10 Best Restaurants in Montreal, Quebec

There are lines outside this hip establishment before the restaurant even opens. The primarily teal blue and emerald green color palette makes for a soothing ambience—even the menu's binding is a chic peacock blue—the vibe is laid back and the service warm. The prix-fixe, multi-course menu changes monthly, in sync with the seasons, and costs C$110 per person, including service but excluding drinks.

 Also try Larry's, a more casual all-day, all-evening café/restaurant/wine-bar/breakfast-joint around the corner at 5201 boulevard St-Laurent.

A darling of Montréal food critics since it opened in 2014, Canada's first vegan sushi restaurant is an innovative twist on the traditional sushi eatery. Inspired by Mexican Canadian chef Christian Ventura's values, the setting is replete with brick walls, natural woods, and soothing tones, including a few stunning walls of botanical murals. "You eat with your eyes," says Ventura, "so everything has to be beautiful." And beautiful it is. Exquisitely plated, inventive confections are a feast for the eyes and the taste buds. The bar serves organic wines, colorful cocktails, and privately imported sakes, making Sushi Momo an attractive destination for a quiet 5 à 7 (cocktail hour).  There's also a Sushi Momo takeout counter at 16 avenue des Pins in the Plateau.

Frequently named one of Montréal's best restaurants and Canada's third best by Canada's 100 Best ( canadas100best.com), a meal at Toqué! is not so much about sustenance but rather about experience. Toqué is slang for "a little stubborn," as in the chef's insistence on using fresh, local ingredients; consequently, the menu changes daily in accordance with market offerings but foie gras, duck, and wild venison are on constant rotation. Some patrons wouldn't consider ordering anything but the seven-course C$205 dinner tasting menu.

A beacon of the French (from France) cultural diaspora in Montréal, Chez Victoire is the epitome of Plateau Mont-Royal’s warmth and joie de vivre. Fittingly, the creative menu features French-inspired seasonal market cuisine. Take a seat at the long bar and order one of the shareable plates such as the oysters or the fried artichoke heart with black garlic mayo, or opt for a booth to share the classic tomato and mozzarella di bufala salad or the famous burger Chez Victoire. 

Long held in disdain by Montréal food critics, the restaurant at the Institut de Tourisme et d’Hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) has upped its epicurean game. These days the restaurant’s top-notch cuisine pays homage to Québec’s terroir with enticingly presented dishes served in a contemporary yet elegant setting (think white tablecloths, cloche plate covers, and impeccable service). There is an à la carte menu, in addition to a table d’hôte (starting at C$62) and a five-course tasting menu (C$89). The optional wine pairing is an additional C$57.

Although La Chronique is indeed an elegant place with white walls and high ceilings flooded with light, people don't come here for the setting; they come for the excellent food. Without fuss or fanfare, La Chronique has remained one of the best French restaurants in town since it opened in 1995. The cuisine seamlessly blends lightened French fare with seasonal and local ingredients. If you are a foie gras fan, the seared version served with seasonal fruit is easily the best in town. This is an excellent place to splurge on the prix-fixe five-course tasting menu at dinner for C$145, or C$250 with wine pairings.

Regularly lauded on Canadian best-of dining lists, Le Mousso is helmed by chef Antonin Mousseau-Rivard, who dreams up exquisitely plated, northern European–inspired dishes that are as much works of art as they are imaginative combinations of flavor and texture for the taste buds. Using mostly local and seasonal ingredients, the seven-course tasting menu might feature dishes such as borscht décomposé (beet soup), grilled scallops lightly smoked with fir and served on coals with wild plum butter, or tataki Wagyu beef accompanied by cream, New Brunswick caviar, and nasturtium leaves. Dessert might be a fanciful whirl of chocolate with cucumber or squash with honey and rapeseed oil.  The restaurant will attempt to accommodate food allergies and vegetarian diets but reserves the right to refuse a reservation in cases where it would be too difficult to do so. Mousso does not offer vegetarian variations, but a dining "experience" without meat or fish is possible. All dietary restrictions must be mentioned at the time of reservation.

This low-key destination is the perfect spot for an intimate yet elevated meal, where diners can safely anticipate irreproachable dishes (including the $125, five-course tasting menu with wine pairing) and a finely curated wine list. The decor is grandiose and includes a very large mural taking up one long wall, a vintage tin ceiling, and floor-to-ceiling doors and windows. The creative market-based menu changes frequently and focuses on the use of local products. Staples include suckling pig, arctic char, and chanterelle mushrooms with kale and bleu d’Élizabeth cheese.