Kazamaza

4629 du Parc Avenue | Website

I really can’t pick a favourite dish at this Mile End address. Set in a funky yet simple decor complete with brick wall and cozy accent lights, Kazamaza is a vibrant restaurant serving traditional mezes as well as mains and grilled meats. Try their cherry kebabs or any of their lamb shank specialties. 

Zyara

1004 du Marché Central Street | Website

Whether I’m craving some Lebanese home cooking for lunch or an array of mezes for dinner, Zyara has it all. I love their bright and colourful décor accentuated with arabesque motifs. The menu offers all the classics but try the arnabit, a roasted cauliflower with pomegranate, cilantro, and tahini sauce that you don’t often find on restaurant menus. Zyara also has one of the biggest collections of Lebanese wines in Montréal.

Café Chez Téta

227 Rachel East | Website

Specializing in the art of the man’ouché, Café Chez Téta has an oven imported from Lebanon for a truly authentic taste. A zaatar man’ouché is my all-time favourite snack and their pies are hands down the best in Montréal. Chez Téta also offers dips, salads and desserts, including a delicious chocolate and halva brownie.  Try their cardamom-flavoured latte or a cup of the Lebanese coffee cooked in hot sand! 

Damas

1201 Van Horne Avenue | Website

Damas has to be one of my favourite spot for Middle Eastern food, specifically Syrian in this case. All the mezza are fresh and delicious but try some of the house specialties like the eggplant fatteh or the moloukhiya.

Sumac

3618 Notre-Dame Street West | Website

Located in Saint-Henri, this bustling spot serves Middle Eastern inspired dishes such as the best falafels and delicious kefta made with the freshest ingredients and served with their homemade bread. My favourite dish here has to be their addictive garlic labneh with Bulgarian feta, dukka, fresh mint and paprika oil.

Alep and Le Petit Alep

199 Jean-Talon Street East | Website

I have been a fan of Le Petit Alep for years. I head to this little bistro located across the street from the Jean Talon Market when I am craving a spicy terbialy kabab (filet mignon in a spicy sauce) or their spicy fries. If you’re a wine fan, the restaurant has one of the best wine lists in the city.

Shay

1414 Notre-Dame Street West | Website

Griffintown’s Shay’s menu features “traditional flavours reimagined with a modern flare.” Dishes such as octopus and soujouk sausage, hummus with mushrooms and Impossible Meat shish barak share the spotlight with more traditional dishes. The cuisine is rooted in the Middle East but interpreted with the chef’s uniquely creative twist. Shay also serves Sunday brunch. 

Heni

2621 Notre-Dame Street West | Website

Heni focuses on the culinary heritages of cultures from Southwest Asia to North Africa (SWANA). Heni creates its own unique style of contemporary and elegant cooking while maintaining a strong link to the traditional ancient cuisines from Iraq to Morocco and everything in between. They also have some very rare privately imported wine bottles in their cellar so make sure to pick one to pair with your dinner.

Restaurant Ayla

386 Richmond Street | Website

Concentrating on the cuisines of Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Israel, Ayla is a Griffintown spot from the team behind Ryu. Ayla’s menu is diverse and meant to be shared family-style. The house breads, such as Turkish pide, as well as some of the vegetables are baked in a taboon, a traditional Middle Eastern clay oven. 

Rumi

5198 Hutchison Street | Website

Rumi serves food inspired by the Silk Road, happily combining the cuisines of the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa for a true culinary trip to exotic faraway lands.

Omnivore

Several locations | Website

Whether you’re an herbivore, an omnivore or a carnivore, Omnivore is a great spot to know. With 5 locations across the city, the grill specialist uses maple charcoal for all the grilled meats and the freshest ingredients for their many salads and spreads. 

Babacool

140 Notre-Dame Street West | Website

Old Montréal’s Babacool’s menu travels from Lebanon to Morocco and Greece. Fattoush, hummus and falafel share the spotlight with Moroccan cigars, shakshoukas, and olive chicken in a sleek and chic dining room. Babacool also serves a great brunch.

Garage Beirut

1238 Mackay Street | Website

Downtown’s Garage Beirut has been serving great Lebanese food to a loyal clientele for years now. It has a traditional menu with hot and cold mezes, salads and main dishes off their wood-fire grill.

Hayat

131 De La Commune Street West | Website

Hayat (which means “life”) is a celebration of the culinary cultures from “the shores of Lebanon and the mountains of Syria”. Delectable mezzes to be shared, exquisite fish and meat dishes and their very own Levantine twist on cocktails and brunch are all a wonderful treat.

On the go

Crazy Falafel

759 de la Côte-Vertu Blvd. | Website

A bit out of the way, I always head there for the French fries sandwich, which consists of fresh fries topped with toum (garlic sauce) and coleslaw, wrapped in pita bread and slightly pressed. 

Chez Fourna 

977 Sainte-Catherine Street West | Website

Chez Fourna specializes in one of my favourite Lebanese street foods, a man’ouché (a round dough topped with zaatar, a mix of wild thyme, sumac, sesame seeds and salt). 

Falafel Yoni

54 St-Viateur West and 4549 Wellington | Website

These are some of the best falafel sandwiches in Montréal. The crispy, flavourful falafel balls are cooked à la minute, placed inside a soft pita bread and topped with loads of fresh salads. I also love their sabish sandwich with fried eggplants, hard-boiled eggs, salad and tahini sauce. 

Lahmajoune Villeray

420 Faillon East | Website

After a devastating fire destroyed Chez Apo, one of its long-time bakers rebuilt it and is continuing the tradition with the help of his family.  Here you’ll find the famous lahmajoune (a paper-thin flat bread with a meat and tomato spread) as well as several other Lebanese, Armenian and Syrian specialties.