Otto Yakitori is a japanese restaurant in Downtown, Montreal.
Otto Yakitori is a late-night izakaya near downtown Montreal, grilling charcoal skewers and pouring sake and highballs until one in the morning.
Editorially verified July 1, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: A run of charcoal yakitori skewers with a highball.
Tip: It runs late for the neighbourhood; go after ten for skewers and drinks when other kitchens have closed.
Address: 1441 Rue Saint-Mathieu, Montreal, QC H3H 2M4
Jatoba is a slick pan-Asian room off Square Phillips in downtown Montreal, plating robata skewers, sushi and Korean-leaning share plates in a buzzy room.
Order: A spread of robata skewers and the sushi of the day.
Tip: It fills with a downtown after-work crowd; the robata grill and share plates are built for a group.
Ryu is a polished downtown sushi bar on Rue Peel in Montreal, turning out creative maki and sashimi, a reliable mid-range Japanese pick downtown.
Order: The signature rolls and a mixed sashimi plate.
Tip: The Peel location is central and busy at lunch; the creative maki are the strength over the nigiri.
Jatoba is a slick pan-Asian room off Square Phillips in downtown Montreal, plating robata skewers, sushi and Korean-leaning share plates in a buzzy room.
Order: A spread of robata skewers and the sushi of the day.
Tip: It fills with a downtown after-work crowd; the robata grill and share plates are built for a group.
Grinder is a lively Griffintown steakhouse and wine bar in Montreal, plating aged cuts, tartare and seafood towers with an ambitious cellar on Rue Notre-Dame.
Order: A shared cote de boeuf or the beef tartare to start.
Tip: It leans loud and celebratory; the shareable big cuts and the wine list are the reason to come.
Ryu is a polished downtown sushi bar on Rue Peel in Montreal, turning out creative maki and sashimi, a reliable mid-range Japanese pick downtown.
Order: The signature rolls and a mixed sashimi plate.
Tip: The Peel location is central and busy at lunch; the creative maki are the strength over the nigiri.
Nouveau Palais is a retro Mile-Ex diner in Montreal, a 1960s luncheonette reborn as a chef-driven room where comfort classics and burgers run late.
Order: The burger or the fried chicken, with a slice of pie.
Tip: It keeps a genuine diner counter and runs late on weekends; the burger and a milkshake never miss.
Schwartz's has hand-sliced Montreal smoked meat on Saint-Laurent since 1928, the city's most famous deli and a permanent queue on the Plateau.
Order: A medium-fat smoked meat sandwich with a pickle and a black cherry soda.
Tip: The line moves fast at the communal tables; the takeout counter next door skips the wait entirely.
Wilensky's is a nine-stool Mile End counter open since 1932, serving the fried bologna-and-salami Special exactly as it did in Mordecai Richler's novels.
Order: The Wilensky Special with mustard, no substitutions allowed.
Tip: They never cut the sandwich and never hold the mustard; order it their way or not at all.
