Local produce and market cuisine: our Montréal restaurant picks
Thanks to multiple influences and a firmly-rooted farm-to-table movement, Québec's new food scene gives centre stage to fresh and original ingredients. Who are the hot new chefs? What are the must-try restaurants on your next Montréal visit? Here is our list of the most boundary-pushing and creative eateries showcasing Québec terroir products you don’t want to miss.
Lots to love for locavores
Working with local products is sometimes a challenge in Québec, especially in winter. But the restaurant Candide is doing a superb job with its unique and high-quality cuisine. Run by chef John Winter Russell and located in a former presbytery in Little Burgundy, it offers a fixed-price four-course menu made “with love and precision, warmth and refinement” that changes according to seasons and market arrivals.
551 Saint-Martin Street
Website
Experience with a capital E
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 bursting with beauty and unexpected flavour. Pure joy!
1023 Ontario Street East
Website
A genuine Montréal brasserie
Foodies who venture outside the city's more touristy areas will be rewarded. Case in point: Montréal Plaza and Juliette Plaza, delicious undertakings by chef Charles-Antoine Crête (Toqué !, El Bulli, and others) that have injected new energy into the commercial strip of Plaza St-Hubert. The chef invites you to enjoy his creative, rule-breaking cuisine in a funky French brasserie/country house décor, and the sweet, jewel-like setting of Juliette Plaza. An unforgettable dining experience!
Montréal Plaza – 6230 Saint-Hubert Street
Juliette Plaza – 6220 Saint-Hubert Street
A contemporary industrial atmosphere
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. Indulge in fresh and delicious cuisine served by friendly, stylish and professional staff, as you admire the impressive high ceiling and beautiful, light-bathed décor.
4095 Molson Street
Le Pastaga devient Jaja
À l’entrée de la Petite Italie, Le Pastaga devient Jaja, un mot tiré de l’argot français signifiant « vin de table ». L’ambiance est posée. À sa barre, Francis Duval (Pastaga, Cul-Sec, Butterblume et Hélicoptère) et Geneviève Beaudoin (Patrice Pâtissier, Petit Mousso et Mousso), qui ont tous deux œuvrés au cœur du Pastaga de Martin Juneau. Ensemble, ils y font perdurer cette même expérience soignée en lien avec les saisons, mais avec leur touche créative bien à eux. Dans un cadre lumineux et chaleureux, on vient y partager des petits plats célébrant les produits locaux et les vins nature. Le menu change au gré des humeurs et des saisons pour le bonheur de ses convives : un poème culinaire vous y attend.
6389, boul. Saint-Laurent
Site Internet
An ode to the vegetable
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 that showcase vegetables and carefully selected natural wines. The restaurant, which is staffed by chef Marc-Olivier Frappier and sommelier Vanya Filipovic, puts small-scale producers in the spotlight with finely-crafted tapas that change with the seasons. The youngest sibling in a culinary family that includes legendary neighbourhood hotspots 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. An abundance of fresh food and drinks that also caters to carnivores, with meat, charcuterie and seafood also on the menu.
2519 Notre-Dame Street West
The rising star
In 2023 and 2024, Vin Mon Lapin took top spot in Canada's 100 Best Restaurants Magazine. It was a well-deserved gold medal for this rising star restaurant that opened its doors in Little Italy in 2018 and has been shining ever since. Starting out with Joe Beef alumni Marc-Olivier Frappier and sommelier Vanya Filipovic, both at the time at Vin Papillon, the team has expanded to include three new business partners: co-chef Jessica Noël, co-sommelier Alex Landry and floor manager Marc-Antoine Gélinas. With this accomplished team in place and an all-new design created by Zébulon Perron, Vin Mon Lapin has become a cherished go-to for Montrealers. Wonderful seasonal small plates that change seasonally, and carefully chosen natural wines contribute to the popularity of this unpretentious and coveted establishment. There’s not a minute to lose: make a reservation now!
