If there’s one thing that will crown your romantic evening out or a Valentine’s Day date night, it’s the dinner, and Montreal restaurants are ready and willing to help you impress that special someone.
Oysters and champagne, pizza and cocktails, you name it: From small and cozy spots to more casual and fun ones to grab a drink, to posh upper-crust places where your experience will be absolutely top-notch, every spot here is perfect for when love’s in the air. Old Montreal is of course a classic, top-of-mind spot for romantic Montreal restaurants, and French cuisine is perhaps the romantic stereotype. We've got some strong picks if that's your vibe, but the best restaurants for a date don't have to be ones that follow convention.
Here are the Montreal restaurants you where you should be making your next romantic dinner reservations, be it Valentine’s Day, a special occasion, or an occasion to impress your date.
Beba
Where: 3900, rue Éthel, Verdun
Why You Need To Go: With the small size of this high-tier fine dining restaurant in Verdun, you’ll not only be cozying up with your date easily here, but you’ll be sharing delicacies too. Terrines, caviar, fish imported from Japan, pasta that the kitchen has hand-spun; it all comes at a higher cost than usual, but it’s so worth it if you’re looking to celebrate the person that you’re with.
Tinc Set
Where: 1233, av. Lajoie
Why You Need To Go: With its strong focus on wine and Spanish tapas, this casual spot in Outremont is perfect for snacking and sipping as you and your date enjoy each other’s company. The food’s nice and light too, so you won’t be too weighed down to enjoy the nightlife of nearby neighbourhoods. If it’s a fancy occasion, consider their restaurant Alma next door.
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Bar St-Denis
Where: 6966, rue Saint-Denis
Why You Need To Go: If you want truly good food, you need to eat at this restaurant at least once, but it’s especially perfect when it comes to a date night. They’ve always got something special on the menu alongside specialties like chicharron with shrimp or their blood sausage. Just be sure to impress your date by letting the servers choose the perfect wine and cocktails to pair with your night out of splurging.
Foxy
Where: 1638, rue Notre-Dame O.
Why You Need To Go: What could be better than eating by a roaring fire in the middle of winter? It’s warm and cozy inside Foxy, where their live oven of stoked flames churns out plates of warm flatbreads and shanks of lamb. Even in the summer, this place helps bring the heat to a date. Drop into your seat, order a plate of oysters, and you’ll find that the only thing hotter than their oven will be the sparks flying between you and your date.
Chifa
Where: 1080, rue de Bleury
Why You Need To Go: Everything is delicate at this downtown Chinese-Peruvian fusion restaurant. It’s full of unique décor you and your date can admire over some flashy cocktails, right before you dig into dishes of fried rice, wok-fried beef and shrimps, and delicate ceviche. Just make sure to leave room for their liquid dessert at the bottom of the drink menu.
Le Vin Papillon
Le Vin Papillon
Where: 2519, rue Notre-Dame O.
Why You Need To Go: If you and your date are the kind of people to gush over glou-glou wine, you’ll love this wine-forward restaurant from the Joe Beef group. Service here is on point, the pairings and food are always spot-on, and the vibe is electric. No wonder this restaurant persists as one of the best in the city, and that goes double when it comes to date night.
Gia
Where: 1025, rue Lenoir
Why You Need To Go: This converted garage is one of Saint-Henri’s best-kept secrets right now—and your date probably won’t know about it—but lucky for you, you know where to go. Split plates of grilled Italian skewers from their menu and enjoy exploring their humongous wine list, but don’t skip on getting a bottle of bubbly if you really want your date’s attention.
Bistro La Franquette
Where: 374, av. Victoria, Westmount
Why You Need To Go: Whether you’re eating on their terrasse in the summer or cuddling on their leather banquettes in the winter, the finesse of the service at this fine dining restaurant in Westmount is worth the trip. Split plates of steak-frites and oysters, don’t skip on dessert and enjoy one of the fancier options in Montreal. Hot tip: If you like being adventurous, just ask the restaurant to cook for you; they’ll know what you mean.
Beatrice
Where: 1504, rue Sherbrooke O.
Why You Need To Go: There are few things that will impress a date more than going to a candlelit Italian dinner in a primo restaurant where they’ll shave truffles straight onto your pasta at the table. It’s all that and more at this fantastic downtown restaurant where you and your date can gush over the professional service.
Perles et Paddock
Where: 403, rue des Seigneurs
Why You Need To Go: It’s all spectacular at this retrofitted garage-turned-restaurant where tables surround a tree growing out of its dining room. Split and sip one of their sharing cocktails mixed for two before you dig into their sharing menus that go for as low as $65 per person, full of rich artful vegetable dishes, pasta, braised and grilled meats, and special desserts to cap the night off.
Kitano Shokudo
Where: 143, av. du Mont-Royal E.
Why You Need To Go: The window of opening hours at this Japanese bistro is smaller than most restaurants, so tables tend to be in high demand. That means all you need to do is book a spot now and let the chef do the rest of the work. Just tell him your allergies and request that he does his own thing — it’ll be the highlight of your week.
Emmanuelle
Where: 2, rue Sainte-Catherine E.
Why You Need To Go: Named after the softcore porno from the 1970s and with the interior design to match, this restaurant and four-season terrasse atop the Vitrine Culturelle Montreal near Quartier des Spectacles provides a perfect vibe for date nights. The cocktails here are amazing, the food even more so, and the decor might just give you some inspiration for the bedroom later.
Place Carmin
Where: 740, rue William
Why You Need To Go: If you're on a quest for the prototypical, classic, romantic spot in Montreal, you need to try at least one French brasserie — especially when it’s as chic as this one. Seafood platters, beef tartare, and the foie gras terrine all come highly recommended, as well as all of the simple yet delicious tarts and cakes they make. Dip into the wine list to make it all extra special.
Gentile Pizza Parlour
Where: 4134, rue Sainte-Catherine O.
Why You Need To Go: As much as fine dining spots come highly recommended for a romantic night out, not everyone’s looking to drop more than a few bills on a meal. Why not consider a return to the classics and grab some cocktails to enjoy over one of the best pizzas in the city? The vibes here are great, and if you go late enough on a weekend, you might want to join in on the dancing to whatever the DJ’s playing.
Hiatus
Courtesy of Alex LesageWhere: 1 Pl. Ville-Marie
Why You Need To Go: Nothing really tops a view when it comes to a date night, and the prime real estate of this restaurant on the 46th floor of Place VIlle Marie is perfect for that. Cooking up dishes that use both Japanese and French ingredients and techniques, pouring fine wines, and mixing up inventive cocktails — this place does it all, and with what has to be one of the most gorgeous places to dine out in the city, it's perfect for a date.
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