We took a quick jaunt to Montréal for the 4-day weekend and ate at some really good places so I thought I’d drop them in this old thread.
We stayed in Saint-Henri, which is a very cute and interesting neighborhood with excellent restaurants. We had a nice lunch at Bar Bara (fresh focaccia sandwiches), a really swell classic/rich French dinner at Foiegwa, and an amazing dinner another night at Heni - this was a wow moment. Simply outstanding seasonal Middle Eastern/North African food. The grilled lobster in spiced tamarind sauce, the fried quail with preserved peppers and yogurt, and the grilled mackerel chermoula were all knockouts.
We also went to the famous L’Express in the Plateau for lunch. So many cornichons! Again, super classic bistro fare, à point. And we had an absolutely delicious dinner at Le Filet, also in Plateau, which I would recommend to anyone. Very nice wine list here, with some exceptional, if not cheap, by-the-glass choices (Cotat Sancerre “Les Monts Damnés”, 1er cru Chablis, etc.).
We also enjoyed walking all around Mile End, Little Portugal, Plateau, Old Montreal, and Saint-Henri. We checked out the Musée des Beaux-Arts, which has a very fine and diverse collection and is worth a visit. The city is beautiful and the residential architecture is charming. We also marveled at the incredible number of absolutely hideous brutalist buildings that are all over downtown Montreal and occasionally elsewhere. The Metro is excellent and at times awe-inspiring as some of the stations are at least 7-8 stories underground!