Great Middle Eastern restaurants in Montréal
I am of Lebanese origin and when I crave a taste of home, I turn to any of these Middle Eastern restaurants for a trip down my culinary memory lane.
Sham Vegan
Sham Vegan, Montreal’s first Syrian plant-based restaurant, offers a flavourful, all vegan reinterpretation of classics from the Levant like smoky grills, mezze spreads, fresh salads, and signature Syrian specialties. With a warm, inviting décor in the Plateau, and generous portions, it’s perfect for casual meals among friends while sipping crafted cocktails, local beers, or fine wines. They're also open for brunch.
1371 Mont-Royal Avenue East
KazaMaza
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.
4629 Parc Avenue
Zyara
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.
1004 Du Marché Central Street
Café Chez Téta
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 theirs are hands down the best in Montréal. Chez Téta also offers spreads, 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!
227 Rachel Street East
Damas
Damas has to be one of my favourite spot for levantine 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.
1201 Van Horne Avenue
Sumac
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 garlic labneh with Bulgarian feta, dukka, fresh mint and paprika oil.
3618 Notre-Dame Street West
Alep and Le Petit Alep
I have been a fan of Alep and 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.
199 Jean-Talon Street East
Shay
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.
1414 Notre-Dame Street West
Heni
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.
2621 Notre-Dame Street West
Rumi
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.
5198 Hutchison Street
Omnivore
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.
Several locations
Garage Beirut
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.
1238 Mackay Street
Restaurant Hayat
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.
131 De La Commune Street West
Aux Lilas
Aux Lilas has been a favourite on Park Avenue for over 4 decades! The recipes on the menu are family treasures passed on from generation to generation. Order one of their “tazkas”, a variety of mezzes that constitute a meal, indulge in their table d’hôte or order à la carte. Everything here is delicious but the Aux Lilas chicken in a light lemon sauce is especially delicious. And don’t skip the mouhallabya for dessert, a milk pudding flavoured with orange blossom flower and garnished with pistachios.
5570 Park Avenue
La Sirène de la mer
La Sirène de la Mer in Montréal is a family-run Lebanese seafood restaurant founded in 1994. It blends the vibrant traditions of Lebanese cooking with the finest freshness of a built-in fish market where diners can choose their catch, which is then prepared on the spot. It’s a great place to try some more specialized fish and seafood dishes like Lebanese-style grilled octopus.
114 Dresden Avenue
Daou
Open on Faillon Street in Villeray since 1975, Daou is a beloved Lebanese restaurant known for its warm hospitality, flavourful cuisine, and unpretentious, no-frills décor. The menu features the classic mezze and grilled specialties that define Lebanese dining, while also offering distinctive dishes rarely found elsewhere, such as a tomato salad with sumac and freshly pressed garlic, and habra nayeh, a delicately seasoned raw meat served pure, without the bulgur and spices typical of kebbe nayeh. Daou is open for lunch and dinner every day except Mondays.
519 Faillon Street East
Brocard
Helmed by a chef who’s honed his skill in some of Montréal’s best kitchens, Brocard is a true family affair. With a small dining room of about 40 spots, the welcome is warm and the ambiance casual. The menu offers traditional Syrian dishes and a few specialties, such as the sayadeyeh with spiced rice cooked in fish broth and topped with fried fish, or the freekeh, smokey green wheat served with lamb.
3910 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
BÁYRŪT
An homage to the 5000-year-old city of Beirut, BÁYRŪT is also a tribute to traditional recipes handed down through the generations. The menu here offers some dishes found at classic Lebanese restaurants as well as some specialties that are unique, such as the BÁYRŪT chicken toast or the Southern Lebanese mleheyee, warm bulgur topped with creamy yogurt, served with spiced lamb shank and baked kibbeh.
727 William Street
when I crave a taste of home, I turn to any of these Middle Eastern restaurants
On the go
Crazy Falafel
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), coleslaw, and other delicious things, wrapped in Lebanese bread and slightly pressed.
759 Côte-Vertu Boulevard West
Chez Fourna
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).
977 Sainte-Catherine Street West
Falafel Yoni
The menu at Falafel Yoni is short and sweet. They make a couple of things only but they make them extremely well. 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.
54 St-Viateur Street West and 4549 Wellington Street
Lahmajoune Villeray
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 under a new identity: Lahmajoune Villeray. 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. Part of the charm is getting to visit with the entire family: the mom cooking, the dad baking and the young adult kids welcoming visitors with a big smile.
420 Faillon Street East
Falafel St-Jacques
Falafel lovers in the know have been flocking to Falafel St-Jacques for the better part of the past decade. Everything here is plant-based and full of bold flavours, from the signature falafel sandwich served in their freshly baked pita bread and drowning in tangy tahini sauce to the sabich sandwich with crispy eggplant, boiled egg, latkes, hummus, tahini, amba and Mediterranean salad.
345 Saint-Jacques Street and 1299 Notre Dame Street
Lulu Épicerie
“Maybe you’re not homesick. Maybe you just miss home.” is a sentence written in Lulu Épicerie’s Instagram bio and it rings so true. With an esthetic that reminds me of my childhood in Lebanon, Lulu feeds the stomach and the soul with their shawarma, grilled meats, and manakeesh, the quintessential Lebanese street food, homemade flatbreads topped with cheese and zaatar and baked in a traditional oven.
2505 Notre-Dame Street West
Dunya
Dunya is one of my favourite Lebanese street food spots. Everything here is extremely fresh and delicious. I love sitting at the counter and watching as the shawarma spits turn and char the bits and pieces of meat and chicken. Their sandwiches are the closest Montréal has come to those found in Beirut. If you’re vegetarian, the falafel sandwich is just as finger-licking good.
2 Sherbrooke Street East
Bei Roots
This self-proclaimed “roots of roots of the authentic shawarma” is located near Concordia University and serves a variety of dishes. The sandwiches are made in pita or saj bread (paper thin bread). There are also generous bowls and colourful juices on the menu. Bei Roots can accommodate students looking for a quiet place to work while feasting on Lebanese street food.
1460 Mackay Street
Folfol
Damas’ sister restaurant Folfol serves generous sandwiches similar to the ones available on the streets of Damascus, as well as delectable homemade dishes and specialties. Try the lamb shawarma or chicken shish taouk. There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, including the delicious cauliflower sandwich with zaatar, garlic tomato confit, grilled shishito, kale, pickles, and tahini sauce.
1208 Van Horne Avenue and 555 Chabanel Street West
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.