19 best new restaurants in Montreal

Vegetables, caviar and small plates are Kabinet’s new holy trinity as it successfully transitions from beloved bar to swank restaurant. Chef Jean-Michel Leblond (winner of the cooking show Chef de Bois) has created a menu highlighting old-school French classics. A 90-day aged beef tartare, garlic snails, leek vinaigrette and egg mayonnaise are served alongside fresh seafood, including the first caviar bar in town. From trout roe to Oscietre caviar from Antonius, Kabinet’s caviar service is a decadent way to enjoy the delicacy, in a space reminiscent of a 1970s Parisian brasserie. Thirsty? The cocktail menu is as spot-on as ever, including a masterful selection of natural wines.

We have Le Butterfly to thank for reviving the storied Marché de la Villette location in Old Montreal. The spotlight on meat remains unchanged, with Le Butterfly focused on an upscale steakhouse menu in a warm, elegant atmosphere. Chef Yassine Baghdad (not his first steakhouse rodeo) was inspired by French classics to enhance the meat-forward experience. Sourcing mostly local products—with the exception of Sterling Silver meat from the U.S.—an evening at Le Butterfly is built around select cuts. Périgourdine, three pepper or béarnaise sauces, side dishes (think: local mushrooms, green beans or creamed spinach) extra surf & turf lobster tail, and caviar, are all available. A take-out counter is also in the works.

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Wellington Street in Verdun just got a little sparklier. Millmans, the self-described fancy snack bar, is serving up excellent food that’s nostalgic and unpretentious. The neighbourhood restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch (hello, brunch!) and has all the morning classics while keeping things as local as possible (sourdough bread from Miette's and bagels from Griffintown’s Le Trou). Elevating the classic casse-croûte experience, Chef Nicholas Gaudette has brought fine dining to the diner. Two eggs over easy with bacon and pancakes, anyone?

This café-meets-wine-bar-meets-sando bar is the newest addition to the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighborhood. While Supernat has a very quaffable offering of natural wines and cocktails, it’s also attracting families and office workers during the day, who come for the sandos—the famous Japanese sandwiches on Hokkaidō bread—with soy-marinated eggs, barbecue pork or salmon sashimi. Other Asian-influenced snacks include the Vietnamese hot pies from one of the owners' mothers.

Les Lauriers-nominated Knuckles duo Matthew Shefler and Vincent Lévesque Lepage are bringing their magic to Little Burgundy. Teaming up with longtime pals (and industry pros), Nolan is a space you can head to morning, noon and night for a coffee, a glass of natural wine (and small bits) or dinner.

Chef Vincent's personal touch is evident in the kitchen, where homemade pasta, an abundance of seasonal vegetables, and something to please meat, fish and seafood lovers is always on hand. The menu reflects quality over quantity: the Japanese-barbecued Prince Edward Island beef is sublime, along with the Quebec Halibut with a buttermilk sauce, dill oil and sliced smoked veal fat. If ending your day there is a great idea, starting it will be just as nice thanks to the bread, butter and jam service.

Chef Massimo Piedimonte has done it all. From shifts at the neighborhood pizzeria as a teenager to working alongside Daniel Boulud. From Noma, the best restaurant in the world, to the 2018 Restaurant of the Year, Le Mousso. Enter Cabaret L'Enfer, one of the most hotly anticipated new restaurants of the year, helmed by the chef himself. 

The tasting menu showcases Chef Piedimonte's mastery when it comes to technique, and his personality through innovative flavour combinations, where the (omni)presence of fermentation takes the whole experience to another level. The wines are just as revelatory, with rare natural wines dominating the list.

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Marcella is a new Italian eaterie in Old Montreal. Open every evening from 5pm, it's all about comfort food worthy of nonna's cooking. Tradition wins here: polpette, homemade sausage with garlic rapini, eggplant parmigiana, fresh pasta alla carbonara, alla pesto or alla pomodoro, as well as Milanese-style breaded veal and a fish of the day. After a few cocktails, we're channeling la dolce vita, and finish the evening off with an espresso-martini and a cannoli. Because tradition and pleasure go hand in hand.

How many Italian restaurants can one city have? While it's tough to answer that question, we are extending a warm welcome to Conceria, one of the only vegan Italian spots in town.

Taking over the former Hello123 space—another plant-based restaurant—this wine bar is no exception when it comes to offering all the great Italian classics (with a botanical twist). Think ravioli with "ricotta", risotto, arancini, polpette, Caesar salad, and bombolone and tiramisu for dessert. The wines, mostly natural, are well-priced.

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The largest cabaret-restaurant in the country has made its home at this legendary (and absolutely breathtaking) address: 1234 de la Montagne. At Yoko Luna, prepare to wander past many Japanese symbols and through multiple rooms decorated dreamily. If food is what you're looking for, grab a table in the one-of-a-kind dining room (over 6,000 square feet) where Nikkei dishes (Japanese-Peruvian) are served during artistic performances on the catwalk.

Noble ingredients skilfully crafted by the duo Andrew Bambino and Hakim Chajar are honored: wagyu beef, foie gras, caviar, octopus, tuna and Ora King salmon arrive in the form of tataki, dumpling, sushi, sashimi or ceviche.

