Local produce and market cuisine: our Montréal restaurant picks

Gastronomy The city
  • Buvette Beaubien
  • Vin Papillon
Laure Juilliard

Laure Juilliard

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.

Restaurant Candide

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.

MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE - Le Mousso

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!

Montreal Plaza Restaurant

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!

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Hoogan et Beaufort

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.

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A neighbourhood eatery you need to know

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

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Jaja

Le Pastaga is now Jaja

At the entrance to Little Italy, the restaurant known as Le Pastaga is now Jaja, a word taken from French slang meaning "table wine". The atmosphere - and table - is set. At the helm are Francis Duval (Pastaga, Cul-Sec, Butterblume and Hélicoptère) and Geneviève Beaudoin (Patrice Pâtissier, Petit Mousso and Mousso), who both worked at the heart of Martin Juneau's Pastaga. Together, they uphold the refined, seasonal experience for which the restaurant is renowned, with a good dose of their own creativity. Guests can share small dishes celebrating local produce and natural wines in a bright and welcoming setting. The menu changes according to the mood and the season, much to the delight of their patrons: a culinary ode to fresh, seasonal cuisine awaits!

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Vin Papillon

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. 

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Mon Lapin

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!

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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!

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Restaurant Anemone

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.

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Other recommended restaurants

Hélicoptère

Hochelaga-Maisonneuve: HélicoptèreÉtat-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

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.

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