Best traditional Québécois cuisine in Montréal
Montréal has always been considered the crossroads of the old and new world, a place where tradition meets avant-garde in all aspects of culture, joie de vivre and, most importantly, food. Scattered around the city are a handful of restaurants that not only focus on local terroir cuisine, but offer a nod to the province’s culinary heritage…
La Binerie
Located in the Plateau Mont Royal neighbourhood sits a tiny diner that’s been serving up traditional Quebecois cuisine since 1938. La Binerie has a menu that hasn’t changed much in their 75 years of business, a menu that focuses on hearty traditional meals that stick to your ribs and would sustain any working man throughout the day. Their specialties include pâté chinois (a local version of shepherd’s pie), homemade creton (a spiced pork spread similar to rillettes) and the quintessential tourtière (a meat pie that is traditionally made with beef or veal during the holidays, though La Binerie serves it year round).
Au Pied de Cochon
Also in the Plateau is none other than the wildly popular – mainly due to the equally wild front man Martin Picard – Au Pied de Cochon. Specializing in foie gras, Chef Picard’s team celebrates this local export while featuring Quebec ingredients and tradition on their menu. Their hallmark is the foie gras poutine – a giant lobe of foie gras sitting atop fries cooked in duck fat, fresh cheese curds, drizzled with gravy and foie gras sauce – a light meal option to say the least. With locally sourced ingredients, the Potée du PDC, is a stew that combines porky goodness (belly, sausage and chop), homemade blood sausage and vegetables all cooked in a cast iron pot with a sauce of rendered duck and pork fat.
For a complete Québécois dining experience, Sucrerie de la Montagne (located 40 minutes west of Montreal) invites you to step back in time and experience what it was like to dine at a traditional sugar shack.
Jason Lee
Jason is a seasoned food writer and blogger with over 18 years of culinary adventures in Montréal. He’s a master at uncovering the city's hidden gems and transforming meals into captivating stories. Join him as he continues to explore and share Montréal’s vibrant food scene.