Top “instagrammable” restaurants in Montréal
Do you like a side of gorgeous design with your meal? These Montréal restaurants are some of the prettiest in town and would make a gorgeous addition to your Instagram feed.
For daylight and brunch content
McKiernan Luncheonette
Located inside an industrial behemoth of a building in Verdun, the McKiernan Luncheonette is a beautiful spot to dine in. Biergarten-style tables and chairs, whimsical nautical objects, high ceilings, original wood flooring and columns and strung fairy lights make this one of the best-looking restaurants in town.
5524 Saint-Patrick Street
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Dandy
Mustard coloured banquettes, light fixtures that arch over the entire width of the space, warm tones and the gorgeous features of this historic Old Montréal building make Dandy a great place to pose for a photo or two. Oh and their brunch is one of the best in Montréal.
244 St-Jacques Street
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Tiramisu
“Italian by nature, Japanese by love”, Old Montréal’s Tiramisu offers great food from brunch to dinner. Bathed in natural light, the space combines a gorgeous Italian design esthetic with brightly coloured tiles, plush banquettes and bar stools, beautiful light fixtures and hanging plants everywhere.
989 Saint-Laurent Blvd.
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For epic views
Île de France Restaurant
A Montréal icon, Île de France Restaurant sits on the 9th floor of downtown Montréal’s Eaton Centre. Originally open from 1931 to 1999, it has been beautifully restored in line with its heritage status. The refined Art Deco space is absolutely stunning. Don’t miss the bird’s eye view of downtown and Christ Church Cathedral from the women’s bathroom windows.
1500 Robert Bourassa, Suite 900
Hiatus
The Hiatus décor is certainly noteworthy, elegant, and refined, with warm wood tones and a minimalist contemporary approach. However, what steals the show here is the 360-degree unadulterated view of the city from the mountain to the river from Hiatus’ home on the 46th floor of Place Ville Marie in downtown Montréal.
1 Place Ville Marie
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For romantic evenings and elegant dining
Henri Brasserie Française
Named after Henri Birks and located inside the Birks Hotel in downtown Montréal, Henri Brasserie Française is a magnificent brasserie with the same opulence as the Birks institution. Dazzling intricate moldings around the high ceiling, plush velvet seating, brass accents and a beautiful herringbone parquet flooring lend a warm and classy ambiance to this brasserie.
1240 Phillips Square
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Monarque
The grandiose Old Montréal Monarque space is divided into a bar area, a bistro one and a dining room. The glassed-in kitchen is the main focal point with materials such as brick, warm wood tones, metal accents, leather seating and a stunning marble floor with a fan pattern creating a cozy yet refined ambiance.
406 Saint-Jacques Street
Website
Hoogan et Beaufort
It is quite impossible to have a bad meal at Hoogan et Beaufort. Chef Marc-André Jetté’s cuisine is elegant and his plating spectacular. It also helps that the restaurant’s design is gorgeous. The light-flooded dining room with its 30-foot wood beam ceiling is chic yet cozy and centered around a wraparound bar and an open fire pit. Hoogan also has two terrasses to enjoy when the weather is nice.
4095 Molson Street
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Le Serpent
The industrial chic Le Serpent occupies a renovated factory space in Old Montréal. High ceilings and distressed cement columns make up the bones of the space as well as large windows that flood the dining room with a diffused light. The palette is a monochromatic grey that’s complemented quite dramatically by the funky orange lighting fixtures.
257 Prince Street
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Bar George
Located in a heritage mansion in the heart of Montréal’s downtown core, Bar George pairs history with creativity in one perfect package. Grab a nosh at the bar or book a table at the restaurant where classic British cuisine is served. Both spaces have been restored to their former glory and are just stunning with intricate dark wood paneled walls and ceilings, 300-year-old stained glass windows, a grand staircase, rich fabrics, and gold accents.
1440 Drummond Street
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Restaurant L’Express
Stepping into Plateau-Mont-Royal’s L’Express feels like you’ve travelled to a classic bistro in the City of Lights. Open since 1980, this iconic Montréal restaurant excels at everything, from the handwritten menu listing all the classics to the inimitable service. The décor, with its long bar, warm wood tones, immense mirrors, and checkered black and white floor adds to the charm of this timeless place.
3927 Saint-Denis Street
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Place Carmin
Spread out over several levels in a stunning space in Old Montréal, Place Carmin’s décor is minimalist chic with deep wood tones, clean lines and a colour palette that ranges from deep burgundy to warm hazels. The long bar with high mirrors at the back is where you’ll find some of the best seats in the house.
740 William Street
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For cultural and exotic interiors
Damas
In a décor reminiscent of a thousand and one nights, Damas offers its clients a magical dining experience. Serving wonderfully spiced dishes from the Middle East, and more specifically from the Syrian capital, every corner of Damas serves as the perfect background for your Instagram posts.
1201 Van Horne Avenue
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Jiao
Jiao is surely one of Montréal’s most beautiful restaurants with a breathtaking décor that includes a Manga mural and oversized light fixtures. It’s the perfect spot in Old Montréal to grab a drink and a snack after work or to linger until last call. The menu includes dim sum classics as well as revisited dishes.
399 Notre-Dame Street West
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Satay brothers
Entering the unique Satay Brothers restaurant in Saint-Henri feels like a walk in an hawker food market in Asia. Sure, the food is absolutely delicious and worth a spot on your feed but the red walls, hanging lamps, kitsch décor and electrifying ambiance are almost more appealing… almost.
