The best affordable restaurants in Montréal: Eat well without breaking the bank
Gastronomy $ Restaurants
Montréal’s restaurant scene is a thriving and dynamic one filled with establishments spanning the gamut from fine dining to fast casual, proving that one can eat well in our fair city, no matter what their budget is. This article is dedicated to those affordable eateries where prices are friendly, and flavours are outstanding.
Outremont, Villeray, Mile Ex and Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie
La Toxica
Authentic Mexican cuisine awaits you at La Toxica where tacos, burritos, quesadillas and other specialties are featured on the menu. Try the birria tacos, served with a flavourful dipping broth, or enjoy some weekend specials such as the pozole.
7221 Saint-Hubert Street (and another location in Chinatown)
Château Maneki
Look for the now iconic pink “castle” and you’ll find Château Maneki and their famous pressed sushi specialties. The Maneki “dogs” are also an excellent choice and a nod to the past vocation of this highway-adjacent space that used to be a casse-croûte, or fast food spot.
740 Crémazie Boulevard East
Crêperie du Marché
Don’t let the line-up deter you from enjoying some of the best crêpes in the city at this Jean-Talon Market spot. The sweet or savoury confections are 100% gluten-free and feature ingredients from around the market. You can’t get any fresher than that!
7070 Henri Julien Avenue, Jean-Talon Market
Dépanneur le Pick-Up
The grilled halloumi sandwiches, burgers and other delights of this tiny “dépanneur” (convenience store) are now the stuff of legends, and many cravings, to be enjoyed in their cozy space in the winter or on their lovely terrasse in the summer. Look for their second location in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood.
7032 Waverly Street
Roch le Coq
Fried chicken is always a great dining option, especially when it’s as crispy and light as Roch le Coq’s. Whether you opt for a sandwich oozing with house sauce or a bucket with a side of homemade gravy, the freshness of the ingredients and the chefs’ expertise are obvious with every bite.
1541 Van Horne Avenue (other locations in Ahuntsic and Plateau-Mont-Royal)
Umami Ramen & Izakaya
Everything at Umami Ramen is homemade, from the noodles to the broths and kombucha. Enjoy a bowl of steaming ramen or some classic Japanese specialties such as gyozas, okonomiyaki, karaage, tempura and more. You’ll be surprised to know that everything here also happens to be vegan.
6660 Clark Street
Cantine Panella
This certified gluten-free bakery is a family-run establishment offers Italian and Peruvian pastries as well as weekly table d’hôte options from Wednesday to Saturday. The breads made on-site use organic flours imported from Peru. Panella also doubles as a wine shop specializing in organic and natural private-import wines.
515 Saint-Zotique East
Marché Hung Phat
Often cited as the best place in Montréal for a Vietnamese bánh mì sandwich, this no-frills mini-market and sandwich counter is usually packed at lunchtime. The bánh mìs are served in soft baguettes stuffed with delicatessen meats (and a vegan option) with all the toppings and pickled carrots and daikon.
7099 Saint-Denis Street
Lahmajoune Villeray
This family-run business welcomes clients like family in their small Villeray space where everything is homemade, from the tangy stuffed vine leaves to the lahmajoune, a paper-thin dough smother with a flavourful mix of minced meat, tomato and spices and baked until crisp.
420 Faillon Street East
Plateau and Mile End
Wilensky’s
Wilensky’s is a Mile-End, family-run lunch counter that’s been serving the same thing since it opened in 1932: the Wilensky’s Special, a grilled salami and baloney sandwich with mustard. Do not attempt to change or substitute any of the ingredients. It is what it is and it is perfect. Order a side of sour pickles and one of their homemade cherry sodas and enjoy your meal on one of the rickety 100-year-old bar stools.
34 Fairmount Avenue West
Drogheria Fine
The only thing on the menu at Drogheria Fine is a dish of pillowy gnocchi in a flavourful tomato sauce sprinkled with a generous amount of grated Parmesan and served in a Chinese take-out container (complete with chopsticks!) out of their Mile-End window. It’s simple yet hits the spot for a wallet-friendly bite on the go.
