Restaurants in Montréal
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Chez Nick
This perfect little diner has been smack in the middle of swish Westmount since 1920. Despite the trendy stores and galleries that have mushroomed around it, it has stayed unabashedly dated and square. The Montréal diner staples are all here from burgers and fries, smoked meat and desserts so high and rich they threaten to topple over. But it’s got something for everyone, including the foodies and fusion fanatics, and you’ll find health fare like brie and Granny Smith apple sandwiches with balsamic vinaigrette on black Russian bread. Lunchtime is rush time and lineups stretch out the door.
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Le Faubourg
The best food court in the city is here on the 3rd floor. Among the smorgasbord of international cuisines are German, Japanese and crepe stands. Keep your eye out for Cuisine Bangkok on the 3rd floor for quality Thai food better than in many restaurants. Also on the 3rd floor try the fabulous Taiwanese stall Bao Dao Taiwan as well as La Maison du Bédouin for refreshing Moroccan mint tea served in silver pots. The Parisian-style multilevel mall-cum-market also includes fruit vendors, a bakery, a bagel shop and a liquor store and is perfect for a meal or picnic goodies.
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Au Pied de Cochon
One of Montréal’s most respected restaurants (it’s so well known that there’s no sign) features extravagant pork, duck and steak dishes, along with its signature foie gras plates. Award-winning chef Martin Picard takes simple ingredients and transforms them into works of art. The famous and surprisingly magnificent canard en conserve (‘duck in a can’), for instance, is half a roasted duck magret served with foie gras, cabbage, bacon, venison and spices, sealed and cooked in a can – then opened tableside and dumped over celery root puree on toast. Dishes are rich and portions are large, so bring an appetite. Reservations essential.
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St-Viateur Bagel
Currently the bagel favorite of Montréal, St-Viateur Bagel has a reputation stretching across Canada and beyond for its perfectly crusty, chewy and slightly sweet creations – check out the newspaper articles from around the world.
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Robin des Bois
Montréal’s own Robin Hood, restaurateur Judy Servay donates all profits and tips from this St-Laurent hotspot to local charities. Ever-changing dishes scribbled on the chalkboard could include a succulent venison steak or a creamy wild mushroom risotto.
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Le Commensal
A requisite stop for vegetarian diners in Montréal, this handsomely rustic dining room stocks an impressive variety of high-quality vegetarian cuisine, including baked dishes (lasagna, casseroles, quesadillas), salads, fresh fruits and desserts, sold by weight.
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Milano Supermarket
This local food store has a mouthwatering selection of fresh pasta, antipasto and olive oil. The fun here is seeing the old-timers do the rounds. Stop, watch, listen, stalk (but do so politely) and buy what they buy. You’ll be on your way to an authentic Italian meal.
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Brûlerie St-Denis
This is coffee heaven: iced coffees, frappés, special blends like Café Dante (mocca espresso with whipped cream, cinnamon, chocolate and grated orange peel), made from beans fresh out of the big roaster. The front terrace is a great place to nurse a cup with a hot veggie sandwich or slice of cake.
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Le Bilboquet
A legendary institution in Montréal, Le Bilboquet whips up highly addictive homemade ice cream and refreshing sorbets. On warm summer nights (and even on chilly evenings), long lines snake out the door. Although there’s no seating inside, there are a couple of sidewalk tables, and some lovely little parks nearby.
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Pintxo
Tiny plates of tapas rule the day at this petite, artfully decorated Basque restaurant. Start off with poached octopus carpaccio or scallops with olive tapenade before moving onto heartier plates of duck breast risotto and lamb shank with couscous. It’s on a peaceful street in the Plateau and gets packed on weekend nights.
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Boustan
This friendly little Lebanese joint scores high in popularity on the city’s shwarma circuit. Its late hours make it a favorite with pub crawlers in need of sustenance between bars. Can’t-go-wrong picks include baba ghanoush, hummus, falafel, stuffed grape leaves with yogurt and tabbouleh salad with warm pita.
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Bombay Palace
One of the oldest Indian restaurants in town, now in new snazzy premises close to the Pepsi Forum. The midday buffet (around C$9 Monday to Thursday, around C$10 Friday to Sunday) is a good chance to try its excellent curries and tandoori specialties. Legions of fans include Bill and Hillary Clinton - check out the photos in the foyer.
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Chu Chai
A stylish but unpretentious restaurant of the mock-meat variety, Chu Chai cooks up an impressive variety of Thai dishes. In summer, grab a table on the terrace and choose from plump vegetable-and-mushroom dumplings, crispy seaweed and spiced red curries with vegetarian ‘duck, ’ ‘chicken’ or ‘beef.’