150 Saint-Zotique Street
Talented, humble, understated
Simon Mathys (Manitoba, Racines) has chosen the residential and family-oriented neighbourhood of La Petite-Patrie as the setting for his kitchen and his incredible talent. Le Mastard has everything going for it: its location, far from the city's trendy spots; its opening hours, weekdays only, for the well-being of the chef and his team; its simple, contemporary décor; and, above all, its minimalist menu that is culinary poetry on your plate. This 5-course experience is a spectacular showcase of local and seasonal products, at very reasonable prices. A neighbourhood restaurant adored by regulars with a Michelin-star-worthy menu? Truly exceptional!
1879 Bélanger Street
Mile Ex’s newest gem
A stellar replacement for the late, great Manitoba, Anémone is the new Mile Ex hotspot for a vibrant cuisine inspired by seasonal local produce. Its interior, created by La Firme designers, is like stepping into Québec’s boreal forest. The kitchen opens onto a long, torrefied wood bar leading out onto the wonderful garden terrace, and the cedar-plank ceiling filters in the light. The menu, devised by chef Minh Phat (Mui Mui, Orange Rouge) and Mike Madokoro (co-owner of Bar Suzanne), two stars of Quebec gastronomy, brilliantly explores and revisits Québec’s finest ingredients. Add a list of artisanal wines from around the world, carefully selected by Elena Racevičiūtė, and you've got a completely eclectic address that's right up there with Montreal's wildly creative restaurants.
271 Saint-Zotique Street
Other recommended restaurants
Plateau-Mont-Royal and Mile End: Billy, j'ai faim!, Rouge Gorge, Miracolo, Restaurant Bar Vivar, Le Virunga, Le Filet, Bistrot La Fabrique, Chez Victoire, Majestique, Restaurant de l’ITHQ, Cabaret L’Enfer, Le Violon, Au Pied de Cochon, Bar à Flot, Buvette chez Simone, Larrys, Lawrence, Barcola Bistro, Île Flottante and Le Butterblume
Little Italy, Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, Villeray and Park Extension: Cantine Panella, La Part des Anges, Buvette Pompette, Mamie, Bar St-Denis, Brouillon, vinvinvin, Salle Climatisée, Rose Ross, La Marelle, Parapluie, Buvette Beaubien, Annette, Le Elsdale café-buvette-boutique, Knuckles, Comptoir Sainte-Cécile, Fanfare, Lundis au soleil, Tabac, Denise and Casavant
Les Quartiers du Canal: Foxy, Le Serpent, McKiernan, Joe Beef, Liverpool House and Tuck Shop
South-West: Beba, Sabayon, le godot and Rita
Old Montréal and Old Port: Pub Wolf and Workman, Monarque, Olive & Gourmando, Marché des Éclusiers, Pub Jelly and Le Club Chasse et Pêche Restaurant Bar Salon
Downtown: Restaurant h3, Marché Artisans, Maison Boulud, Restaurant Toqué!, Restaurant Europea, Île de France Restaurant, Time Out Market Pavillon, Cadet and Bouillon Bilk
Outremont: Provisions, Boxermans, Bloomfield and Alma
Ahuntsic: Les Cavistes Restaurant Wine Bar, Cerise, Le St-Urbain and La Bête à Pain
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve: Hélicoptère, État-Major and Motel Ontario
The Village: Panacée and Ô Thym
A bit farther away, farm-to-table restaurants: Bika Farm (Saint-Blaise-sur-Richelieu), Parcelles (Magog), Les Cocagnes (Frelighsburg) and Maison de Soma (Mont-Tremblant)
Original article in French by Laure Juilliard, adapted into English by Rebecca Sellers.
Laure Juilliard
Originally from Paris, Laure Juilliard made Montréal her home over 15 years ago and has never looked back. Won over by her new city's unique energy, cultural vibrancy and gastronomic effervescence, she loves exploring all the coolest spots. A writer and blogger specialising in lifestyle, culture, travel and gastronomy, she has lent her pen to Tourisme Montréal for more than 10 years, in addition to magazines such as ELLE Québec and Clin d'œil, as well as a variety of well-known companies and agencies. Always on the lookout for innovative concepts and the best addresses wherever she is in the world, she is also always planning her next trip.