Montreal is a French-leaning, Quebec-proud food city of wine bars, bagels, smoked meat and ambitious chef-driven rooms. Michelin's Quebec guide now recognizes five Montreal restaurants with stars.
Montreal at a glance
What to eat
Montreal bagels (St-Viateur, Fairmount); Smoked meat (Schwartz's, Lester's); Poutine (La Banquise, Au Pied de Cochon); Tourtiere, sugar pie, pouding chomeur, cretons; Portuguese charcoal chicken (Rachel Street).
When to go
Best: June–September. Also good: May and October.
Top tables
This guide lists 11 award-winning restaurants, starting with Mon Lapin, Hoogan et Beaufort, Sushi Nishinokaze and Mastard.
Where locals eat
Local favorites off the prestige lists include Ma Poule Mouillée, Kazu, Wilensky's Light Lunch and Gibeau Orange Julep.
New places change fast. “Provisional” means a guide or directory lists it as new but we have not confirmed the opening date. Check hours and book ahead before you go.
Memorable breakfasts in Montreal
The top pick here; the rest are on their own page.
Beautys Luncheonette
Plateau Mont-Royal
Order: Mish-Mash omelette
A cherished Montreal luncheonette with a signature breakfast.
Picks come from romantic-dinner lists on booking and review sites. Confirm dinner service, menus and availability before you book.
Hot right now in Montreal
We have not verified a current craze in Montreal yet. We only list one once it has been reported in the press.
The Montreal food map
Every place in this guide, pinned. Tap a pin to see what to order, then add it to your trip.
Open the full Montreal food map: every place on our lists too (pizza, ice cream, romantic, where locals and the famous eat, cooking classes), searchable by dish.
· 13 of 20 dish places are pinned; the rest appear in the lists below. Pins are placed by address or name and can be a little off; always confirm in your maps app.
Plan my days in Montreal
Tell us what you like and we will line up the places on this page into a day-by-day plan. Only places from this guide, never anything else.
What to eat in Montreal, and where
Each dish comes with the places that do it best. Tap Add to my trip on the ones you want, or find them on the map above.
Montreal bagels
hand-rolled, wood-fired and slightly sweet
The 5 best places to eat it in Montreal
1
St-Viateur Bagel
Mile End · $
Order: Sesame or poppy bagel, straight from the wood-fired oven
Leading half of the city's famous bagel rivalry, hand-rolled and wood-fired around the clock.
Lonely Planet (undated): 'no bad time'; summer (Jun-Aug) is busiest with festivals and terraces; fall best for foliage (peak colour usually mid-October); winter (Dec-Mar) for snow sports; visiting outside summer means fewer crowds and cheaper hotels. TableJourney says May-October is peak season for terraces and markets; late winter suits sugar shacks and Montreal en Lumiere. Month numbers are our mapping of the prose; avoid left empty because no source names a bad month.
In season
Maple / sugar shack seasonFeb–Aprmtl.org: late Feb or early March to end of April or early May; shacks open only a few weeks; sugar shack meal about CAD 50-85 per adult (Cities...
Fiddleheads
Quebec strawberries then blueberries
Apples and cider
Tourtiere, cretons, sugar pieDec
Poutine and pea soup
Food events
La Poutine WeekFeb
Montreal en LumiereFeb
Expo Manger Sante et Vivre VertMarEXPECTED 19-21 Mar 2027
Premiers VendredisJun
Mondial de la BiereJunBiennial; 2027 dates not announced (2025 edition ran 20-22 Jun)
Pocha MTL (Korean street food)AugAugust per Lonely Planet; no dates
Bieres et Saveurs de ChamblySepEXPECTED 2-5 Sep 2027
MTLaTABLENov
Closures to plan around
Many kitchens close Mondays and Tuesdays - TableJourney says 'many', not all; check each venue.
Typical hours: lunch 12:00-14:00, dinner 18:00-22:00 (TableJourney). St-Viateur and La Banquise are open 24h per Cities Insider.
No sourced holiday-shutdown pattern found.
Meal costs and tipping (CAD)
Casual: about 22 basic casual meal; Schwartz's smoked meat 15.50 alone, about 25 as combo; bagels 1.25-1.50 each (Cities Insider, 2026)
Mid-range: 45-75 for dinner including a drink, tax and 18% tip (Cities Insider)
Tasting menus from: 140-250 at high-end spots (Cities Insider)
Tipping: Conflict: TableJourney says 15-20% of pre-tax bill; Narcity (bartenders) says 15% is the norm/minimum and 18-20% for great service; Cities Insider says 18-20% in 2026 with 15% minimum. Menu prices exclude GST+QST (about 15%).
From published guides and tourism boards. Months are our mapping of how guides describe the seasons; 2027 event dates are expected, not confirmed. Prices come from single sources of varying age, so treat them as a rough guide. Compare cities by month
The best of Montreal, by category
The top pick in each, then every place on its own page with what to get and a map.
Locally loved places that are not on the big prestige lists.
counter
Ma Poule Mouillée
Plateau · $$
Order: Piri-piri Portuguese chicken with the poutine
Run by Tony Alves, who trained for years at Romados, this rotisserie turns out smoky grilled birds with a fiery sauce. Time Out rates its poutine among the best of the Portuguese-chicken crowd.
Order: The Wilensky Special: pressed beef salami and bologna on a kaiser, mustard included
A lunch counter operating since 1932 and still serving the same flat-grilled sandwich; mustard is mandatory by house rule. Time Out lists it among the city's best cheap eats.
Order: The Orange Julep drink (orange juice, milk, egg) with a hot dog
The orange roadside landmark is a Montreal rite: a frothy, creamsicle-like drink from an old family recipe. Single publisher (Infatuation, two lists), so medium confidence.
Awards come from the guides named on each listing (Michelin Guide Québec 2026). Researched October 25, 2026. Restaurants change; confirm hours, reservations and current stars before you go. Some addresses, phone numbers and websites come from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), so call ahead to confirm. Local favorites are editorial picks, not rankings.