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La Panthère Verte
Green in every sense of the word, La Panthère Verte is a small casual vegetarian spot, where you can stop in for delicious falafel sandwiches, energy-charging juices and fresh salads that change daily (salad of quinoa, rocket and sweet potato was one recent option). Hanging plants, a zippy green paint job and curious colander lamps set the scene.
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Le Spirite Lounge
This eccentric restaurant with over-the-top decor (Christmas lights and tinfoil) is good fun, but requires a bit of preparation. There’s no menu, but the meal consists of soup, a hot crepe and cake. Eat every bite; if you don’t, the chef will angrily tell you ‘no cake for you!’, then deliver the bill and ask you to leave (no kidding!).
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L'Amère à Boire
This bilevel brewpub with 25-ft ceilings, two outdoor terraces and a rustic brick interior is often filled with toe-tapping students enjoying the Spanish and jazz beats and unusually good pub food. Patrons slurp freshly brewed pints of the house German- or Czech-style lagers over tapas and burgers (downstairs), or borscht, pirogies and goat's cheese salad (upstairs).
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McLean's Pub
If you're after great pub fare you can't go wrong at McLean's. It does an excellent line in chicken wings, Reuben sandwiches and burgers with a mountain of crispy fries. Dark wood, dim lights and high ceilings make it easy to lose track of time at this Irish pub. The beer list features beers like Keith's and Euro-brews like Stella and Leffe. There's live music some evenings.
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Milos
Rock stars, socialites and business leaders flock to this fashionable restaurant with Mediterranean stucco, big urns filled with dried flowers and refrigerated counters of mouthwatering fish and fruits. Dinner for two (eg range of Greek appetizers, grilled loup de mer (seabass), fried veggies with tzatziki and honey-laced milk yogurt) could set you back $150 with wine. Reservations are essential.
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Phó Bang New York
Near the gateway to Chinatown, Phó Bang New York has decor and service geared more toward Westerners who want to have their pho (noodle soups) in swisher digs. The food here is still good and regularly makes people’s ‘top’ lists, but it lacks the kind of manic energy that makes the other Vietnamese places on this drag so atmospheric. The pho here tends to be leaner than at other Chinatown spots.
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Marché Jean Talon
The gem of Little Italy, this kaleidoscopic market is perfect for assembling a gourmet picnic or partaking in a little afternoon grazing. A great stop is Marché des Saveurs, devoted entirely to Québec specialties such as wine and cider, fresh cheeses, smoked meats and preserves. The market sprawls south of Rue Jean-Talon between Blvd St-Laurent and Rue St-Denis.
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Le Taj
Proving that Montréal is more than just a bistro and brasserie kind of town, Le Taj throws down the gauntlet for some excellent Indian dishes. The time to go is at lunch, when downtowners line up for a succulent buffet featuring a bounty of rich flavors from the East – tandoori chicken, vegetable korma, palaak paneer and tender lamb, along with steaming piles of naan bread, custardlike desserts and many other temptations.
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Café Cherrier
Locals flock to the shady, wraparound terrace of this comfy café with the long marble serving counter that wouldn’t be out of place in Paris. This is an especially lively place after a performance at the nearby L’Agora de la Danse. A huge percentage of the audience usually swings by here for dinner or a drink, setting the whole place abuzz. Breakfast is popular as is classic French bistro fare like steak frites.
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L'Express
This place is so fantastically French, you'd half expect to see the Eiffel Tower out the window, especially after guzzling too much of the excellent wines. The food's classic Parisian bistro – think steak frites, bouillabaisse, tarragon chicken – and so is the attitude. Reservations essential.
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L’Avenue
This self-consciously hip restaurant is a magnet for the young, post-party brunch crowd. Over a dozen different types of omelets, plus all the classics – French toast, waffles, eggs Benedict – all arrive nicely prepared. Lunch and dinner, with middling veggie burgers and salads, are less of a draw. Electronic music plays overhead at all hours, and artwork and urban murals adorn the walls. The surreal multimedia-infused washroom is an experience in itself.
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Byblos
This Iranian café does such good food and is so charming, people who come here tend to make a day of it. The big windows and tables invite lingering and though there are wonderful main courses, most people end up grazing on the Iranian tapaslike dishes all day and into the evening. The feta omelet is by far the most popular followed by the eggplant or chickpea purees. It’s all served with pita bread perfect for dipping. The mint tea is the perfect way to finish it all off.
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