Luciano Trattoria
1212 Saint-Zotique Street East | Website
Chef Luciano D'Orazio’s menu is market driven. His “cucina semplice” is simple, certainly, yet everything on the short menu is the epitome of excellence. A pasta dish is a must since his homemade pasta are probably the best in Montréal.
© Alexandre Choquette - Tourisme Montréal
Impasto
48 Dante Street | Website
From the salumi (charcuteries) to the handmade pasta and the famous cannoli, everything at Little Italy’s Impasto restaurant is made in house. Inspired by neighbouring Jean Talon Market and rooted in traditional Italian cuisine, Impasto’s menu changed with the seasons but is always excellent. The gorgeous dining room was conceived by star designer Zébulon Perron and is a beautiful space to linger in.
© Dominique Lafond
Il Miglio
Several locations | Website
What started out as an artisanal pasta shop in the Mile End has now expanded to three locations around the city, including one at the Time Out Market. Their fresh pasta is absolutely glorious and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Il Miglio also makes ready-to-eat meals.
Restaurant Graziella
116 McGill Street | Website
Chef Graziella Battista’s Old Montréal restaurant is a beautiful and elegant place to gather for a meal. The cuisine here is contemporary Italian yet rooted in tradition. There’s a finesse to every dish and an elegance in the way they’re presented that make diners feel at ease.
© Two Food Photographers (Alison Slattery)
Mano Cornuto
988 Ottawa Street | Website
Open 7 days a week from 11am to 11pm, Mano Cornuto is an Italian snack bar serving focaccia sandwiches, fresh pasta and coffee and a more elaborate menu that includes a few meat and fish dishes for dinner. The ambiance is relaxed and trendy, so order a Spritz or a glass of natural wine and chill out.
© Two Food Photographers
Moccione
7495 St-Denis Street | Website
Moccionne is a sweet and cozy neighbourhood restaurant located in Villeray a few blocks from the Jean-Talon Market. The “italo-montrealer” menu is market-driven and features the very best seasonal ingredients. The antipasti are all excellent and a pasta dish is a must. You can’t go wrong with a signature cocktail or a bottle from their mostly low-intervention list.
Lucca
12 Dante Street | Website
An institution in Montréal’s Little Italy neighbourhood, Lucca is a cozy yet elegant restaurant that has garnered a great reputation. Their daily lunch menu is inspired by the nearby Jean Talon Market and their evening one offers some of their beloved classics such as the Linguine frutti di mare alla marinara (seafood linguine in their homemade tomato sauce).
© Two Food Photographers (Alison Slattery)
Antonietta
6672 Papineau Avenue | Website
Antonietta is a cool and casual Italian osteria (tavern) in the trendy Rosemont neighbourhood. Fresh pasta and great appetizers are on the menu at this charming neighbourhood restaurant where modern and seasonal Italian cuisine shines.
Il Pagliaccio
365 Laurier Avenue West | Website
Located on chic Laurier Avenue behind an unassuming façade, Il Pagliaccio is one of the best Italian restaurants in Montréal. Their cuisine is authentic Italian using the very best quality products, whether local or imported. Wine lovers will find their match in their list that counts over 800 labels!
© Un Po Di Piu
Caffe Un po’ di piu
3 De La Commune Street East | Website
Inspired by the Italian aperitivo culture, Old Montréal’s Caffe Un po’ di piu serves Italian food and wines in a stunning décor. The menu is short but full of delicious options (don’t skip their focaccia or handmade pasta). The wine list is made up of Italian wines exclusively with many by-the-glass options.
Ristorante Da Emma
777 De La Commune Street West | Website
On the west side of Old Montréal is where you’ll find Da Emma, an institution frequented by locals and tourists alike. The basement restaurant is surrounded by thick grey stone walls typical of that part of town. The cuisine here focuses on Roman specialties and recipes passed down at this family-run establishment.
Nora Gray
1391 St-Jacques | Website
Nora Gray is surely one of the best-known Italian restaurants in Montréal. The sleek yet cozy dining room is welcoming and romantic. The menu is rooted in traditional Italian cuisine spanning the entire country but it’s also seasonal and features the very best local ingredients found in Québec.
© Alison Slattery
Café Gentile Westmount
4126 St-Catherine Street West | Website
This family-run business has been fueled by passion for great food and excellent coffee since the original Café Gentile opened in 1959. The more recent Westmount location operates all day-long and offers the same top-quality Sicilian-inspired specialties such as their famous chicken cutlet sandwich, a variety of handmade pasta, or the grilled branzino.
La Panzeria
4084 St-Denis Street | Website
La Panzeria specializes in street food from Puglia (the “heel” of the Italian boot), and more specifically, focaccias, orecchiette (a pasta shape from the region) and panzerotti, or savoury stuffed pastries that resemble small calzones. They also offer an amazing “panino polignano”, an overfilled sandwich filled with octopus, burrata and all the trimmings.
