Montreal is a great city for food lovers. It does take some exploration, though, to find places you would visit more than once. While living in Montreal, I did as much as I could, but I did not get everywhere. I hope you enjoy trying these places as much as I did. And, please, when you find new restaurants you like, or have visited ones I have recommended, please leave your comments.

Top Picks

Les Remparts (93 Rue de la Commune Est)

Les Remparts is the best. It is very expensive, but here, you get what you pay for. This is one of my top five of all time fancy places to eat. It is classic French, and they excel at foie gras, duck, and, well, everything. The service is exceptional, the atmosphere comfortable and elegant, and the seating arrangement gives you enough privacy so you feel cared for, not crammed in. We got excellent wine recommendations from the sommelier as well. Another treat is that they offer an amuse bouche as well as a little sweet bite at the end of the meal. We went there twice and had equally perfect meals on both occasions.

Chez l’epicier (311 Rue St. Paul)

Chez l’epicier is more inventive, creative Quebecois cuisine–you may be surprised by what you get on your plate. Their presentations and preparations are unusual, but interesting and tasty, especially if you like to sample different things–their “thing” is to do three versions of a food per dish, so you’d get fois gras three ways, or lamb three ways. Kinda cool.

Le Jolifou (1840 Beaubien East)

“French bistro fusion” is what I would call it. Everything we had was excellent. A very charming restaurant. This one is a little less fancy than l’epicier and Remparts, and dinner for two was around $150 including wine. Unique, interesting cuisine and well-worth the visit. Atmosphere is simple, elegant, and nice, though some people were dressed in jeans while others were more dressy. Dinner is “table d’hote” so it includes your entree, plats principal, dessert, etc. You can “upgrade” a couple of the choices, and I’d recommend a splurge on the fois gras–it’s excellent! Dessert was the only slight disappointment, it just wasn’t quite as good as the rest. Jolifou is also in a charming neighborhood, and parking wasn’t too hard.

Holder (407 Rue McGill, 514-849-0333, near Victoria Square metro)

Holder is a great bistro in Old Montreal. Almost a Seattle feel, mixed with Paris, so definitely Montreal. Great atmosphere and great food–classic bistro fare like steak frites, also good seafood (I recently had the seared tuna, which was pretty good, though not as good as you’d find in Seattle). Lunch is also a good option here, they have great salads and an excellent French onion soup. The restaurant can get a little crowded and noisy in the evening, so don’t expect to be able to have deep conversation! One of our favorites in the neighborhood for local fare. Took my parents there, they loved it.

l’Anecdote (801 Rue Rachel East) or Maamm Bolduc (4351 Lorimer)

If you haven’t tried poutine –the Quebecois specialty of french fries with cheese curds and gravy– you should! And, you should try it at one of these places. Both are little neighborhood cafes/burger joints–some of the best burgers in town, actually, in our opinion. Both are kid-friendly as well. Check out this Montreal Poutine website if you’re curious about poutine.

Le Cartet (106 Rue McGill)

Go early or there will be a long wait. A really neat restaurant, inventive breakfasts all very good. Service can be lacking, but the rest makes up for it. They do french toast, croissants with goat cheese and ham (really, really good!), granola and eggs. You can order a la carte, but they have “breakfasts” that have a few of the items all combined for $15, including coffee and juice. A really good choice if you’d like to do an early brunch–I’d say go around 9.

Good Places in Old Montreal

Nagoya

On Rue Notre Dame next to the Cathedral in Old Montreal…..very good sushi and great miso soup and bulgogi. Tokyo, another place nearby that looks great, is overpriced and not as good (and the sushi are so large that you are hard-pressed to fit the entire bite in your mouth).

Stash Cafe

On Rue St. Paul…Polish food. Surprisingly good, given its popularity and location in the heart of touristy Montreal and the fact that it was on Rachel Ray’s “$40 A Day.”

Olive et Gourmando (351 St. Paul West)

Another Seattle/Paris blend place. This is an excellent cafe with great coffee and delicious pastry! It is unfortunate that the staff is miserably rude, the ordering system confusing, and it’s always crowded. It’s been written up in so many guides that it’s too popular for its own good.

The Charcuterie diagonally across the street from O&G has fantastic croissants, pretty good quiche, and to-die-for fois gras ($350/kilo). A simple dinner of pate and a baguette from here would is divine.

Pizzaiolle (600 rue d’ Youville)

This was one of our favorites in Montreal. The ol’ stand-by. Very casual, no reservation needed. The carbonara is excellent, in my opinion, but their other pasta selections are limited. People like their calzones, too. The green salad is very nice–simple, fresh lettuce with a delicious, light vinaigrette. There are a few locations around Montreal.

Ethnic Dining

Spanish: Casa Tapas (266 Rue Rachel East)

This is a fun, excellent place. Service is great, atmosphere is great, and food is great. Moderately pricey, but not too much so, and worth it. Typical tapas dishes. We really enjoyed it. Excellent garlic shrimp and garlic mushrooms (and I don’t normally like shrimp or mushrooms!).

Indian: Malhi (880 Rue Jarry West)

You will have to circle a little to find parking, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find a spot. Weeknights are much less crowded than weekends, especially since their write-up in Gourmet magazine’s special issue on Montreal several months ago. I would highly recommend their samosas. The goat curry is delicious, though sometimes full of bones. The saag is not my favorite, as the spinach is more pureed than I like, but others like it. The Chicken Tikka Masala is quite nice, and the eggplant is scrumptious. Chili Chicken is also quite tasty. Delicious, fresh spices, and heat –all in the right combination.

Salvadorian: El Amigo

If you like or have never had pupusas, this is a good, family-oriented hole-in-the-wall. In case you haven’t had them, are thick tortillas, filled with beans, cheese, pork, etc. (your choice), and fried. You top them with a slaw and red sauce (mildly spicy). Their Mexican stuff is pretty good, too. We liked the chimichanga–it was unlike what you would find at an American Mexican place. Very cheap.