Any suggestions on where to eat in Montreal? I’ll be there for two full days – and I’m looking for one great meal at a nice restaurant. Hoping for top-notch food, well-priced and well-selected wine list, willing to spend about $100pp (it’ll be me and my girlfriend).
For the nice meal, I currently have a reservation at Bonaparte.
Otherwise, I’ve been told to check out Schwartz’s Deli (for a “corner of smoked meat”), and either La Belle Province or Restaurant Lafleur for a poutine.
Any Montreal Berserkers on the board willing to chime in on these restaurants?
Had quite a nice meal here back in 2007: http://www.leclubchasseetpeche.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Found some nice Deiss and Clos du Caillou on the list for cheap. I was a happy camper.
BTW, I also had lunch at Schwartz’s and was a very happy camper. We were lucky and were able to sit down in less than 10 minutes.
Eric’s endorsement of Club Chasse is a good one. Toque! is similar in that it is one of the highest-end dining experiences in town. Keep in mind that Montreal is a fairly casual city for dining out - like Portland, OR.
But Au Pied du Cochon is the definitive Montreal restaurant - Quebecois cuisine, lots of foie, energetic, stylish but casual place. If you haven’t been you need to go. What St. John is to London, APDC is to Montreal. Bourdain adores the place. Apple and foie tarte. Foie pizza. Duck in can. The eponymous pig’s foot stuffed… with an option of being stuffed with foie.
Joe Beef is also excellent - emphasis on regional food, but not as heavy as a meal at APDC will be. Always a good but reasonaly-priced selection of BDX, Burg, & Rhone. Tiny place. Reservation essential. Probably my favorite place in Montreal. Great seafood and nice twists on traditional dishes. Menu changes nightly.
Every trip we stay three nights - and two of those nights feature meals at Joe Beef and APDC.
Graziella is terrific Italian. Europea was very, very good New French, in the middle of things downtown.
Milos (sister-restaurants to the ones in NYC and Athens) is a fine place that especially offers the best lunch deal (for fine dining) in the city.
Byblos (IMHO) offers the best breakfast in the city, with omelets that are ethereal.
La belle province / Lafleur are by no means fine dining, just so you have the right expectations. But if you want to experience it, go ahead and get a combo with 2 all dressed hot dogs (they are steamed and served with mustard, relish and coleslaw), poutine and a . There are many places with these kinds of menus in Montreal so you won’t have trouble finding them.
Schwartz’s is special, the meat tastes home cooked, for lack of a better descriptor. It is well worth a visit, and even if there is a line up people eat quickly so the wait is usually not too bad, depending on the time.
Au pied de cochon is an interesting place if you like meat. And various lesser known cuts of meat. All prepared meticulously. Was closed for a while but I think open now. More on the pricey side.
What I loved about Schwartz’s and the city as a whole was that portion size was quite European. Not over the top. Get the extra fatty smoked meat though. It is a small sandwich. A little bit of mustard. Get some frites and some pickles. Really honest, no nonsense food. One of the great expressions of beef brisket. Hauntingly good. Makes me want to hop a plane right now in fact.
BTW, I love the Montreal bagels as well. Smoked. Tasty. Small. Awesome.
Used to live there during the summer as a kid. Memories.
If you/your gf have time, at the foot of St. Joseph’s Oratory, is Duc de Lorriane, a little cafe on Côte-Des-Neiges. It’s so lovely and has the most incredible pastries. You can walk up to the Oratory from the cafe (great workout after the most wonderful croissants).
Definitely Schwartz’s for Pastrami or Smoked Meat. Snowden Deli is good, too. Also, if you haven’t tried Poutine, now’s the time. Haven’t been in a while, but lots of kids from McGill and yuppies at Peel Pub.
For nightlife, Les Foufounes Electriques.
+1 on Pied de Cochon. Been there twice, have their wonderful cookbook, album and have made some of the recipes multiple times, including their salad dressing this past weekend. For my family, one of the best eating experiences ever. It is my understanding that they feature more seafood: shellfish in summer, but…we didn’t have that. (Though more wintery, the pouding choumeur for dessert is heavenly!)
