I'm a chef — Here are 7 Montreal restaurants I always recommend
I don't need pretense. I don't care about buzz or hype.
A selection of dishes from Mon Nan in Montreal. Right: Tasty-looking poutine and a burger and fries from Ma Poule Mouille.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Unlike many chefs, I cook a lot at home. But when I do eat out, there are a few things I look for: I like to have food I wouldn't make at home. I want big flavours. I want meals that are well-prepared.
The best restaurants in Montreal — in my opinion — cover all of these criteria. I don't need pretense. I don't care about buzz or hype about this or that new restaurant. I want well-prepared food in a nice room, with service that adds to the experience.
I love seeking out meals that remind me of the food I grew up eating in Kentucky. I'm fascinated by the idea of food as a form of cultural exchange. No matter where you go in the world, you will find dishes that are at least fundamentally similar to something you ate growing up.
From unassuming Chinese restaurants to Euro-centric spots boasting big flavours, these are the Montreal restaurants that do it for me and that, as a chef, I'll always recommend.
Mon Nan
Price: 💸💸
Cuisine: Chinese
Address: 3, rue de la Gauchetière E., Montreal, QC
Why I Love It: Everyone has their favourite restaurant in Chinatown; to be fair, they are all good. But Mon Nan has always stood above the rest for me.
They offer full Peking duck service, and their wonton noodle soup is always great. They also have all the take-out staples covered. I like going there for a mix of seafood dishes, with some fried rice and noodles.
My Order:
- Oysters with black bean sauce
- Salt and pepper shrimp
- Yang Chow fried rice
- Singapore noodles
- Scallops with garlic shoots and XO sauce
Wilensky's
Price: 💸
Cuisine: Sandwiches
Address: 34, av. Fairmount O., Montreal, QC
Why I Love It: Wilensky's is my favourite restaurant in the city. They serve one item, done perfectly, in a space filled with history. Their griddled bologna sandwich with cheese and mustard is the Kosher cousin to the sandwich I ate growing up at my Grandma's house. It's perfect.
My Order:
- Two specials, one with Swiss cheese, one with cheddar
- 1/2 sours
Damas
Price: 💸💸💸
Cuisine: Syrian
Address: 1201, av. Van Horne, Outremont, QC
Why I Love It: For a big night out, I love Damas. In my opinion, their level of cooking is unmatched in this city. It's seasonal, big on flavours, and executed with precision and consistency. The cocktails are fantastic, and the service is attentive without being overbearing.
Damas succeeds by showing our Euro-centric fine dining scene that Syrian food doesn't need tweaking or gimmicks to be "elevated." It is already cooking in the highest order.
I won't hold back if I'm going out for a big celebratory meal at a restaurant. Bring three people, get the tasting menu, and have everything. Stand-outs are the fattoush salad, the hummus with pita made to order, and the friki.
My Order:
- The tasting menu
La Poule Mouillée
Price: 💸
Cuisine: Portuguese
Address: 969, rue Rachel E., Montreal, QC
Why I Love It: Montreal has a high bar when it comes to Portuguese chicken. La Poule Mouillee does it the best. Their sauce stands out above the others. The lines can be intimidating, but the service is quick, so don’t let that stop you.
If you are going with a group, get a couple of whole chicken with fries, salad, and a few pastries from their bakery. If I go by myself, though, I always get the poutine, which comes topped with cheese curds, traditional gravy, chorizo, rotisserie chicken, and their piri piri sauce. I think it's the best poutine in the city.
My Order:
- Poutine
La Poule Mouillée website
Candide
Price: 💸💸💸
Cuisine: Canadian
Address: 551, rue St-Martin, Montreal, QC
Why I Love It: This is my other "fine dining" pick. Talking about seasonal and local cooking has become hacky and cliched, but if anybody walks the walk, it's John Winter Russell.
Serving only ingredients sourced from Quebec (that means no white sugar, only sea salt from the Gaspe, etc.), John serves an ever-changing tasting menu that is very vegetable-forward and reflects the changing seasons and his ever-growing pantry of preserves.
An argument could be made that the cooking is Italian-influenced. Still, I'd say the driving influence is the ingredients themselves, with the kitchen simply applying whatever technique seems to suit each one best.
Typically, you'll be presented with two choices for a starter and first course, a fish or meat option for a main dish, and a choice between a dessert or cheese course at the end.
Bring a date, order everything, and share it.
My Order:
- The tasting menu
Pho Tay Ho
Price: 💸
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Address: 6414, rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, QC
Why I Love It: Montreal is full of great Vietnamese restaurants. Pho Tay Ho's namesake soup holds its own with any of them, but I usually go for the Bun Cha. It's grilled pork chops and sausages served with rice noodles, an abundance of herbs, and nuoc cham. It's filling without being heavy and perfectly balanced.
My Order:
- Rare beef salad
- Spring rolls with chicken and shrimp
Qing Hua Dumpling
Price: 💸💸💸
Cuisine: Chinese
Address: Multiple locations
Why I Love It: I've been eating at Qing Hua since its original location on Fort in a converted depanneur basement. Since then, they've expanded and relocated many times, but the cooking has never faltered.
They serve soup dumplings filled with meat, seasonings, and gelatinized broth that melts into a rich broth when heated. You can make a simple sauce out of chilli oil, black vinegar, and soy sauce and dip it in at the table. A few salads are available on the side (I do wish they would bring back the coleslaw). I also always pick up frozen ones on my way out for home.
My Order:
- Several plates of dumplings, usually lamb and coriander, chicken curry, and pork and mushroom
- Cucumber salad
- Seaweed salad
Although this list covers a lot of ground as far as price and dining style are concerned, they all have one thing in common: After multiple visits over many years, none of them have ever disappointed me.
Every time I eat at any of these restaurants, I'm always satisfied and planning my next visit on my way out the door. Now you can do the same!
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