Someone eating a meal. Right: A selection of dishes.
Montrealers know our restaurants are great, and we're not the only ones. The local food scene received tons of attention from experts this year, winning prestigious placement on the Canada's 100 Best, 50 Best: Discovery and Forbes lists, flying high in Air Canada's "Best New Restaurants" roundup and landing in Tripadvisor's "Best in Canada" Top 10.
The flurry of positive recognition has set the table for a tour of award-winning eateries in the city. Not only do these spots serve top notch cuisine, but they fork up the competition when it comes to ambiance and hospitality.
(Note: we're compiling a newer list for 2023 here.)
Beba
Where: 3900, rue Éthel
Reason to try: This Verdun eatery serves food "inspired by the Spanish and Italian cultures that settled in Argentina" with hearty portions of grilled seafood and boiled meat platters. Beba made it onto this year's Best 50: Discovery list of notable restaurants worldwide, compiled by top food critics.
Bouillon Bilk
Where: 1595, boul St-Laurent
Reason to try: This Ville Marie restaurant placed sixth on Tripadvisor's 2022 list of the best restaurants for fine dining in Canada. It's pricey, but worth the splurge if you're looking for creative dishes that double as gastronomic works of art.
Maison Boulud
Where: 1228, rue Sherbrooke Ouest
Reason to try: This downtown Ritz-Carlton restaurant serves elegant French cuisine with a modern twist and was one of two Montreal restaurants that made Forbes' 2022 list of best restaurants in the world. But its not just the food that attracts customers, many flock there to enjoy a meal on the restaurant's eye-catching outdoor veranda.
Toqué!
Where: 900, place Jean-Paul-Riopelle
Reason to try: Restaurant Toqué is a downtown oasis that earned a 2022 Travel Star Guide entry from Forbes (only 253 restaurants made the cut worldwide). It's not the first time the Quebec foodie destination has been recognized as among the best in the world, thanks to its farm-fresh cuisine and inviting atmosphere.
Vin Mon Lapin
Where: 150, rue Saint-Zotique Est
Reason to try: This wine bar in Little Italy boasts a charming outdoor terrasse, a playful ambiance (with bunny deco around every corner) and creative dishes made to pair with the extensive vino list. Run by the same folks behind Joe Beef, Vin mon Lapin made number six on Canada's Best 100 Restaurants list and also made critic's pick in 50 Best: Discovery!
Restaurant Jun I
Salmon sushi.
Where: 156, ave Laurier Ouest
Reason to try: This sushi restaurant, often called the best in Montreal (and 49th best in the country by Canada's 100 Best), has an extensive menu of fresh rolls and sake. You can get the chef’s assortment of 15 nigiris, sashimis and makis for $65, or a tasting menu that spans the resto's best for $95 per person.
Monarque
Where: 406, rue Saint-Jacques
Reason to try: This downtown upscale eatery offers three-course meals and vintage cocktails that look like art in a glass. Sip on a light purple Aviation (tequila, rhubarb bitters, citrus and liqeur de violette) while you dig into a sumptuous plate of Quebec bison or duck. Monarch made #17 on the Canada's 100 Best restaurants list.
L'Express
Where: 3927, rue Saint-Denis
Reason to try: This French bistro with an iconic black and white tiled floor and wood-paneled interior serves Parisian classics, like the croque monsieur ($17.25) and canard confite ($28.75). The restaurant made 21st best in the entire country according to Canada's 100 Best.
Joe Beef
Where: 2491, rue Notre-Dame Ouest
Reason to Try: This Little Burgundy tavern serves French meals with a twist — just take their "steak 'n eggs," or beef tartare and caviar. Not only was Anthony Bourdain a big fan of the spot, but so is Canada's 100 Best, which placed the restaurant 26th in the country.
Elena
Where: 5090 rue Notre-Dame St Ouest
Reason to Try: This chic Italian spot in St-Henri boasts "coffee, pizza, wine, all the time," and they want you to relax while you enjoy it. Pies range from $15 to $35 and fresh pasta dishes average around $25. Canada's 100 Best listed Elena as #91 in the country.
Le Mousso
Where: 1025 rue Ontario St Est
Reason to Try: Le Mousso is a unique experience and the epitome of fine dining with fixed tasting menu costing $250 per person (and an optional $115 wine pairing). Customers are expected to arrive by 6:30 p.m. to dig into their meal. The menu changes regularly, but the focus on local meats, fish, seafood and vegetables is a mainstay. Canada's 100 Best ranked Le Mousso the country's 24th best restaurant.
Montréal Plaza
Where: 6230, rue St-Hubert
Reason to try: If someone were to tell the chefs at Plaza not to play with their food, they'd be laughed out the door. This uplifting and upscale spot in Plaza St-Hubert serves food creatively. Your scallop sashimi could be placed on your table, dangling over a small plastic dinosaur, while your gourmet salad could wind up in a porcelain pig. Canada's 100 Best loved the quirky food and joyful ambiance so much, they ranked this restaurant #31 in the country.
Milos
Where: 5357, ave Park
Reason to Try: Authentic Greek food, especially seafood, is Milos' specialty. Dig into a platter of bottarga (cured fish roe) or over a dozen kinds of grilled fish at this Mile End eatery. The $38 set menu weekday lunch is particularly popular, featuring appetizers, like lentil soup or calamari, and a main course, like salmon or lamb chops, along with dessert (you can try Milos' famous baklava ice cream). The spot landed 59th on Canada's 100 Best.