68 Fairmount Avenue West
Café chez Téta
This Lebanese restaurant specializes in the art of the manouché, a flat bread with a variety of toppings and baked in their special oven imported from Lebanon. Try the classic zaatar manouché with a side of Fattoush salad and end your meal with a Lebanese coffee cooked in hot sand!
227 Rachel Street East
La Banquise
With over 30 different poutines on their menu, La Banquise has been THE spot to enjoy this Québec specialty since 1968. Open 24 hours a day, it’s the perfect spot to head to for burgers, sandwiches, hearty breakfast dishes and more comforting favourites.
994 Rachel Street East
Schwartz’s
One of Montréal’s most iconic dishes is also one of its most affordable. Order a medium fat sandwich of smoked meat on rye with mustard with a side of fries and sour pickles. Yes, the line-up is worth it but if you don’t want to wait, pick up your order to go and enjoy it at the base of Mount Royal a couple of blocks west of Schwartz’s.
3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
Billy, j’ai faim!
Everything here is made in house and sourced locally. The bistro style menu offers seasonal classics that include vegetarian and vegan options. Enjoy one of the signature dishes or a weekly special in the sun-filled dining room.
4269 Saint-Denis Street
Check out these other affordable restaurant choices in this neighbourhood:
Sandwicherie Sue (also an address in Rosemont), Double’s, La Chilenita, Ma Poule Mouillée
Capitaine Sandwich
The passion of making the perfect sandwich every single time is the driving force behind Capitaine Sandwich, a Plateau destination for fans of this satisfying treat. Every sandwich on the menu is created with the freshest ingredients placed in the most appropriate bread, from chewy naans to crispy baguettes. Indulge in a classic or in one of their more creative ones and don’t forget to try the sides that include salads, chilis and more.
4050 De Bullion Street
Downtown
Sammi & Soupe Dumpling
Sammi & Soupe has a well-earned reputation of serving the best soup dumplings in Montréal. Hand-made on the premises to order, the dumplings, served steamed or fried, are bursting with a variety of fillings and oozing with flavourful broth.
68 De la Gauchetière Street West (and several other locations)
Antep Kabab
Authentic Turkish kabab sandwiches on freshly baked bread and platters of skewers served with rice are the stars of the show at this small and unassuming downtown eatery.
1626 De Maisonneuve Boulevard West
La Toxica
Authentic Mexican cuisine awaits you at La Toxica where tacos, burritos, quesadillas and other specialties are featured on the menu. Try the birria tacos, served with a flavourful dipping broth, or enjoy some weekend specials such as the pozole.
1059 Saint-Laurent Boulevard (and another location in Villeray)
Website
Nouilles de Lan Zhou
Watch the mesmerizing craft of hand-pulling noodles from scratch in the window of this Chinatown eatery then sit down before a steaming bowl of deliciousness and enjoy.
1006 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
Montreal Pool Room
This Montréal casse-croûte institution has been serving hot dogs and fries since 1912. You'll feel a good dose of nostalgia.
1217 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
Dunya
Dunya is a world of flavour packed into a small restaurant on the corner of St-Laurent and Sherbrooke. Garlicky chicken or meat shawarma vie for attention with crispy herbaceous falafel shaped and fried to order. The staff is friendly and welcoming and this is always a nice spot for lunch or dinner.
2 Sherbrooke Street East
Quartiers du Canal and Pointe-Saint-Charles
Lulu Épicerie
Walking into Lulu Épicerie feels like taking a virtual voyage to Beirut, with the sweet aromas of zaatar filling the air and nostalgic prints adorning the walls. Their menu spans the gamut of Lebanese cuisine, from platters of charcoal-grilled meats to scrumptious sandwiches to delicious manakeesh.
2507 Notre-Dame Street West
Taglio Boucherie et Deli
Whether you decide to dig into a smoked meat sandwich on rye or opt for an Italian-style mortadella with stracciatella, pistachio pesto and sun-dried tomatoes, there are no bad choices at this Pointe-Saint-Charles sandwicheria, where all the ingredients are top quality.
1889 Centre Street
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 36 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.