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Montréal has one of Canada's most cosmopolitan restaurant scenes with trendy new eateries popping up regularly, their menus heavily influenced by flavors from around the globe, and often with an added touch of French flair.
Montréal's top dining destinations are plentiful, especially as young chefs move to hip destinations in Mile End and the Plateau areas to open new restaurants. Downtown, convenient to many hotels, finds most of its restaurants clustered between rues Guy and Peel and on the side streets that run between boulevard René-Lévesque and rue Sherbrooke. Rue St-Denis and boulevard St-Laurent, between rues Sherbrooke and Jean Talon, have long been, and continue to be, convenient and fashionable areas, with everything from sandwich shops to high-price gourmet shrines. Old Montréal, too, has a collection of well-regarded restaurants, most of them clustered on rue St-Paul, avenue McGill, and place Jacques-Cartier.
You can usually order à la carte, but make sure to look for the table d'hôte, a two- to four-course package deal. It's often more economical, offers interesting specials, and may also take less time to prepare. For a splurge, consider a menu dégustation, a five- to seven-course tasting menu that generally includes soup, salad, fish, sherbet (to cleanse the palate), a meat dish, dessert, and coffee or tea. A menu dégustation for two, along with a good bottle of wine, will cost around C$250.
Most restaurants will have an English menu or, at the very least, a bilingual menu—but some might only be in French. If you don't understand what a dish is, don't be too shy to ask; a good server will be happy to explain. If you feel brave enough to order in French, remember that in Montréal an entrée is an appetizer, and what Americans call an entrée is a plat principal, or main dish.
Colorful and cozy, with dishes that are perfect for sharing, this Syrian restaurant is a treat. Try fatta (yogurt, tahini, pita, pistachios, pine nuts, and herbs), hummus with lamb, or the moujaddaraa (braised lentils with bulgur and caramelized onions, tomato salsa and yogurt mint sauce). Add a glass of Arak—a traditional, anise-flavored drink—or wine from their list of Mediterranean imports to bring it all together.
This casual Middle Eastern spot is comfortable and homey but still has style, with music, ivy, exposed-stone walls, and a lovely terrace come summer. The menu is perfect for grazing, and excellent sharing options include the mouhamara (pomegranate-and-walnut spread), sabanegh (spinach, coriander, and onion pies), fattouche (a salad with pita chips and mint), and yalandji (vine leaves stuffed with rice, chickpeas, walnuts, and tomatoes). There are Armenian dishes, too, like the salad with cumin and flefle (hot peppers). Delicious kebabs dominate the main courses, with the moderately spiced terbialy a favorite. Le Petit Alep also has an older sibling, Restaurant Alep, at 199 rue Jean-Talon Ouest.
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