Nora Gray
Where: 1391, rue Saint-Jacques
Reason to Try: This Italian restaurant serves hand-rolled pasta, like strozzapreti and cappelletti, along with hearty plates of beef, duck and seafood. The small hole-in-the-wall eatery offer a fine dining experience with traditional dishes rotating weekly. It is ranked #58 top national restaurants by Canada's Best 100.
Il Pagliaccio
Where: 365, Ave Laurier Ouest
Reason to Try: This Italian restaurant boasts plates that are a "feast for the eyes" (and tummy), along with over 800 handpicked wines. The service gets especially high marks with some customers saying their table was attended to by four servers at a time. Canada's Best 100 put Il Pagliaccio 60th on its best restaurants list.
Marconi
Where: 45, Ave Mozart Ouest
Reason to Try: This casual restaurant and bar in La Petite Patrie serves pan-European-inspired dishes, like Nordic shrimp in smoked yogurt ($17) and ricotta gnocchi with sweet corn and tomatoes ($27). The plates are small with "big flavours," so if you're into molecular gastronomy it's sure to be a hit. It certainly was with Canada's Best 100, which ranked it 65th on its top restos list.
Gia Vin & Grill
Where: 1025, rue Lenoir
Reason to Try: You'll find Tuscany-inspired dishes charcoal grilled to perfection at the Italian restaurant in Saint-Henri. The Italian eatery has a massive wine selection to pair with the lamb sausage with lentils ($22) or garlic shrimp ($24). You'll also find lighter lunch-time options, like the grilled chicken sandwich ($15). Gia made both Air Canada's best new restaurants list and 69th on Canada's Best 100 list.
Île Flottante
Where: 176, rue Saint Viateur Ouest
Reason to Try: This French restaurant whips up treats for the your eyes and your tastebuds, placing 70th on the Canada's Best 100 list. The eggplant carbonara is artfully striped with lemon mayonnaise and a roasted tomato and bell pepper emulsion, while the asparagus vichyssoise features three different-coloured variations of the vegetable in a vibrant green pesto of leek and cashew. You can't help but feel pampered here.
Beau Mont
Beau Mont Restaurant | Facebook
Where: 950, ave Beaumont
Reason to Try: This Parc-Ex eatery is a sister restaurant to downtown destination Tocqué! but a bit less fancy and with a take-out counter. You'll get "simple and tasty" meals from Beau Mont, like guinea fowl ($38) and striploin with gnocchi ($48), along with unusual desserts, like Bavarian cream artichoke and tomato with hazelnut ice cream ($15). It ranked #84 out of Canada's Best 100 restos in the country.
Mastard
Where: 1879, rue Bélanger
Reason to try: This French restaurant in Rosemont - La Petite Patrie has a reputation for serving rich, original dishes, like the scallops in hazelnut butter and zucchini with miso emulsion. Fans call it "Montreal casual with no pretension" and love that it offers very personalized service. Mastard ranked on both Air Canada's Best New Restaurant list and #81 on Canada's Best 100.
Paloma
Where: 8521, boul. St-Laurent
Reason to Try: This cozy Villeray eatery serves "cuisine from the south of France with Italian influences." You can expect to find specials here, like the leaf-wrapped duck hearts skewer and the smoked swordfish in bright green onion and dill sauce. Paloma's Instagram is full of sneak peeks from the kitchen that will make you hungry for one of their rustic meals. The spot made #85 on Canada's 100 Best restaurant list.
Le Vin Papillon
Where: 2519, rue Notre Dame Ouest
Reason to Try: If you're looking for a rustic meal in a romantic cottage setting, you'll love Le Vin Papillon. The Little Burgundy wine bar serves hearty tapas-style plates of seasoned tonnato beans, zucchini with spicy honey and grilled mackerel with toast, among other dishes that pair well with vino. The spot ranks 51st in the country, according to Canada's 100 Best.
Pichai
Where: 5985, rue St-Hubert
Reason to Try: This spot near Plaza Saint-Hubert serves Thai dishes using local ingredients, ranging from seafood dishes, like the fried fish bites in chili sauce ($11), to vegetarian options, like the marinated mushroom platter ($19). It not only won 45th in the country from Canada's 100 Best but also made Air Canada's list of 2022 Top New Restaurants.
Pastel
Where: 124, rue McGill
Reason to Try: The Canadian fare served at this downtown restaurant is farm-fresh and you'll want to Instagram every dish you're served. You can expect colourful meals and creative plating from the six-course tasting menu, which costs $135 per person (with a $95 wine pairing). Canada's 100 Best ranked the downtown resto #39 in the country.
Maison Publique
Restaurant Maison Publique | Facebook
Where: 4720, rue Marquette
Reason to Try: This English-French fusion gastropub uses seasonal ingredients to devise unusual dishes, like the roast duck with farro, spinach and pomegranate salsa, and the blood pudding with duck egg, porcini and sage. Fans of the Plateau restaurant especially recommend having brunch on the inviting terrasse. Maison Publique has ranked in Canada's 100 Best Restaurants for many years and was awarded 55th place in 2022.
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