Montréal en Lumière is digging into the archives for its 2026 edition. Running February 20 to March 7, this year's festival is centring its gastronomic programming around a theme called "A Taste of History: 65 Years of Montreal's Gastronomy", a nostalgic look back at the dishes, trends, and moments that shaped how the city eats today.
The theme ties into the McCord Stewart Museum's current exhibition, On the Menu - Montreal: A Restaurant Story, which traces the evolution of the city's restaurant scene from the 1960s onward. Chefs participating in the festival's Air France Finest Tables—over 80 restaurants, including nine from the World's 50 Best Restaurants list and spots representing 25+ Michelin stars—will be revisiting Montreal's culinary past through menus that nod to iconic dishes, lost classics, and the moments that defined different eras of dining in the city.
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