With a sun-soaked menu created by the talented Chef Paul Toussaint, the expansive terrace of Quartiers Belle Gueule is calling all Montrealers to the Plateau Mont-Royal. Pairing exclusive Belle Gueule beer offerings with Chef Toussaint's cuisine (think grilled meat, ceviche and pizzas), you've got all the ingredients for the perfect night out, Montreal-style.

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The young, inspired team behind the lively Peruvian restaurant Barranco are introducing Montrealers to another facet of Peruvian cuisine with Nikkei. Located on Laurier East in the Plateau Mont-Royal, the restaurant offers typical Peruvian cuisine with a Japanese twist called nikkei (the "fusion" dates back to the wave of Japanese immigrants to Peru at the end of the 19th century—hence the restaurant's name).

The "tapas" style plates include ceviches, tiraditos, along with a stand-out dish of scallops with Japanese curry and aji amarillo. Several versions of the pisco sour are available, along with about fifteen cocktails that deserve special attention for their originality.

Note that the restaurant is open every night of the week.

Everything you love about French gastronomy but with zero pretension? That’s Paname (as in the pet name for Paris), a bright, gleaming space that serves up refined, inventive and often vegetable-forward dishes. The idea for the spot (picture sparkling tiles and mosaic floors) was dreamed up in France and came to life in the buzzing neighbourhood of Verdun, where the team has strong neighbourhood roots. 

Expect beautifully plated French bistro classics reinterpreted by chef Raphael Leclerc Gileau — formerly of Bouillon Bilk — using local ingredients (beef tartare spiked with coffee-flavoured mayonnaise) and eco-responsible products (linguini mingled with naturally-grown Blanc de Gris mushrooms, dashi butter and hazelnuts). Playful house cocktails and a thoughtful wine list (from bubbles to biodynamic) bring the experience home.

From the team behind Le Petit Vibe, the Filipino street food spot  that just moved into Le Central, wants to share a new side of Filipino cuisine with global influences. 

Chef Ryan Oabel and his partner Eric Lazaro are serving up nostalgic, tapas-style dishes that draw from the flavors of their childhoods. The plates (designed for sharing) and colourful cocktails are the ideal way to kick off a festive evening, especially when it ends to the sounds of the DJ in the basement speakeasy.

Buvette Chez Simone's little sister, Bar à Flot, was fueled by the successful wine bar before sommelier Florence Pelland-Goyer and Chef Simon Deslauriers took the reins. It's a thirst-inducing spot thanks to a niche wine list from small producers, local beers, and refreshing seasonal cocktails to be enjoyed on the intimate terrace. Hungry? Enjoy small, snackable dishes that honour local and seasonal products.

This beloved Vietnamese cantine in Saint-Henri is sharing the family's expertise (and their famous all-chicken pho, one of the best in town) with the Mile-Ex neighbourhood. Marylyn Tran and her husband Alain Nguyen haven't changed any of the traditional recipes, but do have a ready-made grocery section to grab-and-go. Broths, pickled vegetables, sauces, as well as several prepared dishes are available (plus as assortment of products imported from Vietnam). The Vietnamese iced coffee is a right of passage.

Mitch Deli is famous for its fried chicken sandwich and other innovative creations, but nothing would be possible without the joie de vivre (and hyperactivity) of Maxime Gagné (chef and teacher at École de la Métier de la Restauration et du Tourisme de Montréal). We remember the winter "pop up" on the corner of De Lorimier Avenue in winter, the colorful picnic tables during warmer months, and the always cheerful, lively atmosphere.

Head to Mitch Deli's new location on Beaubien East for a taste of that and more. They're still making the best-sandwiches-in-town you know and love, but now you can enjoy them (and a glass of natural wine) in a new dining room.

Tucked away on the 6th floor of the new Hampton Inn near Chinatown, Terrace Carla comes to life every day at noon. The menu is the work of Chef Chanthy Yen (Parliament Pub & Parlour, Time Out Market Montréal, and Tiramisu on the first floor of the same hotel). Tiramisu holds it own when it comes to classic Italian dishes with a Japanese twist, and the chef asserts his confidence again with Carla's a French-Vietnamese menu: Salmon tartar, sesame and ginger with taro chips; mussels and fries with a white wine and coconut broth; beef burger with Saigon sauce, pâté and cheese, and a banh mi with shrimp reminiscent of a guédille. And we haven't even mentioned the decor and jaw-dropping views of the Old Port.

This Italian trattoria has some of the Boot's most famous cocktails on tap (think: spritzes, negronis and espresso martinis), so you may never have to wait for a drink ever again.  Recently opened in the former Parliament Pub & Parlour space in Old Montreal, Bella (Bello Delis little sister, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year) is inspired by Bello family classics: fresh pastas, lemon veal, meat polpette, pizzas, and a robust antipasti selection.

When it comes to booze, the team is far from stopping at cocktails on tap. Co-owner and mixologist Kevin Demers (Coldroom, El Pequeño) has a tight Italian-inspired menu, as does the wine list by his sommelier partner Jon Cercone.

Calabrian eats appear to be all the rage this year, and Pollino's no exception. A new arrival that's located inside the former Café Via Dante in Little Italy, the menu changes weekly and has so far included (according to Eater Montreal) long spiral busiate pasta with a lamb ragu, parsley cavatelli with clams and pepperoncini peppers, and a savoury cannoli filled with shrimp, calamari, and scallops. Mangia indeed.