17 Best Restaurants in Little Italy, Montreal

Instagram famous for its dusty pink chairs and pleasing, contemporary space, this seriously cool brasserie is home to 41 home brews—sold by the bottle at the boutique upstairs—and a solid menu that includes monkfish burgers, beer-can roast chicken, and a hearty rib eye. In 2021, a new, larger brewhouse was opened. Waiters are masters at their craft; don’t hesitate to ask for beer pairings with your meal. 

Dinette Triple Crown is relatively small (a counter with just eight stools), but the real draw here is not indoor dining but taking the comfort food to go. Locals know to ask for a picnic basket (fully equipped with cutlery, dishes, and a tablecloth) that will be enjoyed in Little Italy Park across the street. Have it filled with fried chicken with fluffy mashed potatoes and gravy, braised greens, and biscuits, or pulled pork sandwiches and brisket.

This unpretentious, industrial-chic Little Italy restaurant has garnered a great reputation, thanks in part to its celebrity-chef owners, Stefano Faita and Michele Forgione, who make some of the best pasta dishes in town. 

Voted Canada's best restaurant in 2023 by the prestigious "Canada's 100 Best," Mon Lapin has gone from being a compact wine bar to a full-fledged 70-seater restaurant with a daily-changing menu of small plates emphasizing local, seasonal ingredients and playful flavor combinations that make the mouth sing. Depending on the day and the season, the minimalist menu might feature chicken brined in sourdough; croque-pétoncle; white asparagus atop razor clams with elderflower; radish and chicken-liver parfait; barbecued whelks; or Nanaimo bars with chestnuts and amaro. But it's not just about the great food. The sommeliers here really know their low-intervention wines and which to pair with each dish. As for the design, it's sophisticated bistro: mosaic tile floors, burnished brass bar, and local art adorning the walls, making for an elegant yet warm and welcoming atmosphere. “It’s not fine dining, it’s fun dining!” say the staff, who work as a team rather than in a regimented kitchen hierarchy. 

Beaufort Bistro, a cross between haute cuisine and comfort food, has received a lot of attention since it opened in 2014. Since then, this part restaurant, part busy café-bar has moved to a much larger space to better accommodate more—and more types of—diners. As owner Jean-François Girard says, he wants Beaufort to welcome everyone from families with kids to remote workers with laptops, the young and young at heart, bohemians, bankers, and solo diners who want to sit at the bar. A fan of Norwegian cuisine, Girard features cod fritters, gravlax pavé, Nordic shrimp rolls, and Icelandic cod with pan-fried black rice, almonds, and mushrooms, along with more standard bistro mainstays such as tartare, pasta, and ratatouille—and for the kids: Thérèse's mac and cheese. 

Nobody questions the authenticity of the Neapolitan-style pizza here, seeing as there's a nearly 4-ton wood-burning pizza oven made from Vesuvian rock in the kitchen which cooks pizza in 90 seconds flat at 500°C (932°F). There are just a few toppings available, but all are fabulously flavorsome, like fresh tomatoes, vegetables, and top-quality salumi.

In the heart of Little Italy, this historic caffè filled with regulars chatting away in Italian is one of the city's best non-hipster, non-design places to get some excellent brew, be it an espresso, latte, or cappuccino. There also are a few pastries available. Visit a few times and you won't even have to order; the experienced baristas will prepare your drink when they see you walk in. It opens at 6 am every day of the week.  Try the signature smooth Malibu—a lukewarm drink shorter than a cappuccino but longer than a macchiato, made by combining a short shot of espresso with frothed milk.

The cellar of what used to be Montréal's first women's prison hardly sounds like the ideal setting for an Italian eatery, but Nonna Emma's cuisine shushes any bad vibes from the 1800s. Nonna Emma recently retired, at the age of 80, but today her daughter, Olga Aureli, and her grandson, Luca, the sixth generation of restaurateurs in the family, now helm the well-known institution. Stone walls and heavy beams serve as a backdrop for Roman dishes like roasted lamb, fettuccine con funghi porcini and salmone alla griglia, which have all forgone fussy presentation to focus on superior fixings. Repeat customers, including Hollywood A-listers, enjoy the privacy of the secluded garden.  Reservations are recommended Thursday through Saturday. 

Eclectic may be the best way to describe the food at this scarlet-colored restaurant, as the dishes combine a French bistro feel with a little bit of the American Southwest. The seasonings are down to a science here, and the proof is in the homemade ketchups, hot sauces, and salsas that are generously offered at each table. As with many restaurants, the menu changes with the seasons, but the Caesar salad made à la minute and the copious Baileys fudge chocolate cake are popular constants. The meat and seafood are carefully sourced; any of the nightly available options are always a great choice.

This lovely little bakery, which magically transports its patrons (or at least their taste buds) to Italy, specializes in the cornetto, the Italian version of the croissant. Freshly baked every morning, these delightful pastries are available plain or filled with Nutella, ricotta cream, or almond paste. The traditional cannoli, filled with a light and sweet ricotta cream, are also delicious. Those who prefer savory bites should, however, try the speck-and-stracchino (a mild, fresh Italian cheese) sandwich on homemade focaccia.

This casual Middle Eastern spot is comfortable and homey but still has style, with music, ivy, exposed-stone walls, and a lovely terrace come summer. The menu is perfect for grazing, and excellent sharing options include the mouhamara (pomegranate-and-walnut spread), sabanegh (spinach, coriander, and onion pie), fattouche (a salad with pita chips and mint), and yalandji (vine leaves stuffed with rice, chickpeas, walnuts, and tomatoes). There are Armenian dishes, too, like the salad with cumin and flefle (hot peppers). Delicious kebabs dominate the main courses, with the moderately spiced terbialy a favorite. Le Petit Alep also has an older sibling, Restaurant Alep, at 199 rue Jean-Talon Ouest.

You won’t see anything too familiar on the menu at this fresh, light-filled restaurant with its high ceilings, clean white walls and tablecloths, and modern mix of wood, glass, and sliding industrial windows that open to outdoor seating in summer. You will find whimsical yet unpretentious dishes that surprise and delight. Menu items might include brochettes of duck hearts, baloney cannelloni, and "Chinatown" razor clam. Dessert is a must, so pace yourself to allow for favorites like buckthorn berry meringue tart or white chocolate mousse with rhubarb puree. 

Don't be fooled by the name: Pastaga is not a pasta joint; the name is a slang term for alcoholic drinks composed of anise, specifically pastis. Pastaga is best known for its all-natural wine list and small sharing plates.

Pizzeria Napoletana has been at the heart of Montréal's Italian community since 1948. The menu consists of traditional thin-crust pizzas, pastas, and other southern Italian classics, many based on family recipes. Be aware that they do not serve wine; it's BYOB. If you forget to bring a bottle, you can buy one in their shop, Miss Napoletana, across the street. 

Bringing tapas uptown, this Spanish-inspired eatery is a chic yet casual place to drink imported wines and share a few small plates. The Tapeo version of the classic patatas bravas served with a spicy tomato sauce and aioli is always a good choice, as are the roasted vine tomatoes and the grilled chorizo. For an unforgettable meal, book the chef's table in the open kitchen, where you can watch the action and get special attention.