My series on visiting Montreal ends on a high note: Montreal restaurants!
I’ll be honest: the thing I was most looking forward to about visiting Montreal – outside of my friends, of course! – was the food. Living in a small town has meant that I crave great restaurants even more when I travel.
I had the advantage of traveling with a local, so Elyse was my own personal tour guide on her favorite restaurants in Montreal! Like all good local recommendations, they’re located all over the city and not just near the tourist destinations, but they’re all wonderful and worth checking out.
Meals
Nini Meatball House
Self explanatory, right? Not all meat-based, but I’ll give them that they were trying to avoid a few snickers by including “meat” in the name. Jokes aside, Nini Meatball House was great. This is the type of place that perfect for a group to order tapas-style: everybody pick a few and share! Everything was good, but the winners had to be more nontraditional ones. My favorite was the sweet potato, and the fried goat cheese was the most popular at our table. Make sure to get the polenta as a side dish.
Don’t miss the names (and occasional titles) on the backs of the chairs! A cute and hilarious touch.
Pizzeria Geppetto
We went to Pizzeria Geppetto on a whim – the weather was lovely and we wanted to sit outside. The restaurant has both cafe tables and massive benches, perfect for enjoying the evening! Everything on the menu looked good! We split the Mediterranean pizza and seafood linguine. It was one of those perfect meals: simple ingredients prepared well.
It’s on the same street as Liverpool House, which Elyse pointed out because it’s where Obama and Trudeau most recently met. I’ve heard great things about the food, but you’re not getting in without a reservation, so we didn’t check it out this time.
Boris Bistro
After our day exploring Old Port, we wanted to get a nice dinner! We headed to Boris Bistro for a fancy meal. They have a shaded terrace nearly as big as the restaurant itself, hidden behind a building facade. It was the kind of space that was perfect for a warm summer evening to linger over dinner.
We drooled over the menu for a long time before deciding. It has the kind of menu that each option sounds more delicious and rich than the last. I went with risotto and it was warm and filling, exactly what you hope for in a risotto. We decided to go full French and have a cheese course for dessert, which was 100% the right decision.
Foiegwa
Every great girls’ trip needs brunch, right? We took ourselves over the Foiegwa for a slow morning of breakfast and mimosas. It’s a cute retro diner space, but replace the soggy pancakes with fine dining brunch. I went for brioche french toast because brioche french toast, but they’re also known for their chicken and waffles. We all shared bites, because how else are you doing to brunch right?
One thought: if you head here on a weekend, be there when it opens. It’s a small place and fills up FAST. We arrived ten minutes early and were the first ones in, but within 15 minutes there was a line out the door.
Drinks
Siboire
I lead off with this one because it was my favorite! Living in small town Oklahoma means we don’t get much craft beer, and I miss it. So after our walk up Mount Royal, we headed over to Siboire for post-walk lunch and beer!
The microbrewery started in Sherbrooke, the town she went to med school in, so she was thrilled when they opened a Montreal location a few months earlier! Their variety was wide enough that I opted for the flight and wasn’t disappointed. I think my favorite was Trip D’Automne, the Belgian Tripel.
Beyond the beer, the food was great. I opted for fish and chips to go with the beer, and it was more than I could eat! We all nibbled off the poutine as well – cheese curds aren’t my favorite, but I really liked the gravy, so it’s worth trying.
La Distillerie
This unassuming bar is known for it’s unusual cocktails in giant mason jars. It’s got a hole-in-the-wall vibe but in that way that appeals to the trendy crowd. We went for happy hour because it gets packed in the evenings. I tried the Mohawk and loved it, but my favorite of the bunch had to be the Chupa Chupa. All the more surprising because it was whiskey based, but the mango made it incredible! Jordana did the smarter thing and opted for two smaller ones, the better to explore the menu.
La Distillerie felt like a great place to hang out – they give goldfish with your drinks, have board games available, and bringing your own food is encouraged. It’s not far from Chinatown, but it worth stopping by even if it’s a little out of your way!
Terrasse St-Ambroise
With as picturesque an area as the canal, it’s no surprise that bars and breweries pop up along the shore! The St Abroise terrace is the biggest one and perfect for an afternoon catching up with friends or an after work happy hour. We caught the beginning of their pumpkin beer, and I had a great grapefruit IPA that was refreshing without being too hoppy. Plus, its entrance is right off the canal trail, so we walked home in the sunset!
Bonus: dessert
Havre aux Glaces
If you make your way to Atwater Market and the canal, make sure and get some ice cream here! Havre aux Glaces flavors simple and delicious, with different options every day. What more can you ask for on a warm day? There’s plenty of picnic tables to enjoy a lunch put together from the shops at the market and finish with a scoop of pistachio.
Cacao 70
On my last night in town, Elyse and I had a fantastic dinner. Since I had an early flight we didn’t want to go out and about, but we both are dessert lovers to the core and knew we needed a sweet treat to end the night. Suddenly she laughs and announces she knows what we need. Enter: dessert pizza from Cacao 70.
As the name suggests, the pizza has a chocolate sauce and customizable toppings. I let the expert order for us, and we had one with strawberry, banana and marshmallow and drizzled with more chocolate. It was a thing of beauty, and we dug in while watching HGTV. It felt oddly reminiscent of our study abroad days, except with real pizza and weird Australian TV instead. The pizza was so rich that we only ordered a half, and that was probably more than enough for two people.
Even writing this is making me crave all this deliciousness again! Montreal restaurants are fantastic and If you’re planning a trip to Montreal, you should also check out the Lachine Canal, Mount Royal, and the Old Port area!
Opinions are my own & I didn’t receive compensation for my writing. The links above contain affiliate links, which means I get a few cents (at no extra cost to you) if you book or buy something via that link. This helps me keep costs down & posts up! All images copyright Teaspoon of Nose.
Some great places to eat, I love how you have captured everything, the setup, and the food, everything looks perfect. I am going to check few of these out on my next visit to Montreal.
Thanks Preet! Enjoy!
I’ve been wanting to visit for so so long 🙁
It looks amazing!
It was so much fun! I loved the city!
He’s all look great I love scouting out new restaurants!
Thank you! Me too – it’s one of my favorite parts of vacation!!
Woah these all look so good! I’ll have to add them to our list of places to check out next time we’re in Montreal for sure!
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