New Québec cuisine: Our Montréal restaurant picks

Laure Juilliard

Laure Juilliard has been written for over 10 years. She specializes in lifestyle, tourism, travel and food, she writes as much for the media as for companies, agencies, freelancers or associations. Always in search of innovative concepts and good addresses, she is also constantly preparing her next trip.

This article was updated on May 4, 2022.

Québec's food scene is an energetic and creative mix of multiple influences that places a high value on fresh and original ingredients. For the top chefs and must-visit restaurants on your next trip to Montréal, we've compiled a list of the cuisine destinations you don’t want to miss.

As local as possible

551 Saint-Martin Street | Website

Working with local products is sometimes a challenge in Québec. This is especially true during winter. But one restaurant is doing a superb job with its unique and high-quality cuisine. Candide, run by chef John Winter Russell (La Salle à Manger, Pastaga), is located in a former church building in the Little Burgundy neighbourhood. The restaurant offers a fixed-price four-course menu made “with love and precision, warmth and refinement” that changes according to seasons and market arrivals.

Experience with a Capital E

1023 Ontario Street East | Website

For more spectacular creations and culinary delights, head to Le Mousso on Ontario Street in the Gay Village. The unique fixed-price menu created by chef Antonin Mousseau-Rivard offers amazing dishes full of beauty and unexpected flavour. Pure joy!

Dinner like the locals do

6230 Saint-Hubert Street | Website

If you're venturing outside the city's more touristy areas, stop by for a meal at Montréal Plaza, a delicious venture by chef Charles-Antoine Crête (Toqué !, El Bulli, Brasserie T !, and others) that has done much to revitalize the commercial area of Plaza St-Hubert. With its half-country house, half-chic French brasserie décor and perfectly executed dishes, it's easy to see why this place is never empty.

A contemporary industrial atmosphere

4095 Molson Street | Website

If you're the adventurous type, make your way to the Technopôle Angus district in Rosemont for a meal at Hoogan & Beaufort, the sublime new restaurant by chef Marc-André Jetté (Laloux). You'll be treating yourself to fresh and delicious cuisine served by friendly, stylish and professional staff amidst a majestic, brightly-lit décor set beneath an impressive high ceiling.

All the rage

45 Mozart Avenue West | Website

Heading back toward the Mile Ex, check out the latest creation by chef Mehdi Brunet-Benkritly (Toqué !, Réservoir, Pied de cochon, Fedora and Chez Sardine). With an ambiance that combines elegance, tradition and modernity, Marconi serves up sophisticated, rich and textured tapas-style dishes that you’ll savour to the last bite.

Kitchen views

6389 Saint-Laurent Blvd. | Website

In the heart of Montréal's Little Italy, chef Martin Juneau has created a spacious restaurant that offers two choices of ambiance. Pastaga features a bright dining area with an almost-Scandinavian finish of brushed-wood tables and an enormous bay window, and also offers a show-style atmosphere where guests get a ringside seat next to the kitchen. The generous tapas-style servings are a celebration of Québec flavours. With the bistro menu changing seasonally, you can expect dishes that reflect the spirit of the season and that are simply delicious.

An ode to the vegetable

2519 Notre-Dame Street West | Website

Local dishes paired with natural wine make for a delicious combination. Located in the neighbourhood of Little Burgundy, Le Vin Papillon specializes in original creations centred on vegetables and carefully selected natural wines. This restaurant, staffed by chef Marc-Olivier Frappier and sommelier Vanya Filipovic, honours the work of small-scale producers with finely-crafted tapas that reflect seasonal availability. The youngest sibling in a culinary family that includes legendary neighbourhood joints Joe Beef and Liverpool House, this intimate wine-and-dine spot features a retro look with antique-style mirrors, white-brick walls and shelves practically overflowing with wine bottles. It all makes for an explosive natural cocktail. Carnivores will not be left out, with meat, charcuterie and seafood also on the menu.