Travel
10 Restaurants and Cafés To Check Out in Montréal
No matter what you're craving, there's no shortage of restaurants in Montreal.
by : Catherine Maisonneuve- Jan 20th, 2023
Instagram: Café Parvis (@cafe_parvis), Instagram Stella Pizzeria (@stellapizzeria)
Arthurs
This small, family-run Jewish restaurant, open only during the day from Sunday to Monday, is, if you will, the modern and renewed version of the famous Beauty’s breakfast restaurant on Mount Royal Avenue. The Arthurs offers a retro chic and funky decor, a rock & roll atmosphere and dishes each more delicious than the last (ricotta pancakes, schnitzel sandwich, challal French toast…). The hardest part is finding a table.
FYI: A second address – which serves lunch all day – has just opened in Cathcart, and reservations are accepted.
Sumac
An absolute classic in the Saint-Henri neighborhood and an address that needs no introduction in the Montreal foodie community. Sumac offers a simple, yet perfect formula: a warm space, unpretentious decor and a short menu of Middle Eastern cuisine. We love the chicken shawarma dish that comes with a choice of two salads (all delicious), homemade hummus (the best in Montreal) and a pita. While you’re there, why not try their decadent caramel brownie? At $17 a plate (which can almost feed two people) the question of whether you should go is an easy decision.
Café Parvis
This elegant restaurant, whose impressive industrial decor is filled with hanging green plants is an address that we love at all times, whether in the morning for an excellent coffee and homemade pastries, at lunch for a salad and a delicious slice of pizza, or at night when the place turns into a trendy spot. In the summer, the terrace allows us to eat outside, but the interior decor is so pretty that we hesitate every time.
September Surf
The surfboard store converted into a café-counter, September Surf, is always busy. So much so that the owners have acquired the space next door to offer its drinks and gourmet food from morning to night. Our favorite address remains the original September, which is open every day. We love the atmosphere, which transports us to the cool Williamsburg neighborhood of New York, the menu that offers both healthy options (sweet and savory bowls) and gourmet options (sweet and savory pancakes, gourmet sandwiches) and one of the best coffees in town.
Stella Pizzeria
Stella, a pretty pizzeria in the Plateau-Mont-Royal neighborhood, is a favorite among residents of the Petit-Laurier area for its wood-fired pizzas, friendly, personalized service and family atmosphere. Recently, a second location opened in Rosemont, right next door to the original. We love the simplicity and quality of its dishes (the kale salad, the meatballs, the Laurier pizza) the more than reasonable prices and the warm decor that makes us want to go back every time.
McKiernan
This beautiful restaurant, with its impressive decor – set in an unlikely location in the middle of nowhere – is absolutely worth a visit. First because it’s the love child of Derek Dammann, behind the excellent Maison Publique, but also because the menu is both copious and delicious. Open for lunch and dinner, it serves mainly fried chicken in croquettes or as a dish, decadent sandwiches, salads, comforting pasta dishes and even: exquisite cakes and cookies.
Café Constance
There is absolutely nothing boring about this new restaurant! First, the decor is designed by the incredible Zébulon Perron. Next, the café offers a colorful daytime menu filled with creative salads, gourmet sandwiches, daily specials, pastries, coffees, cocktails and other dishes perfect for a business lunch or a pre-show dinner. Definitely our new favorite address in the Quartier des Spectacles!
Tousignant
The successful team behind the excellent Impasto and Gema’s Pizzeria, chefs Michele Forgione and Stefano Faito, had the brilliant idea to open a gourmet snack bar a few years ago! Tousignant is our first stop when we want a good hamburger made to perfection, a hot dog with sausage grilled on the fire, home fries and other classic delicacies of the traditional snack bar, but in a gourmet version and made with quality ingredients. We love it!
Escondite
Escondite is a Mexican restaurant that offers a lively atmosphere, just the right amount of eclectic decor, friendly service and also a wide selection of delicious tacos. The place is always full and lively and offers single tacos, ranging from vegetarian options to beef tongue to the classic shrimp or fish, as well as a few traditional dishes. There is something for everyone and everything is good, even the dessert, the classic churros that you must order.
Elena
One of our favorite Montreal pizzerias, Elena is an address we love to revisit, no matter the season. In the summer, the back patio and alley picnic tables welcome us, while in the winter we love the modern mid-century decor, the dim lighting, the lively atmosphere and the menu that offers excellent pizza, pastas and salad options, wines by the glass – including a wide selection of natural and private imports – all in all simplicity, but never skimping on quality.
This article was translated from ELLE Quebec.
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