28 Best Restaurants in Montreal, Quebec

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.

This iconic Montréal bistro hasn’t changed much since its opening in 1980, and it’s just as well—regulars would throw a fit if it did. Quintessential French fare is fairly priced and appetizing, outstanding even, with dishes like steak tartare with fries, salmon with sorrel, and calf's liver with tarragon. Tiny tables sometimes struggle to accommodate the ever-present crowds (including local chefs, who congregate here for dinner after hours), but the lively atmosphere is part of the charm. Kids are warmly welcomed.

A Montréal institution since 1985, the refined Le Taj carries a piece of Montréal's history with its ornate mud wall originally made for India's pavilion at Expo ’67. With its northern Indian cuisine, which isn’t as spicy as its southern counterpart, thali—platters comprising a variety of curries—are ideal for sampling unfamiliar flavors. Vegetarians and vegans will feel right at home with the veggie menu, notably the saag paneer (white cheese with spinach), the tandoori vegetable platter, and the channa masala (chickpeas seasoned in coriander, garam masala, mango powder, onions, and garlic). Le Taj is also open at the Time Out Market, an upscale food court at 705 rue Ste-Catherine Ouest.

First and foremost a wine bar, this atmospheric 30-seat spot also dishes out delicious vegetable-forward, market-based cuisine. The cuisine features local and seasonal ingredients, and the flavors are simple enough to pair well with the stars of the show: the many wines on offer. The homemade bread topped with mushrooms and lobster, the rotisserie whole cauliflower with crispy chicken skin, or the Brussels sprouts a la plancha are just a few of the small plates that have become crowd favorites. End your meal with an assortment of Québec cheeses. The plates are all meant to be shared while you sip on some of the most unique wines in the city, carefully selected from wineries near and far.  Vegetarians and vegans should be forewarned that even if a dish here appears to be vegetarian it may have been prepared with animal stock or fat, so it's best to enquire before ordering.  

Named after a national park in the Congo, a mother-daughter team helm this delightfully cozy pan-African Quebecois fusion restaurant in the Plateau. Innovative and well-executed dishes like cassava couscous with okra and goat stew celebrate local produce and sub-Saharan flavors for an experience you won’t soon forget.

Eaton's 9th floor restaurant, an Art Deco masterpiece meant to simulate a 1920s ocean liner, was a paragon of sophistication during Montréal's zenith as a jazz age capital. Here, husbands took their wives for an elegant dinner. It was also where anglophone society women lunched, and where many mothers and daughters, as recently as the 1980s, marked special occasions. When Eaton's stores across the country shuttered in 1999 due to bankruptcy, the beloved restaurant sat collecting cobwebs for 25 years. Now, after a full restoration, the legendary 9th-floor restaurant reopened in May 2024. The ship-like dining room is used only for performances and special events, with the former grand hall and art gallery now serving as the restaurant and cocktail bar spaces. Some of the original Eaton's classics remain on the menu, but most of the cuisine can best be described as "French, with a Montréal twist". The cocktail bar, Le French Line, adjacent to the restaurant, is small but magnificently restored, featuring mirrored walls, some of the original, fantastical art tableaux, curved banquette seating, lots of windows, and pale green velvet curtains. Here, patrons can snack on tasty bar plates while sipping fabulous cocktails when the kitchen is closed. Or, any time the bar is open. 

To access the 9th-floor, take one of the restored elevators in the original entrance hall at 1500 boul. Robert-Bourassa. Here you'll find a grand corridor filled with window displays of historical objects, which leads to the reception desk.

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.

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. 

A relatively new addition (opened in late 2019) to the plant-based sushi zeitgeist, Bloom on rue St-Paul aims to prove that it's possible to enjoy sushi without harming our oceans and the fish that live in them. With its white-painted brick and stone walls, blond wood surfaces, and low-hanging cloth lamps, this gorgeous resto is like a cross between a spa and a traditional Japanese restaurant. Choose between a wide array of artfully plated makis, futomakis, nigiris, gyozas, salads, and soups, each dish a captivating fusion of flavors. Complement your meal with a kombucha or a bottle of organic Pinot Noir or Tsukinokatsura Junmai Iwai sake. 

Is it possible to eat sushi without harming our oceans and the fish that live in them? The owners of Bloom think so. At this pretty plant-based eatery in the Quartier des Spectacles, you can choose between artfully plated maki, futomaki, gyoza, crispy rice treats, and specialty rolls, each dish a captivating fusion of flavors. Complement your meal with a kombucha or a kaeru margarita flavored with matcha, pineapple juice, lime juice, and agave syrup.

With its cavernous corner spot on Outremont's trendy avenue Bernard, sophisticated yet playful décor, and artfully prepared comfort food, this brasserie is always a good bet for quality food and excellent people-watching. The menu at Les Enfants Terribles is a mix of high-end cuisine and comfort-food favorites, from oysters and salmon tartare to duck poutine, fish-and-chips, and mac and cheese. The kitchen stays open to serve after-theater customers on show nights at nearby Théâtre Outremont. 

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. 

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.

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.

The cocktail menu originally put this hip bistro on the map, drawing crowds for creative martinis (think cucumber and basil), and now the food holds its own. The house specialty is tartares—the menu lists four variations of marinated raw fish—and heaps of grilled meat, fish, or tempeh served on wooden chopping blocks. Young partiers are attracted to the cafeteria-style tables, where they mingle over ginger-beer cocktails, soups, salads, and tapas.

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.

With its airy, all-white-and-green, plant-filled décor, dining at LOV (Local, Organic, Vegan) is like eating in a beautiful greenhouse. This fashionable restaurant is the kind of plant-based establishment that even die-hard carnivores will line up to enter. Starters here include LOV calamari (tempura heart-of-palm rings with lemon-truffle aioli) and mushroom and vegetable dumplings with almond butter kimchi sauce. Highlights among the mains are coconut butternut squash curry and mushroom risotto with cashew cream. 

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.

This new sophisticated Chinese eatery in Old Montréal is the city's second Uncle Lee location. This one, however, emphasizes “Kăo”, which means grill in Mandarin, but there is also a good selection of rice and noodle dishes. The 80-seat space is warm and welcoming, with high ceilings, hardwood floors, and lots of red and wood accents. A private room at the back can be reserved for between 12 and 36 people.

Opened in Spring 2024, this rococo-inspired tea room feels a little like attending a real-life, Disneyfied Mad Hatter tea party. Think bubblegum pink walls, checkerboard floor, thick coral pink velvet curtains, salmon pink and burgundy button back seat banquettes, quirky tableaux, and lots of chandeliers. It's the perfect spot to enjoy a kooky Quebecois take on the English High Tea experience, finger foods on tiered platters and a tea sommelier and all. Go with your friends, your mother, daughter, or grandmother. And don't be afraid to take the kids; they're sure to delight in the fanciful children's menu.

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.

This unassuming but contemporary hot spot serves some of the best Vietnamese fare in the city. "Simple yet edgy" are the operative words to describe the menu here. Steamed buns blackened with squid ink; edamames in lime, coriander and sesame; Asian ceviche with sweet potato puree; and chai creme brûlée, to name a few. There is a pleasant terrace on the street and, downstairs, the hidden Nhâu Bar, with its dozens of hanging white and red lanterns, has a sophisticated cocktail menu.

The perfect seafood spot for the summer with impeccable views of the Old Port, SeaSalt is a great place to stop for lunch or dinner while walking around Old Montréal. Its bright and clean interior, along with its large covered terrace, makes this restaurant feel as if it belongs on the coast of Southern France.

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.