40 editor picks in Montreal.
40 mid-range places in Montreal, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good restaurants in Montreal, with real cooking and no surprise on the bill. All Montreal food.
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.
OrderA medium-fat smoked meat sandwich with a pickle and a black cherry soda.
TipThe line moves fast at the communal tables; the takeout counter next door skips the wait entirely.
Dieu du Ciel is Montreal's best-loved brewpub, a cramped Laurier corner where flagship beers like Peche Mortel stout were first poured to a devoted crowd.
TipIt is small and gets packed; go early evening and start with the Peche Mortel imperial stout.
Schwartz's carves hand-sliced smoked meat to order on Saint-Laurent in Montreal, the counter-and-queue benchmark for the city's defining sandwich since 1928.
OrderSmoked meat sandwich
TipOrder it medium-fat off the takeout counter and eat it standing; the deli caraway rye is not optional.
L'Express is the Paris-style bistro on Saint-Denis, a Michelin-recommended classic feeding Montreal tartare, marrow and cornichons past midnight since 1980.
OrderThe steak tartare cut to order, with a jar of cornichons.
TipIt runs late daily; a solo seat at the zinc bar is the easiest table in the city.
Romados is a Portuguese rotisserie and bakery on Rue Rachel in Montreal, drawing daily lines for its charcoal piri-piri chicken and custard tarts.
OrderA charcoal chicken with spicy sauce, plus a pastel de nata for dessert.
TipOrder the chicken and a couple of natas together; the queue at noon is worth beating early.
Schwartz's keeps carving smoked meat until midnight on weekends in Montreal, a rare late-night chance to eat the city's signature sandwich at a real deli.
OrderSmoked meat sandwich
TipThe takeout counter is quicker than the dining room after 11; order medium-fat and eat it on the walk.
TipOrder muhammara, sujuk and the grilled meats; it takes no reservations, so arrive a touch early.
Olive et Gourmando doubles as one of Old Montreal's best casual brunches, its Rue Saint-Paul bakery-cafe plating tartines, the Cubano and pastries all day.
OrderThe Cubano sandwich or the ricotta and fig tartine.
TipThe lunch rush is long but quick; come before noon for tables and the full pastry case.
Hof Kelsten is Jeffrey Finkelstein's bakery on Saint-Laurent in Montreal, turning out challah, rye and babka plus a lunchtime smoked-meat sandwich.
TipCome for the challah on Friday and the babka any day; the counter also does a serious matzo-ball soup.
Olive et Gourmando is the beloved Old Montreal bakery-cafe from Dyan Solomon, packed daily for its Cubano, banana bread and pastries on Rue Saint-Paul.
TipThe queue at lunch is long but fast; order the Cubano sandwich and grab a chocolate brioche to go.
Romados is the Plateau rotisserie and bakery in Montreal whose charcoal chicken and custard tarts pull a lunchtime line out the door onto Rue Rachel.
OrderPortuguese charcoal chicken
TipOrder the chicken and a couple of pasteis de nata; cash keeps the fast-moving queue moving faster.
Le Petit Alep is the beloved Syrian-Armenian bistro by the Jean-Talon Market in Montreal, a Bib Gourmand pouring Lebanese wine over warm mezze.
OrderMuhammara, sujuk and the garlicky grilled meats.
TipThe casual Petit Alep next to formal Alep is the one you want; it takes no reservations.
La Banquise is Montreal's round-the-clock poutine institution on Rue Rachel, slinging more than thirty gravy-soaked variations to a 24-hour crowd.
OrderLa Taquise poutine with guacamole, or the classic with extra cheese curds.
TipWeekend nights bring a long post-bar line; go on a weekday afternoon for a seat straight away.
Ma Poule Mouillee is the tiny Plateau counter grilling charcoal Portuguese chicken over Rue Rachel, its piri-piri birds and francesinha drawing daily lines.