3721 Notre-Dame Street West
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Palma*
Green and gold are the two predominant colours at Palma*, a place that feels like a virtual trip to some tropical locale while staying in downtown Montréal. Plenty of light, velvet seating and a variety of big leafy plants add to the illusion of an escape to a warm location, if only for a night. Try and get a table near the golden mirrored wall for a great background to your Instagram photos.
100 Peel Street
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Ibérica
Barcelona’s tapas life is alive and well at Ibérica, a downtown Montréal establishment envisioned by Montréal star designer Zebulon Perron. The cathedral ceiling is adorned with two impressive, oversized diamond-shaped chandeliers that loom over the busy dining room. Distressed walls, circular plush banquettes and funky lighting fixtures are some of the remarkable design elements in this trendy spot.
1450 Peel Street
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Pangea Restaurant
Located on historic Saint-Paul Street in Old Montréal, Pangea is another restaurant with an oversized olive tree in the middle of the space, surrounded by the bar. The décor is reminiscent of a Mediterranean town, with white-washed walls and light furniture accentuated by colourful dishware and flowers.
104 Saint-Paul Street East
For neighborhood vibes
Rôtisserie La Lune
Rôtisserie La Lune is a Petite Patrie neighbourhood roast chicken spot—and already the recipient of many accolades—from the immensely talented Mon Lapin family. The golden plump poultry and other menu items are certainly deserving of a snapshot or two, but the surroundings are also the stars of this show, from the delicately carved front door, to the warm wood tones and cozy setting, to the porthole that allows you to peak at the slowly turning roasted birds beyond.
391 Saint-Zotique Street East
Le Violon
Chef Danny Smiles’ award-winning Plateau Mont-Royal restaurant Le Violon is a masterclass in thoughtful minimalism, where simplicity meets warmth and elegance. The space feels both refined and welcoming, with marble countertops, beautifully tiled floors and light wood furnishings creating a calm, harmonious atmosphere. One of its most distinctive features is Dan Climan’s oversized painting of a Dalmatian, which adds a playful, artistic touch and anchors the room’s personality.
4720 Marquette Street
Bar-St-Denis
Two former Au Pied de Cochon chefs are behind Bar-St_Denis, a stunning spot in La Petite-Patrie. An orange bar with a corrugated front lines one side of the space while the facing brick wall is lined with dark reflective tables. The space is mostly designed with a dark palette, which makes the imposing light ceiling and its brass honeycomb pattern shine even brighter.
6966 Saint-Denis Street
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Elena
Pizza restaurant Elena has won the 2022 enRoute Magazine decor of the year award, and for good reason. Located in Saint-Henri, the space is slick, with lots of bold colours adorning its plush velvety banquettes. The long marble bar is lined with bright yellow stools with an electric blue art piece that would make a great background for your IG post.
5090 Notre-Dame Street West
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Juliette Plaza
Montréal Plaza’s little sister Juliette lives next door on Plaza Saint-Hubert in a more intimate dining room with a playful décor featuring Smurf figurines, Astérix wall art and more fun tchotchkes. Named for chef Charles-Antoine Crête’s mother, the nostalgia-driven décor is full of surprises so make sure to look all around and up!
6220 Saint-Hubert Street
For a colourful evening out
Le Blossom
If you’re on Instagram, you’ve probably already seen Le Blossom’s central pink tree on your feed. Time to head to the Village location of this Japanese restaurant and sake bar to enjoy a meal around the tree and take a shot of it for your feed. The rest of the space is just as nice, with a long bar on one side and an interesting lighting system that zig zags through the restaurant like a lightning rod.
1101 de Maisonneuve Blvd. East
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Bar Darling
Plateau Mont-Royal’s Bar Darling is anything but minimalist. Rich textures, extravagant light fixtures, eclectic objects, warm tones and plush leather couches are all piled up in a dizzying mishmash of colours and textures that make this space unique and welcoming.
4328 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
Kabinet
In a 1920s inspired décor on Plateau’s Laurier Avenue West, plush jeweled-toned velvet seating, wrought iron tables with marble tops, fringed light fixtures, and black and white mosaic floors, made every corner of tiny Kabinet a marvel and the perfect backdrop for your photos. Order a champagne coupe, splurge on a caviar bump and settle in for a great night.
98 Laurier Avenue West
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Le Miracolo
Enter into the cabinet of curiosities that is the sensational Miracolo. Inside this veritable cavern of eccentricities in the heart of the Plateau are luminous and unique objects and decorations that will invite your eyes and your imagination to wander. The food is great, the ambiance heady and the décor enchanting and disarming.
3891 St-Laurent Boulevard
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Château Maneki
At Villeray’s Château Maneki, it’s not so much the interior that will make it to your Instagram feed, but rather the exterior of this unusual pink and blue “castle” that will have you do a double take. Come for the unique architecture and stay for the pressed and torched sushi, their specialty.
740 Crémazie Boulevard East
La Petite Dinette
If you’re a fan of Archie comics and vintage American diners, then you’ll love Plateau-Mont-Royal’s La Petite Dinette. Bold colours, vinyl seats, Formica topped tables with chrome accents and checkered floors are all beautifully replicated. The menu, however, is not all burgers and milkshakes but rather a unique fusion between Québécois and Vietnamese classics.
4186 Saint-Denis Street
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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.