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Old Montréal is home to some of the city's hippest and most charming bistros and fine-dining restaurants—all tucked into heritage buildings. Foodies eat wild game and fresh seafood while drinking imported wine. Many of the better restaurants have a reasonable table d'hôte at lunch. Daily changing menus written on chalkboards are a common sight, since market-fresh food is popular.
You'll want to keep coming back again and again to this charming little gourmet convenience store and café with its mint-green façade and single-origin coffee. Le Petit Dep proudly stocks local products, including prêt-à-manger (ready-to-eat) soups, salads, and comfort foods such as chili, pasta, and vegan shepherd's pie. There are also mouthwatering home-baked goods and candy in bulk. There is a second Old Montréal location at 461 rue St-Sulpice.
Located on a quiet side street in Old Montréal, you can't miss the bright tangerine doors and windows of this small, new, retro-style panini joint. If simple Italian sandwiches are your jam, Ciccio's is your place. From the primo (mortadella, tomato, mozzarella) and the tacchino (smoked turkey, mozzarella, bacon, tomato, red onion) to the caprese (with or without prosciutto) with pesto, the parmigiana (breaded eggplant, mozzarella, tomato confit, pesto), and the capo (capocollo stagionato, spicy gabagool, burrata, marinated peppers, basil), Ciccio's makes it all. They also make salads and prepare antipasto and charcuterie platters, in addition to a few desserts.
Undoubtedly the most strikingly beautiful café in Montréal, perhaps even in North America, Crew Collective and Café is housed inside a former 1920s-era bank that's fitted with 50-foot-high vaulted ceilings, multiple arches, marble flooring, intricate tiling, and bronze chandeliers. It's no wonder Forbes named it one of the five most beautiful coworking spaces in the world. The café doubles as a coworking space for Web start-ups, so it’s only fitting that patrons be able to order their coffee and nibbles directly online, in real time, without ever having to queue. Expect barista-approved brews, gourmet sandwiches, and an appetizing range of baked goods, including vegan, soy-free, and nut-free options.
Initially an artisanal frozen dessert brand, Végania unveiled its sit-down patisserie-boutique in August 2022, mere steps from Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Montréal. Chef-pâtissier owner Justine's plant-based, mostly gluten-free desserts, made with cashew nuts, Québec maple syrup, and organic ingredients, marry gourmandise with healthy eating. The pâtisserie-boutique's antique décor is quaint and attractive, but it's the artfully presented, divinely delicious desserts that will have you coming back for more.
Groups of students and other budget-conscious connoisseurs of hearty chow crowd the tables at this hole-in-the-wall for traditional Chinese jiaozi, or soup dumplings, just like they make them in northeast China, with a price that's right: just C$14 to C$18 for 15 dumplings. Among the 40 or so varieties of dumplings here, there are also vegetarian versions, including tofu and vegetables, zucchini and vegan "salami," cabbage and Texas "sausage," and pumpkin. Service can be a bit slow, but it's worth the wait. Cash only. There is another location Downtown at 1675 boulevard de Maisonneuve Ouest.