OrderA half charcoal chicken with piri-piri and a poutine topped with chicken.
TipSeating is minimal and cash speeds things up; get it to go and eat in nearby Parc Lafontaine.
La Banquise never closes, making it Montreal's default 3am stop for poutine, its Rue Rachel dining room filling with a post-bar crowd every weekend night.
OrderPoutine
TipThe line after last call is long but fast; go for the classic and split a wild variation with friends.
TipBook ahead or aim for an early weeknight; the fresh pasta of the night is the thing to order.
Romados serves a big plate of charcoal Portuguese chicken and fries for cheap on Rue Rachel in Montreal, one of the Plateau's best-value filling meals.
OrderPortuguese charcoal chicken
TipA half chicken with fries feeds one generously; the custard tarts are a cheap sweet finish.
Arthurs Nosh Bar is a sunny modern Jewish diner in Saint-Henri, Montreal, updating latkes, matzo-ball soup and challah French toast for a weekend brunch.
OrderLatkes with smoked salmon, or the challah French toast.
TipPut your name down and grab a coffee nearby; the wait on weekends is real but the latkes are worth it.
Guillaume is a modern Mile End bakery on Saint-Laurent in Montreal, prized for its sourdough loaves and a chocolate croissant many rank among the city's best.
TipBread sells out by afternoon; morning is best for the croissants and the seasonal fruit danishes.
Isle de Garde is a handsome Rosemont brasserie in Montreal brewing European-leaning beers, from saisons to cask ales, poured in a wood-lined Beaubien taproom.
TipAsk for the cask ale if it is on; the kitchen does proper snacks to go with the saisons.
La Banquise is Montreal's 24-hour poutine temple on Rue Rachel, ladling gravy and squeaky curds over fries in more than thirty over-the-top combinations.
OrderPoutine
TipThe classic proves the kitchen; add smoked meat or guacamole once you have tried it straight first.
Ma Poule Mouillee grills charcoal Portuguese chicken to order on Rue Rachel in Montreal, its piri-piri birds and chicken poutine drawing a permanent line.
OrderPortuguese charcoal chicken
TipGet a half chicken with hot piri-piri to go; the tiny room has almost nowhere to sit.
Larrys is the all-day Mile End cafe and wine bar from the Lawrence team, an easy Montreal spot for pastries by morning and small plates with wine by night.
OrderThe daily snacks off the chalkboard with a glass of something natural.
TipNo dinner reservations; come early evening or wait it out with a glass at the bar.
Elena is the Nora Gray team's sunny coffee, pizza and wine room in Saint-Henri, Montreal, spinning sourdough pizza and Italian small plates off Notre-Dame.
OrderA blistered sourdough pizza and a spritz.
TipDaytime is coffee and pastries; the pizza and wine crowd arrives after five.
Moccione is a tiny, charming Italian trattoria on Saint-Denis in Villeray, Montreal, hand-rolling pasta and pouring Italian wine in a snug neighbourhood room.
OrderThe cacio e pepe or whichever pasta is fresh that night.
TipIt seats barely thirty; book ahead or aim for an early weeknight table.
Kazu is the tiny, roaring Japanese counter on Sainte-Catherine in downtown Montreal, famous for its 48-hour pork, salmon bowls and long sidewalk queue.
OrderThe 48-hour pork and the salmon and tuna bowl.
TipExpect a line and cash-friendly bowls; go at opening or off-peak to skip the wait.
Chalet BBQ has roasted hardwood-charcoal chicken in NDG since 1944, an unchanged Montreal rotisserie whose quarter-chicken and gravy fries define the genre.
OrderA quarter chicken with fries and the house barbecue dipping sauce.
TipThe room looks frozen in the 1960s on purpose; dine in for the full retro rotisserie experience.
Nouilles de Lan Zhou hand-pulls its noodles to order in Montreal's Chinatown, the dough stretched at the window over bowls of cumin-spiced beef broth.
