16 Best Restaurants in Montreal, Quebec

Québec is notorious for poutine—French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy—and La Banquise has been the place for an authentic experience since 1968 with an extensive menu featuring 31 varieties. Neophytes might want to stick with La Classique, but mouthwatering novelties like La Taquise (guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes), L'Obélix (smoked meat), La Veggie Reggie (pickles, tomatoes, creamy coleslaw, and Banquise sauce), and La Véganomane (vegan sauce and cheese) are quite alluring. On the odd sunny day, have your poutine to go and enjoy it alfresco in nearby Parc Lafontaine.

There are lines outside this hip and trendy establishment before the restaurant even opens. The chef's British background means that the homemade scones and clotted cream here are required eating. Other options include, of course, a typical English breakfast, as well as gourmet doughnuts and pig's trotters for the more adventurous eaters. The dinner menu, on the other hand, changes regularly. If the aged pork sirloin with seasonal sides or the arctic char and sea urchin are available for dinner, you're in luck.

You'll want to keep coming back again and again to this adorable little gourmet convenience store and café with its mint-green facade and single origin coffee. Le Petit Dep proudly stocks local products, including prêt-à-manger soups, salads, and comfort foods such as chili, pasta, and vegan shepherd's pie. There are also mouthwatering home-baked goods and candy in bulk. There is a second Old Montréal location at 461 rue St-Sulpice.

Frequently named one of Montréal's best restaurants and Canada's third best by canadas100best.com, a meal at Toqué! is not so much about sustenance but rather experience. Toqué is slang for "a little stubborn," as in the chef's insistence on using fresh, local ingredients; consequently, the menu changes daily in accordance with market offerings but foie gras, duck, and wild venison are on constant rotation. Some patrons wouldn't consider ordering anything but the seven-course, C$182 dinner tasting menu.

With its cavernous corner spot on Outremont's trendy avenue Bernard, sophisticated yet playful décor, and artfully prepared comfort food, this brasserie is always a good bet for quality food and excellent people-watching. The menu at Les Enfants Terribles is a mix of high end cuisine and comfort food favorites, from salmon tartare, grilled oyster mushroom salad, to spaghetti Bolognese, fish-and-chips, and mac ’n’ cheese. The kitchen stays open to serve after-theater customers on show nights at nearby Théâtre Outremont. There is a second location on the rooftop of the Place Ville Marie, downtown.

Despite the name—French for "Hunting and Fishing Club"—this isn't a hangout for the local gun-and-rod set. Impeccable service and top-notch ingredients have made this one of the best restaurants in the city; the name is simply referencing the wood-and-leather decor. The menu changes often, but hearty meat dishes like American wagyu and freshly caught fish are consistently delicious. Leave room for dessert, which is prepared by one of the most renowned pastry chefs in town.

Blink and you'll miss it. While the address is written on the building's facade, the restaurant's nondescript exterior and lack of a sign mean you may be searching for a while. Popular options at this atmospheric see-and-be-seen locale, steered by local celebrity chef Chuck Hughes, include bountiful platters of seafood, squash agnolotti with poached lobster and lobster bisque, and hanger steak with pommes Anna and wild cauliflower mushroom. The bar, where flirting is in high gear, is a fun option for dining and hanging out. The kitchen closes at 10 pm, after which the party rages until 3 am. Minors are not permitted on the premises. Although there are a few vegetable-centric appetizers on offer, fish and meat feature prominently on the menu, so vegetarians should probably head elsewhere.

As the name suggests, the focus of this restaurant is ham in all its many incarnations. The menu changes seasonally but charcuteries and marinated vegetables imported from Europe are ever-present. The dining room is modern and spacious, with huge windows and long communal tables that stimulate conversations. And diners of all sorts do convene here, from trendsetters to suit-and-tie corporates along with flip-flop-clad tourists.

Few places in Montréal are more Québécois than this lively microbrewery/gastropub, where the atmosphere is electrifying on hockey night if the local team, the Canadiens, is playing. With its own set of brews named after iconic Mile End streets and a terroir-inspired, locally sourced menu, HELM (which stands for barley, water, yeast, and malt in French) is in and of itself a vibrant homage to the city’s dynamic beer culture. Between the bitters and the IPAs and the cream ales, there’s hardly any room left for the microbrewery’s legendary deer and fried pickles hamburger or Schnitzel pork meatballs.

The cocktail menu originally put this hip bistro on the map, drawing crowds for creative martinis (think cucumber and basil), and now the food holds its own. The house specialty is tartares—the menu lists four variations of marinated raw fish—and heaps of grilled meat, fish, or tempeh served on wooden chopping blocks. Young partiers are attracted to the cafeteria-style tables, where they mingle over ginger-beer cocktails, soups, salads, and tapas.

This low-key destination is the perfect spot for an intimate yet elevated meal, where diners can safely anticipate irreproachable dishes (including the $125, five-course tasting menu with wine pairing) and a finely curated wine list. The decor is grandiose and includes a very large mural taking up one long wall, a vintage tin ceiling, and floor-to-ceiling doors and windows. The creative market-based menu changes frequently and focuses on the use of local products. Staples include suckling pig, arctic char, and chanterelle mushrooms with kale and bleu d’Élizabeth cheese.

Local celebrity chef Derek Dammann teamed up with famed British chef Jamie Oliver to open this pub-style restaurant that perfectly blends Canadian and British traditions. The interior is dark and cozy; the handwritten menu changes frequently based on what's in season. Expect dishes like salmon gravlax, Welsh rarebit, oven-baked oysters, foie gras parfait, or cold roast with dandelion.

For fine dining in Old Montréal, head to this chic, contemporary restaurant serving expertly presented Canadian fare, from oysters to PEI côte de boeuf. A chic, illuminated bar showcases the wine collection, with 400 selections including some Québécois bottles.

Hipsters head to this laid-back ’70s diner for one thing: delicious, classic greasy spoon dishes with a modern twist (a close second is the décor; think wood paneling and vinyl seats). The Palace Hamburger (Palais Burger) is gaining a reputation among Montrealers as one of the best in the city, and the sweet-potato pie also has fans.

Don't be fooled by the name: Pastaga is not a pasta joint; the name is a slang term for alcoholic drinks composed of anise, specifically pastis. Although famous for its signature dish of crispy pork belly marinated in brown sugar (or maple when in season) and inventive chopped liver à la juive (creamy chopped liver, hard-boiled egg, crunchy bagel chips, and tart-marinated onions), Pastaga is best known for its all-natural wine list, which is certain to yield uncommon finds. If you want to watch the chefs at work, ask for a seat at the chef's table inside the large kitchen.

Housed inside a stately former bank topped by a clock tower, this well-worth-the-trek restaurant uses the bank's old vault as a walk-in cellar, while the dining room features stone walls and elegant leather chairs. Main dishes are hard to predict because of the product-driven cuisine, but regularly features local and seasonal ingredients such as snow crab, Québec halibut, asparagus, and fiddleheads—but one thing that indeed does not change is the dedication and resourcefulness of the chef. The brunch menu is surprisingly creative and includes house-made beignets, jams, and spreads, and a riff on the classic pancakes, with theirs being made with apples, homemade yogurt, and maple syrup.