Top Montréal restaurants for the gourmet traveller

Gastronomy
  • Le St-Urbain
  • Le Mousso
Mayssam Samaha

Mayssam Samaha

Some people eat to live and some live to eat. This list is for the latter: those who are driven by the decadent pleasure of discovering new gourmand destinations and enjoying delectable gastronomic experiences.

Restaurant Toqué!

Restaurant Toqué!

For fine dining par excellenceRestaurant Toqué! Chef Normand Laprise’s cuisine – the very one that started the Montréal food revolution – will leave you speechless and wanting more. 

Restaurant La Chronique

La Chronique

For the foie gras enthusiasts: La Chronique. This is where you go for the best foie gras in Montréal, and keep returning for the flawless French-inspired menu.

Maison Boulud

Maison Boulud

For a Michelin-star type experience: Maison Boulud. Chef Daniel Boulud’s extensive expertise shines through in this magnificent establishment and the exquisite service that reigns within the sumptuous dining room.

Joe Beef

Joe Beef

For the quintessential Montréal night out: Joe Beef. You’ll be treated to the greatest Montréal has to offer, paired with a glass of natural wine (or 5) from one of the best curated lists in town.

Chez Delmo

Chez Delmo

Chez Delmo is an restaurant located in the historic district of Old Montréal, which was originally opened in 1934. The owners have recently updated the venue with a contemporary flair while still maintaining the long-standing tradition of gastronomy in the area. The menu offers a variety of revisited dishes that showcase fish and seafood, including novelties such as lobster rolls and salmon tartare.

Le Filet

Le Filet

For the fish and seafood aficionados: Le Filet. The delicate ocean-based dishes have become the toast of the town. And speaking of toasts, do try the one with sea urchin and seaweed butter.

Le St-Urbain

Le St-Urbain

For those willing to travel for food: Le St-Urbain. One of the city’s best tables, it’s located a tad out of the way, but is very much worth the trip. You’ll enjoy the elegant cuisine inspired by the seasons and the exceptional wine list.

Le Serpent

For the design lovers: Le Serpent. The industrial chic restaurant design will wow you just as much as the Italian-inspired menu.

Estiatorio Milos

Estiatorio Milos

For those in search of exotic flavours: Estiatorio Milos. You’ll savour the vast array of delicate Mediterranean dishes, fresh seafood and scrumptious desserts in a décor reminiscent of a Greek holiday. 

Bouillon Bilk

For those who want to feel like a local: Bouillon Bilk. This restaurant is so inconspicuous, that it’s easy to miss, but it would be such a shame because the cuisine here is sophisticated yet unpretentious, set against a minimal décor that lets the dishes shine.

Le Mousso

Le Mousso

For the art lover: Le Mousso. Chef Antonin Rivard-Mousseau comes from a long lineage of artists, and it shows! Just because this artist has chosen food as his medium doesn’t mean his work is less impressive since every dish here is a veritable chef d’œuvre.

Le Club Chasse et pêche

For the Québécois traditionalist: Le Club Chasse et Pêche. Savour a modern and fine dining twist on Québécois traditional cuisine in an elegant and sophisticated décor reminiscent of a hunting and fishing lodge.

Primo & Secondo

For those looking for la bella vitaPrimo & Secondo. Opened in Little Italy since 2001, Primo & Secondo is the place to be for simple Italian cuisine prepared in an elegant ambiance with impeccable service.

Jun I, sushi

Jun I

For the sushi devotee: Jun I. Chef Junichi Ikematsu is a master of his craft. His cuisine elegantly walks the fine line between Japanese tradition and a more modern approach.

Four Seasons Hôtel Montréal - Marcus Restaurant

Marcus Restaurant + Terrace

For the celebrity chef spotters: Marcus Restaurant + Terrace. New York-based star chef Marcus Samuelsson’s stunning restaurant is conceived by Montréal designer extraordinaire Zebulon Perron, while the cuisine focuses on seafood and a raw bar offering.

Vin mon lapin

For an award winning experience: Small sharing plates featuring some of the finest local ingredients are the stars at much beloved neighbourhood restaurant Vin mon lapin (voted Best Restaurant in Canada in 2023). Wine enthusiast will be happy to dig into one of the best natural and biodynamic wine list in the city with rare bottles often finding their way here.

Restaurant Candide

For the admirers of regional cuisine: No one adheres to a more strict policy of only serving a regional-driven menu than Restaurant Candide. The reasonably priced, 4-course tasting menu is a joyous celebration of local ingredients (or those preserved at their peak). The impeccable service, exquisite wine list and elegant ambiance of this cozy establishment located in a former rectory all contribute to a memorable dining experience.

Hoogan et Beaufort

For lovers of open-fire cooking: Hoogan et Beaufort's soaring ceilings and light-filled dining room are centred around its open kitchen where the wood burning oven reigns supreme and where local ingredients are prepared with love.

Damas

For an enticing culinary voyage: Let Damas transport you into a world of alluring flavours and scents, where luscious dips, toothsome meats and exotic spices dance together in a thousand and one night-inspired décor.

Sushi by Scratch

Sushi by Scratch

For a luxurious and mysterious experience: Sushi by Scratch is a 10-seat, 17-course high-end omakase suhsi restaurant that operates in the manner of a speakeasy, making this extravagant experience unforgettable.

Restaurant Beba

Beba

For a unique cuisine: The intimate and cozy dining room at Beba is a pleasure to experience and so is the cuisine that combines Italian, Spanish and Argentinian influences with the chef-owner’s Jewish culinary heritage for an unparalleled dining experience.

Mastard

For the best neighbourhood restaurant: Mastard serves a daring and unique, locally sourced 5-course tasting menu inspired by the seasons. The plating is gorgeous and the service impeccable at this lovely neighbourhood restaurant.

Moishes, halibut crudo

Moishes

Moishes is a well-known restaurant in Montréal that has earned a reputation for serving aged meat. It is one of the only restaurants in town to offer USDA Prime beef. The restaurant boasts two distinct dining rooms, including an enclosed area, and features pewter ceiling tiles, offering a unique dining experience that is a must-visit in Montreal. Additionally, there is a bar area where you can enjoy a drink before or after your meal.

Mayssam Samaha

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.

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