The 38 Best Restaurants in Montreal, According to a Local Expert
With its offbeat blend of poutine, pikliz, natural wine, and piri-piri, Montreal is a food city hors pair. You’ll find Italian, Jewish, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Haitian, and, of course, meaty French-leaning restaurants side by side. Add to that our public markets, rooftop greenhouses, urban farms (Montreal is a world capital of urban agriculture), and a surplus […]
With its offbeat blend of poutine, pikliz, natural wine, and piri-piri, Montreal is a food city hors pair. You’ll find Italian, Jewish, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Haitian, and, of course, meaty French-leaning restaurants side by side. Add to that our public markets, rooftop greenhouses, urban farms (Montreal is a world capital of urban agriculture), and a surplus of homegrown cooking talent and vibrant immigrant communities. Foodways coalesce, traditions get upheld and upended, and imported techniques are tailored to local flora and fauna. No single influence governs Montreal’s distinct, ever-evolving culinary terrain, and that’s what makes eating here so special.
I’ve been curating this map for the past five years. Spanning cuisines, neighborhoods, and price points, it’s a shortlist of must-try spots, reflecting some of the newer openings driving conversation, the trends playing out across dining tables, and generational icons that complete the city. It also serves as a primer on local food-speak; lesson one: If you order an “entrée,” you’re getting a starter.
We update this list quarterly to make sure it reflects the ever-changing Montreal dining scene. Our write-ups include insider tips from our experienced writers and editors, as well as a rough range of pricing for each destination — from $ for quick, inexpensive meals with dishes largely under $10 USD (or the equivalent in Canadian dollars), to $$$$ for places where mains exceed $30.
New to the map in October 2025: Trinidadian street food slinger TNT Palace; talk-of-the-town Italian restaurant Pasta Pooks; social enterprise Les Filles Fattoush, serving Syrian flavors in Jean-Talon Market; and Pointe-Saint-Charles institution Paul Patate, a beloved casse-croûte with a signature spruce beer.
Valerie Silva is a Montreal writer and editor. From 2020 to 2022, she ran Eater’s Montreal site and remains a regular contributor for the publication. Her work has appeared in Bon Appétit, Air Canada’s enRoute, ELLE Canada, Maisonneuve Magazine, and elsewhere, spanning everything from the belugas and beer of the Saguenay Fjord to Hochelaga-Maisonneuve’s clown culture and the history and high notes of poutine in Montreal. Otherwise, you can find her developing concepts and stories for multimedia studio Moment Factory.