OrderHand-pulled beef noodle soup, watched being stretched at the counter.
TipAsk for your noodles thin or wide when you order; the beef soup is the one to get.
Tri Express is chef Tri Du's cramped, joyful sushi counter on Laurier Est in Montreal, a Plateau favourite for inventive maki eaten elbow to elbow.
OrderWhatever the chef sends out; the omakase-style specials beat the menu.
TipThe space is tiny and cash-friendly; go early or expect to wait for one of the few seats.
Yokato Yokabai is a lively Hakata-style ramen shop on Rue Drolet in Montreal's Plateau, simmering a rich tonkotsu broth many locals rate the city's best.
OrderThe classic tonkotsu ramen with extra chashu.
TipOrder the tonkotsu and add a flavoured egg; the counter fills fast at both lunch and dinner.
Le Mal Necessaire is a green-lit tiki cocktail bar hidden down a Chinatown staircase in Montreal, mixing rum drinks served in carved pineapples.
TipLook for the green pineapple sign off Saint-Laurent; the pineapple cocktail is the one to photograph.
Le Rouge Gorge is an easygoing wine bar on Avenue du Mont-Royal in Montreal, known for a fairly priced glass list and cheese boards in a warm Plateau room.
TipIt is one of the Plateau's better-value wine bars; the by-the-glass list is where to explore.
Le Mal Necessaire mixes rum tiki drinks down a green-lit Chinatown staircase in Montreal, a late-night hideout for pineapple cocktails and dim lighting.
OrderTiki cocktails and snacks
TipIt gets loud and full after midnight on weekends; the pineapple cocktail is the late-night signature.
TipLet the chef send out specials rather than ordering off the menu; the room seats barely a dozen.
TipWatch the noodles being stretched at the counter and order the cumin-spiced beef soup.
Nouilles de Lan Zhou fills a table for cheap in Montreal's Chinatown, its hand-pulled beef noodle soup one of the best-value hot bowls in the city.
OrderHand-pulled noodle soup
TipOne big beef soup and a plate of dumplings feeds two for the price of a downtown sandwich.
Ma Poule Mouillee delivers a big plate of charcoal Portuguese chicken and fries for cheap on Rue Rachel in Montreal, a filling Plateau meal on a small budget.
OrderPortuguese chicken
TipA half chicken feeds one generously; the chicken poutine is the indulgent-but-still-cheap upgrade.
Beautys has served its lox-and-bagel Special from a turquoise Plateau luncheonette in Montreal since 1942, a family-run brunch institution on Mont-Royal.
OrderThe Beautys Special: bagel, lox, cream cheese and onion.
TipWeekends bring a long sidewalk wait; go on a weekday morning to slide straight onto a counter stool.
Larrys runs an easy all-day brunch from its Mile End cafe in Montreal, the Lawrence team turning out pastries, eggs and a daily changing board.
OrderShakshuka or whatever egg dish is chalked up that morning.
TipMornings are calmer than the wine-bar evenings; the daily specials board is where the kitchen shows off.
Le Cartet is a bustling market-cafe and grocer in Old Montreal, packed at weekends for a generous brunch platter of eggs, charcuterie and pastries.
OrderThe big brunch platter with eggs, charcuterie and cheese.
TipWeekend brunch means a wait at the communal tables; the loaded brunch platter is built for sharing.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Discover the Mile End neighbourhood in Montreal on a guided foodie walking tour. Enjoy 7 food/drink tastings, and learn about the history of Mile End and its culturall...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Taste your way through Montreal’s Mile End on a guided tour featuring warm wood-fired bagels, classic poutine, street-style gnocchi, and a savory Mediterranean secret dish.
Guided tour · 3h 30m
Get a taste of Montreal's Jewish heritage on this culinary walking tour. Explore the Mile End and Plateau neighbourhoods & taste a wide range of local foods, including...