Restaurants in Québec
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Jardin de Jade
The chaotic, free-for-all Jardin de Jade buffet should be a must on your list if only to see it in action. Vegetarian, sushi, dumplings, fish, ribs, desserts and even pizza. To see it in its full elbow-bumping glory, try weekdays when locals, business people and students battle it out over the stir-fry. One of the town’s best deals. Prices vary depending on day and time.
reviewed
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Moishe’s
Moishe’s feels a bit like a social club, although guests from all backgrounds come to consume its legendary grilled meats and seafood. Closely set tables and old-fashioned hardwood paneling set the backdrop to the feasting. Skip the appetizers and launch straight into a gargantuan rib steak served with tasty fries or a Monte Carlo potato. Reservations are essential.
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Ferreira Café
This warm and inviting restaurant serves some of Montréal’s best Portuguese fare. The cataplana (bouillabaisse-style seafood stew) is magnificent, tender morsels of grilled fish comes to the table cooked to perfection, while meat lovers can feast on rack of lamb or spice-rubbed Angus rib-eye steak. There’s an extensive wine list and a lively atmosphere.
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Mango Bay
Situated in a converted Victorian house with pretty stained-glass windows, Mango Bay serves up authentic chicken jerky or stew, curried goat or island chicken fajitas with a terrific side order of plantain. Watch out for the incendiary hot sauces, and be sure to save room for a slice of the signature mango cheesecake or rum cake. There’s live Jamaican music from time to time.
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Gandhi
Gandhi has a core of loyal fans who come here for classics like tandoori chicken as well as the extensive curry menu with adventurous fare like malaya, a curry of pineapple, lychees and cream. Appetizers like pakoras or vegetable samosas are finely spiced, and faves such as tandoori duck, butter chicken and lamb korahi also go down nicely. Reservations are recommended.
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Le Poisson Rouge
This seafood specialist with the cozy front terrace is renowned among market vendors for picking the best, freshest cuts. The pan-seared red tuna is juicy as can be with Cajun spices, but the ray braised in butter will also take your fancy. The five-course table d’hôte ($37) is a good value. There are two sittings on Friday and Saturday, at 6pm and 9pm. Bring your own wine.
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Joe Beef
In the heart of the Little Burgundy neighborhood, Joe Beef is the current darling of food critics for its unfussy, market-fresh fare. The rustic, country-kitsch setting is a great spot to linger over fresh oysters, tender Wagyu beef, fresh fish and a changing selection of hearty Québécois dishes – all served with a dollop of good humor and a welcome lack of pretension.
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Usine de Spaghetti Parisienne
Near the circuslike Pl Jacques-Cartier, this restaurant attracts loads of tourists who come for satisfying standard dishes like fettuccini with baby clams and grilled filet mignon. Although the crowds can be a bit much, the setting is congenial (stone walls and wood details, with an open hearth) and the price-to-quality ratio is decent. Mains include all the bread and salad you can eat.
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Times Café
Another terrific 'non-stuffy' addition to the upper town. This eatery serves Mediterranean food in a beautifully designed space with fire-engine red tables, black and white zebra-stripped chairs and moody blue lighting. Staff are remarkably friendly given the trendy atmosphere. Pizzas and sandwiches run from around C$10-14 while the veal or seafood dishes can go anywhere from C$18-C$30.
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Juliette et Chocolat
When the urge to devour something chocolaty arrives, make straight for Juliette et Chocolat, a bustling little café where chocolate is served in every shape and form –drizzled over crepes, blended into creamy milkshakes and coffees, or straight up in a blood-sugar-boosting chocolate ‘shot.’ The setting is charming but small and busy. For less hustle and bustle, visit the Laurier location.
reviewed
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Chez Cora
With locations across Canada, Chez Cora is the trusted breakfast standard. Like all others, the Mont-Royal outpost has cheerful decor and generous portions. To start the day with a bang, try ‘Récolte 90,‘ featuring French toast with raisins served with bacon, an egg and an avalanche of fruit. There are several other branches around town including one in The Village.
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The Village
With locations across Canada, Chez Cora is the trusted breakfast standard. Like all others, the Mont-Royal outpost has cheerful decor and generous portions. To start the day with a bang, try ‘Récolte 90 , ’ featuring French toast with raisins served with bacon, an egg and an avalanche of fruit. There are several other branches around town including one in The Village.
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Chez Queux
Housed in an historic warehouse from 1862, with stone walls, polished paneling and Third Empire furnishings, this gem offers the epitome of old-fashioned French cuisine. Settle into a thronelike chair, order the delicious chateaubriand and prepare for a pampering. The little-known rear terrace overlooking the Old Port is a lovely dining spot in summer. The wine list features 300-plus varieties.