Schwartz’s, of course, though it is a hybrid of pastrami (same process as the original pastrami, ie., really smoked, but they use brisket, a denser cut than that typically used for pastrami). Also, as said above, don’t miss the bagels…and the bagel place, if you have any interest in that stuff.
extra fat! Yikes. Go medium fat. It is a better sandwich. Get a black cherry soda to go with. You can get the smoked meat to go in vacuumed sealed packs to if you wanna take them home.
If you want the best expression of the Montreal bagel, go to Beauty’s and order the Beauty for breakfast. Bagel/lox/cream cheese never so good. Snowden deli is fun for their party sandwiches. Get a mixed box and take them with you.
Fun little cafe called Santropol on St. Urbain st. Great teas, sandwiches and great outdoor garden area.
Just back from a short weekend there. Had an excellent dinner at L’Express. Small bistro with professional service, well prepared food and interesting if young wine list. Octopus and lentil salad was one of the best dishes I have had this year. Reservations essential.
Ate at Bonaparte many years ago. Fine experience that well represents the Montreal dining scene. Very good wine list. This place seems to fly under the radar.
Also worth visiting the Jean-Talon Market. Best to do this around lunch and graze your way through. If we had a market like this in NY on a daily basis it would be overrun.
Depending on your free time, a stop at Marche Jean-Talon is a must! (Marche Atwater is nice, too - but smaller and a bit more touristy - but JT is great! And in the perimeter is Olives & Epices, which is an incredible spice shop.)
Next door to APDC is Chloe, home of the best chocolate in Montreal - you just have to trust me on that. Though it probably closes at night before APDC opens.
L’Express is a really neat place - though it is more like a Paris bistro in Montreal, than a Montreal bistro (I say as a neutral comment on the place - just a description). Great place for bone marrow and the like.
If your girlfriend is stylish, take her shopping at Revenge Boutique on Rue Saint Denis. If you are stylish, have her take you to Valérie Simon Homme on Laurier.
I lived up in Montreal for about 15 years and was back a couple of summers ago with my wife. I agree with much that already has been said – we went to Schwartz’s and really enjoyed it even though we did take- out and ate our sandwiches on the street during a cold autumn day. We also enjoyed L’Express - nice traditional French bistro, with a casual ambience and good food. For bagels, I recommend Fairmount Bagel Bakery (http://www.fairmountbagel.com/eng/index.htmand" onclick=“window.open(this.href);return false;) and St. Viateur Bagel Bakery (http://www.stviateurbagel.com/main/” onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), two places where they make the bagels fresh. Jean Talon Market was also terrific.
I cannot overemphasize, on Serge’s links, to Au Pied de Cochon, the one to the “Album”. Before it was published, they kindly shared a couple of recipes with me. Now, the book (and video) explain the recipes and the whole “story” behind this place, which in my opinion, is unique, though others are similarly oriented. It is a great coffee table book and recipe book, especially for winter gatherings. Their signature “pig’s foot” (which they also stuff with foie gras, though I don’t need it), is a real crowd pleaser…it can be made with pork shanks, very similar to lamb and veal shanks, instead of whole feet.
Our younger son will be a junior in high school this year, and college visits are on the horizon. I think I will have to make sure that he at least looks at McGill (though he has seen it during a visit by his older brother). Fresh eyes are always good…and so are fresh Vietor bagels, smoked meat and a visit to APDC.
FWIW, when we were there a few years ago a friend recommended La Maison Du Bagel for Montreal bagels. We went, and the entire staff was Hispanic. Can you beat a bagel shop with a French name and Spanish-speaking staff !
I would only add that there is a good SAQ across the street to shop for wine for lunch or dinner at one of the BYOBs. Generally wine prices are MUCH higher than the US, but the selection of French wines is superior and there are always some selections of interesting country wines at good prices.
. There are many places with these kinds of menus in Montreal so you won’t have trouble finding them.
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