SHAY
When: Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Address: 1414, rue Notre-Dame O., Montreal, QC
Why You Need To Go: SHAY is one of the city's most popular Mediterranean spots to have opened in the last few years, especially for its weekend brunch. On the menu, you'll find a collection of its classic dips, like hummus, labneh and mujaddara, and mezzes, like fatoush salad and sabich salad, plus Lebanese twists on brunch favourites. Think fried shish taouk and waffles, shawarma Benedict and labneh parfait. The restaurant takes reservations for brunch, so you don't have to waste time in line and get right to the good food and the good vibes.
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Café Améa
When: Every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Address: 1188, rue Sherbrooke O., Montreal, QC
Why You Need To Go: This downtown café opened last year and recently revealed its brunch menu ... and it was totally worth the wait. Améa's brunch, created by Chef Michael Coppa, blends Italian and Mediterranean styles and features shakshouka, an egg sandwich on a Jerusalem bagel and French toast made with brioche bread, pistachio whipped ricotta and macerated strawberries. Bright, colourful lattes and signature brunch cocktails make for the perfect accompaniment along with daily pastries and baked goods. Located in the stunning Maison Alcan building in the Golden Square Mile, Améa radiates all things beautiful.
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Rumi
When: Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Address: 5198, rue Hutchison, Montreal, QC
Why You Need To Go: The Middle East is known for its warmth and hospitality and that's exactly what you can expect at Rumi, enhanced by the bright and colourful decor and cozy lighting. Blending influences from the Middle East, North Africa (specifically the Maghreb region) and Central Asia, the menu features a collection of mains and mezzes from around the region that highlight the fragrant spices and range of ingredients found throughout the regions. Menu items include the Rimictine, which comes with two eggs, hollandaise sauce, naan, saffron, cumin, and roasted potatoes, and the Traditional Brunch, which comes with shakshouka, two eggs, labneh, naan with zaatar and homemade jam.
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Byblos
When: Tuesday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Address: 1499, ave Laurier E., Montreal, QC
Why You Need To Go: Byblos is a family-run restaurant located in the Petit Laurier neighbourhood and offers a Persian/Iranian menu. Breakfast (or, as they call it, the "first chapter") is what is known as Sobhaneh in Farsi. "It is usually composed of Iranian tea, cheese and bread. These should be accompanied by jam, butter, halva, honey and milk," as the website notes. A collection of à la carte options are available including the Oriental omelette, which is made with eggs, flour, sugar, rose petals, cardamom, milk and nuts, and Halym, which is made of cream of wheat, cinnamon, sugar and turkey. Each breakfast comes with a drink of choice, including drip coffee, Iranian tea, hot chocolate and juice.
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Café Chez Téta
When: Wednesday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Address: 227, rue Rachel E., Montreal, QC
Why You Need To Go: Café chez Téta is a Plateau favourite that serves up traditional Lebanese recipes and has a goal to "become a staple of Lebanese cuisine in Montreal." Téta means "grandmother" and the restaurant and menu were inspired by the owner's grandmother's cooking when they were a child. Of course, all of the essential dips and salads are available, but what stands out here is the manoucheh, a flatbread made in a Lebanese oven with any combination of toppings. For those looking for something sweet, try one of three cakes: sfouf, which is a vegan turmeric cake, a carob molasses cake and/or halva brownies. To drink, try some traditional Lebanese coffee or for something really different, a halva or cardamom latte.
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When: Every day from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. (Park location), Monday to Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Notre-Dame location)
Address: 3452 ave. Park; 340, rue Notre-Dame E., Montreal, QC
Why You Need To Go: Sometimes it's the most unassuming spots from the outside that serve up the most authentic and delicious food on the inside. Ô Four serves food from Lebanon that invites you to "take your taste buds on a journey to the land of the cedars." On the menu, you'll find a collection of wraps, manouche or flatbread and subs served on freshly made kaaka, which can be considered a Lebanese-style bagel. As for eggs, you can try anything from traditional soujouk, to eggs and awarma, each served with freshly baked bread, fresh mint and garnish.
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Chez Mon Grand Père
When: Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Address: 1558, rue Fleury E., Montreal, QC
Why You Need To Go: Chez Mon Grand Père is a rustic, family-owned spot — the type that makes you feel like one of the family from the second you walk in — that offers Lebanese breakfast and brunch almost every day. On the menu, you'll find items like scrambled eggs with soujouk (beef cured sausage with spices), fatteh, a typical breakfast dish from Egypt and the Levant made with fresh or stale flatbread and topped with any variety of fixings, and msabaha, a dish similar to hummus.
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Sahtein
When: Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Address: 217, boul. Cote Vertu O., Montreal, QC
Why You Need To Go: When you think of Sahtein, the first word that comes to mind is "homey." This local Saint Laurent favourite offers authentic Syrian and Lebanese cooking, with items like sumac eggs, shakshouka and eggs with awarma. For those looking for cold mezze at any time of the day, you'll have your pick of a variety of incredible dips and ten pizza flavours are also ready for you to sink your teeth into. If you're going with a group, try the breakfast for four, which comes with foul, fatté, Labné, jibné baladi, Man'oushé zaatar, and eggs. awarma, olives and vegetables.
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The interior of Montreal's newest Mediterranean restaurant: La Boqueria. Courtesy of La Boqueria
Several Mediterranean and Spanish-style tapas dishes from La Boqueria in Montreal.Courtesy of La Boqueria
Chef Joseph Awad standing inside Montreal's new Lebanese restaurant Hayat. Courtesy of Hayat Montreal
The exterior of Montreal's new Lebanese restaurant Hayat. Courtesy of Hayat Montreal
The interior of Montreal's new Lebaese restaurant Hayat.Courtesy of Hayat Montreal