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Soñar
Done up with a bit of glitz and a bit of slick, this fantastic tapas bar is perfect for light suppers or evening-long grazing. There's a sidewalk terrace out front if it's warm. Skip the main dishes, the reason to come here is the artfully served tapas. There's a huge range from Portobello mushrooms stuffed with feta and dates to fried calamari and tortillas. The ambience is nightclub minimalism.
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Aux Vieux Canons
Set with a spacious front terrace on restaurant-lined Grande Allée, this place serves fairly mainstream bistro fare – roast chicken, spaghetti bolognaise, steak au poivre (pepper steak), grilled meats, French onion soup. The draw, however, is the beer; it’s poured in yard-long glasses and served with a wooden brace. A fine place to refresh after a day exploring the city.
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Nuances
Just past the roulette tables and slot machines inside the Casino de Montréal, lies one of the town's classiest restaurants. One highlight is the roasted pigeon, succulent with crispy skin, served with gratinéed potatoes and a stew of giblets and chanterelles, all bathed in a delectable sauce of veal and chicken stock. Reservations and business attire are essential for both men and women.
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Les Chenêts
Magnificent French food is served here by chef and owner Michel Gillet in an intimate, ornate dining room. Gillet is also owner of the world’s largest cognac collection (830 different labels). The menu is written out on the chalkboard with classics like herring appetizers and mains like steak frites (steak and French fries). For dessert try the highly addictive chocolate profiteroles.
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Chez Lévêque
This classic bistro attracts the beautiful people of Mile End and Outremont to chat about fashion, movies and business under irreverent religious art. Paris-born owner Pierre Lévêque presents a superb choice of traditional French cuisine with grilled meats (rack of lamb or caribou) and fresh seafood (red snapper, Atlantic salmon or bouillabaisse). Many of the fine wines are sold by the glass.
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Newtown
A showy design palace for the Grand Prix circuit, owned by star driver Jacques Villeneuve ('Newtown' refers to his surname). The grilled seafood and Grand Marnier crêpes are good but the main draw of this place is the clientèle - beautiful people souped up for a night out. There's a terrace on top with spectacular views of the city and the commotion on rue Crescent at night. Reservations are essential.
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Magnan
Founded in the 1930s as a blue-collar diner, Taverne Magnan has long since raised meat and potatoes to an art form. Its reputation is fantastic roast beef – long-marinating, speckled with peppercorns and served in its own juice. This is the place to refuel after a day’s cycling along the Canal de Lachine (just around the corner). There’s open-air seating (next to a parking lot) in back.
reviewed
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Restaurant Rapido du Plateau
If you're partying late on the Plateau you will probably end up here at least once. Is the food good? Impossible to say. By the time people end up here, that's kind of a moot point and they aren't really in the condition to recall what they ate anyway. Whatever. Good or bad, most Montrealers have fond memories of watching the sun come up while tucking into a hamburger steak here at some point in their youth.
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Le Cagibi Café
Music-loving bohemians and Plateau eccentrics hold court at this plant- and antique-filled vegetarian restaurant by day, bar by night. The menu features tasty soups, salads, baked goods and Tex-Mex (burritos, chili, empanadas), all served on kitsch, lovingly mismatched crockery. There’s a good entertainment lineup by night: DJs, live bands, film screenings, book readings, slide shows and other eclectic fare.
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Da Enrico
A well-loved local trattoria, Da Enrico has a loyal following who come for freshly made pizzas and pastas, followed by tiramisu and good cappuccino. It’s a small, unpretentious BYOB place, set with red-and-white checked tablecloths and old photos, where families, old-timers and the odd Plateau couple fill the air with chatter. While the menu offers no surprises, it’s decent quality for the price.
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Le Saint-Amour
One of the top-end darlings of the capital, Le Saint-Amour has earned a loyal following over the years for its beautifully prepared grills and seafood. Perhaps more impressive than the food is the excellent wine selection, with over 10,000 bottles in the cellar. The setting is warm and inviting beneath the glass-domed ceiling trimmed with hanging plants. The service, however, doesn’t always come through.
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Saffron
A vibrant mural of Persian ruins and bright blue sky dominates the dining room of this charming eatery, one of the newer Persian restaurants on the scene. The ash reshteh, a soup with pinto beans, veggies, garlic and mint is delicious. The most popular dinner choice is the hunters' platter for two with three types of brochettes, salad and rice. There's a lunch special for around C$7 and a take-out menu.
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