Hungry for the best restaurants in Montreal? Look no further. This local Montrealer has got you covered with a mix of classic Montreal restaurants and the city’s trendiest picks for foodies. From Québécois refinery in Old Montreal to a new Italian hot spot in St. Henri, this list of Montreal’s top 10 restaurants has something to tickle everyone’s tastes in every neighbourhood.
10 Best Restaurants in Montreal
Arthur’s Nosh Bar
For the best Jewish deli in Saint Henri
4621 Notre-Dame St W, +1 514-757-5190, arthursmtl.com
Most Montreal food staples have been inherited from the city’s rich Jewish heritage, from bagels at St. Viateur and Fairmont to smoked meat at Schwartz’s and The Main. In 2016, Arthur’s Nosh Bar added itself to the city’s Jewish restaurant map, and in a short time, the all-day-breakfast restaurant has become a local favourite. In addition to serving deli classics like chicken schnitzel and matzah ball soup, the nosh bar also offers trendy healthy meals, such as avo toast and steel-cut oats. Bon Appetit suggests you order the latke smorgasbord. But it’s the cottage cheese pancakes that are likely to blame for the regular lineups out front.
Liverpool House
For the best seafood restaurant in Montreal
2501 Notre-Dame St W, +1 514-313-6049, joebeef.ca
Decked out in a seaside theme, Joe Beef’s next-door outpost reels in diners with its oyster bar and charcoal-grilled catches of the day. While the chalkboard menu changes regularly, it’s hard to go wrong with any selection, especially plates involving lobster. Come summer, grab a seat on the covered garden terrace. It’s a great spot to grab a bite before or after catching a show at Corona Theatre. For those feeling peckish north of this Little Burgundy hot spot, the same team opened Mon Lapin in Little Italy last year to rave reviews.
Aux Vivres
For the best vegan restaurant in Montreal
4631 St Laurent Blvd, +1 514-842-3479, auxvivres.com
Running the vegan restaurant scene in Plateau for more than 20 years is Aux Vivres. The fresh food franchise has expanded in the past year, opening a new location in Westmount and stocking its inventive, vegan-friendly products in supermarkets across the city. The secret to Aux Vivres’ success is in the sauce. Served with shredded greens and grilled tofu or tempeh, the addictive, umami-powered dragon sauce has inspired its own fan base. Don’t leave without grabbing a bottle or two to take home. But don’t take our word for it: ask the guy with the dragon bowl tattoo.
Restaurant Larrys
For a romantic restaurant in Montreal‘s Mile-End neighbourhood
9 Fairmount Ave E, +1 514-708-1070, lawrencemtl.com/larrys
An all-in-one café, restaurant, and wine bar, tucked around the corner from its forerunner Lawrence, Larrys has a small-plate and bevvy answer for every food craving. Despite being open for more than two years, Larrys still feels like one of Mile End’s best-kept secrets – even though the resto continuously ranks on critics’ “best of” lists. A favourite on the menu is the beef tartare, made fresh with cuts Boucherie Lawrence and topped in an egg yolk. Day or night, it’s the ideal pit stop while shop-hopping in the Mile End.
La Banquise
For the best poutine in Montreal
994 Rue Rachel E, +1 514-525-2415, labanquise.com
Everything from your standard cheese-curd and gravy poutine to an all-dressed french-fry feast can be found at this all-hours Plateau poutinerie. With 28 options to choose from, there’s a poutine for every personality – and a stellar microbrew menu to boot. Diehards know that the measure of any good poutine is the squeakiness of its cheese, and on this front La Banquise squeaks clean of other Montreal poutine joints. In fact, Lonely Planet calls it “the best place in town to Sizes come in small or large, but note “grand” sized portions are not for the faint of heart. After downing your poutine, work it off with a walk around the expansive Parc La Fontaine.
Craving poutine but not in Montreal? Check out this cross-country list of the best poutine joints in Canada.
Au Pied de Cochon
For an indulgent dinner in Montreal
536 Avenue Duluth E, +1 514 281-1114, aupieddecochon.ca
Chef Martin Picard’s Plateau-based restaurant features foie in all its gluttonous glory. There’s foie gras poutine, foie-topped pig’s foot, and even a foie gras hamburger. Pork, of course, is a prominent menu item, too—a fact that has not escaped Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmerman, and other notorious meat lovers. And while the fatty pork and foie gras duo are the undisputed stars of the PDC menu, cloyingly sweet, sugar shack-inspired desserts are showstoppers, too. A maple tart or pouding chomeur is the perfect end-of-meal sweetener.
Nouilles de Lan Zhou
For the Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, Montreal
1006 St Laurent Blvd, +1 514-800-2959, nouillesdelanzhou.com
For those in search of a good Chinese restaurant in Montreal, soup’s on at Nouilles de Lan Zhou. Located in the heart of Montreal’s Chinatown, this noodle house pulls people in with its hand-stretched noodles and savoury broths. It’s common to find a small crowd form outside the front window where chefs show off their lamian-style noodle-pulling techniques. What the tiny hole in the wall lacks in size in terms of seating, it makes up for with hefty portions. Whether you’re spending the day in Old Montreal, or shopping along St. Catherines, these noodles are worth the quick detour.
Elena
For the best pizza restaurant in Montreal
5090 Notre-Dame St W, +1 514-379-4883, coffeepizzawine.com
When the team behind one of the best Italian restaurants in Montreal opens a new restaurant, gourmands take note. Having opened its doors in St. Henri only a year ago, this new pizzeria from the Nora Gray team has stirred up a buzz. Not only did it land third on Air Canada enRoute’s Canada’s Best New Restaurants of 2018 list, a Montreal Gazette critic declared the joint serves up “possibly the finest pizza in town.” While the Margherita, Bianco and “Fun-guy” pizza pies are the main draw for diners, pasta plates such as the tagliatelle or the spaghetti verde are worth a taste, too. P.S. Head ’round back to visit Club Social, coffee bar by day and wine bar by night.
Rôtisserie Romados
For the best Portuguese restaurant in Montreal
115 Rue Rachel E, +1 514-849-1803, facebook.com/romadosrestaurant
When it comes to Portuguese restaurants in Montreal, Rôtisserie Romados reigns supreme. While the Plateau BBQ chicken mainstay has had a rough few years — between a fire, competition from Ma Poule Mouillée, and then some —the rotisserie still holds as a local favourite. Whether you order the half chicken, chicken sandwich, or elect to spice things up with the resto’s signature hot sauce, make sure to grab a Pasteis de Nada egg tart on your way out. With Mount Royal in view from the shop, why not head up for a hike afterward?
Toqué!
For the best farm-fresh restaurant in Old Montreal
900 Jean Paul Riopelle Pl, +1 514-499-2084, restaurant-toque.com
Helmed by renowned chef Normand Laprise, who was recognized by Les Lauriers (Quebec’s culinary prize) for his influence on Québécois cuisine, Toqúe! is regarded as one of the preeminent fine-dining establishments in Montreal. Before putting her pen down for good, Montreal Gazette food critic Lesley Chesterman reserved her last review for this well-loved spot. Located across from the Montreal Convention Center in the historic old quarter, the Québécois restaurant is known for its farm-fresh tasting menu which is served in seven courses with a prestige wine-pairing option.
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