, applying American smokehouse sensibilities to a local tradition: the Montreal deli. Here, the smoked meat is thicker-cut, so tender it falls apart, and paired with a house-made mustard; all together it’s worthy of winning over the most vehement purists. Smoked turkey BLTs, Reubens, and all-day breakfast round out the menu at the newer addition to the Aylwin operation, which got its start with an improvised smoker set up in the back alley of the founders’ apartment on none other than Aylwin Street in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve — and gosh, are we lucky it didn’t stay that way for long.
Best for: Dabbling in one of Montreal’s all-time favorite pastimes: lazing by the nearby Lachine Canal with a belly full of picnic — this one created by piecing together a spread of the bests from Aylwin’s barbecue counter and deli, while keeping an eye out for daily specials.
Pichai
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
From the crew that brought us standout curry shop Pumpui in Little Italy, this St-Hubert Street home run also spotlights Thai flavors, but in a more formal, wine bar-esque setting. Pichai’s menu hones in on succulent Issan meats, seafood, and herby salads, including options like kor moo yang (spicy pork collar with iced greens), choo chee pla (grilled swordfish in red curry sauce), and laab ped (a minced duck salad with grilled duck hearts). For dessert, the Thai tea tiramisu is non-negotiable and has been that way since the very start. But come summer, the nam kang sai, a mountain of shaved ice soaked in sweetness, is a worthy rival — ideally you rally the crew to order both. Whatever you do, do not gloss over the menu of daily specials, which feature unabashed spice and punchy layers that manage complexity without fuss at this spot which hasn’t missed a beat since being dubbed Eater Montreal’s Restaurant of the Year in 2021.
Best for: A foray into Isaan cooking by those doing it best in the city.
Bruce
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
Montreal is overflowing with French, Italian, Lebanese, Vietnamese, Haitian, and Portuguese restaurants. Scottish, though? Not so much. So when I suggested checking out Bruce to friends, I was met with a skeptical: “Scottish food?” Seven months after it opened, I finally made it there, and both my dining companion and I were floored. So let me just say, “Yes, Scottish food.” We shared the salmon with marinated apples and almonds; grilled leeks in a vibrant kale pesto; and a beautifully cooked chicken with mushrooms and cabbage in a rich, savory jus. It wasn’t too hearty for a summer dinner out on the cozy street-side terrace, but one can only imagine how effortlessly it will transition into its warm interior, all wood and tartan, in the winter months — especially on Sundays, when the kitchen leans into Scottish tradition with roast dinners complete with lamb, potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and gravy.
Vibe check: Relaxed, welcoming, and right at home in a city with deep Scottish roots.
Restaurant Dobe & Andy
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Chinatown’s leading Hong Kong-style diner and barbecue joint swapped hands to be run by second-generation owners, the Ku brothers, in Saint-Urbain’s Place du Quartier a few years back. After taking over, they made some tasty additions, like fried chicken, chile-garlic wontons, and the occasional blooming onion, plus frequent collaborations and pop-ups, and even a weekend evening service. But the time-honoured char siu pork, crispy roast pork, soy chicken, and roast duck served with rice and a riveting ginger-scallion sauce — all relatively unchanged since my very first visit nearly a decade ago, when I was instantly won over — remain the headliners. Today, one of the brothers and a partner lead the charge, most recently expanding with a counter at Time Out Market in the Montreal Eaton Centre.
Must-try dish: The aforementioned barbecue meats, paired with an iced Hong Kong milk tea.