© Alison Slattery - Two Food Photographers
BarBara
4450 Notre-Dame West | Website
BarBara is a neighbourhood wine bar, restaurant, grocery store and café all rolled into one. It’s a casual place to hang out, have some pastries and a caffe latte in the morning, a sandwich and salad for lunch and perhaps some antipasti and fresh pasta for dinner with a nice bottle of natural wine. La vita è bella at BarBara.
Il Bazzali
285 Beaubien East | Website
If you enjoy some music with your Italian food, then head to Il Bazzali where the chef doubles as an opera singer in between courses. The tenor chef’s menu is made up of classical dishes such as seasonal risotto, a linguini alla carbonara or a marsala semifreddo.
© Alison Slattery - Two Food Photographers
Gia Vin & Grill
1025 Lenoir Street | Website
Gia Vin & Grill is the latest addition to the Nora Gray and Elena family. Located in a historical building in Saint-Henri, the dining room is flooded with light while the trendy décor highlights the space’s heritage accents. The cuisine focuses on the grill starring seafood, fish, and meats as well as fresh pasta and other specialties.
Ristorante Quattro
17 Notre-Dame Street West | Website
Located in Old Montréal, Quattro is a chic yet trendy restaurant serving classic Italian specialties. The Italian-from-Italy chef uses the very best products in his cuisine and adds a contemporary twist to all the traditional dishes such as the pappardelle al ragu, the seafood risotto or the Milanese-style veal scallop.
Beatrice Ristorante
1504 Sherbrooke Street West | Website
In the heart of downtown Montréal’s Golden Square Mile, you’ll find Beatrice Ristorante, a gorgeous restaurant with a stunning dining room and a year-round secret garden-terrasse. The menu is refined Italian cuisine with a special focus on fresh, local, high-quality ingredients.
© La Casina
La Casina
5314 Parc Avenue | Website
Montréal’s newest Italian spot is La Casina, a “harmonious blend of Italian culinary mastery, French sophistication and the welcoming spirit of Canada”. The young team behind this colourful restaurant likes to have fun with the menu and creates interesting dishes such as the pesto-pistachio burrata bomba or the arancini with cacio e pepe.
Knuckles
241 Jarry Street East | Website
Knuckles is a small Villeray restaurant with an intimate ambiance and great service. The menu may be compact but it’s full of great dishes such as fresh appetizers and homemade pastas. Don’t skip the eponymous “knuckles”, a tasty version of pizza fritta with tomato and cheese.
Barcola Bistro Audio
5607 Parc Avenue | Website
Barcola opened its door about a decade ago on Parc Avenue and has since garnered a solid reputation as one of the best Italian restaurants in Montréal. Run by a husband-and-wife team, Barcola serves a set menu that includes an appetizer, a pasta dish and a meat or fish main. Dinner at Barcola is done in a warm musical atmosphere courtesy of the owners’ great collection of vinyl records and vintage audio equipment (which you can browse around the restaurant).
Cabaret L'Enfer
4094 Saint-Denis Street | Website
After stints at Daniel Boulud, NOMA and Le Mousso when the restaurant was listed among the ten best restaurants in Canada (Canada’s 100 Best 2019), chef Massimo Piedimonte is now at the helm of Cabaret L’Enfer, one of Montréal’s best fine dining establishments. Dinner here is an exquisite experience to be enjoyed with all the senses and the dishes are all works of art.
Mucca
236 Saint-Zotique Street East | Website
Mucca is a bisteccheria specializing in homemade bread and pasta as well as Prime Canadian grass-fed beef aged on site. Expect dishes such as artisanal charcuterie, great pastas, and a choice of meat dishes for 2. Mucca also has a great list of natural wines.
Mercuri 109
1115 Cypress Street | Website
Chef Joe Mercuri is back with this intimate restaurant located in the heart of downtown Montréal. The space boasts a couple of tables and a long bar so that most guests can enjoy watching the chefs cook. Mercuri 109 is open for lunch and dinner from Monday to Friday.
© Alison Slattery
For more Italian restaurants, try one of these:
Le Petit Italien, Bistro Amerigo, Beatrice, Rita, Le Serpent, Etna Pastificio, Primo e Secondo, Le Muscadin, Stellina, Jacopo, Le Petit Italien, and Fiorellino.
Mayssam Samaha
Mayssam Samaha is a food and travel writer and blogger and the founder behind the blog Will Travel for Food. She travels the world in search of the next culinary discovery. From Iceland to South Africa, she’s already visited over 30 countries and there’s nothing she enjoys more than wandering around a farmers’ market in a foreign city. She is also the founder of the SAISONS intimate dinner series highlighting Québec products and chefs.
