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    The Main

    Montreal's Cultural Directory

    Help us improve! Share your thoughts on how we can make your experience better.

    Leave feedback

    For partnerships and collaborations:

    partnerships@themain.com

    Content

    • Articles
    • Food & Drink
    • Arts & Culture
    • History Lesson
    • Bulletin
    • Events

    Guides

    • All Guides
    • Best Restaurants
    • Best Cafés
    • Best Bars
    • Best Brunch
    • Best Bakeries

    Explore Montreal

    • Browse Directory
    • Restaurants
    • Bars
    • Cafés
    • Bookstores
    • Leaderboard
    • Editor's Picks
    • New Places

    About

    • About us
    • Subscribe
    • Shop
    • Advertise
    • Pitch us
    • RSS Feed

    Legal

    • Terms of service
    • Membership Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    Follow us
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    The Main Media Inc. 2026

    ✦ Built By Field Office

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      Your cart is empty.

      --°C|Friday, May 15, 2026|
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      EN/FR
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      • Arts & Culture
      • Beyond Montreal
      • Design
      • Food & Drink
      • History Lessons
      • The Bulletin
      Explore
      Popular Guides
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      • Romantic Restaurants
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      Food & Drink

      What Defined Montreal's Dining Scene in 2025, and What's Coming in 2026

      From 2025's defining themes to predictions for 2026, here's what Montreal's food insiders are saying about the city's evolving dining culture (and its next Michelin hopefuls).

      ByJ.P. Karwacki

      December 30, 2025 · 6 min read

      What defined Montreal's dining scene in 2025, and what's coming in 2026
      Staff scrum at Grille-Nature. | Photograph: Scott Usheroff / @cravingcurator

      The Main is reader-supported. Subscriptions are what keep us independent. Five dollars a month — the restaurants, the guides, the weekly bulletin, and what to do each weekend. Support us today.

      Discover the places mentioned in this story

      Claire JacquesChez GreenbergElena PizzeriaBar MinouSushi NishinokazeMon LapinAlmaAsteurBar St-DenisCabane à Sucre Au Pied De CochonCabane d'à CôtéBistro La Franquette

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      Share your thoughts and join the conversation. Please be respectful and constructive.

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      Follow on Google
      Food & Drink

      What Defined Montreal's Dining Scene in 2025, and What's Coming in 2026

      From 2025's defining themes to predictions for 2026, here's what Montreal's food insiders are saying about the city's evolving dining culture (and its next Michelin hopefuls).

      ByJ.P. Karwacki

      December 30, 2025 · 6 min read

      What defined Montreal's dining scene in 2025, and what's coming in 2026
      Staff scrum at Grille-Nature. | Photograph: Scott Usheroff / @cravingcurator

      The Main is reader-supported. Subscriptions are what keep us independent. Five dollars a month — the restaurants, the guides, the weekly bulletin, and what to do each weekend. Support us today.

      Discover the places mentioned in this story

      Claire JacquesChez GreenbergElena PizzeriaBar MinouSushi NishinokazeMon LapinAlmaAsteurBar St-DenisCabane à Sucre Au Pied De CochonCabane d'à CôtéBistro La Franquette

      Comments

      Welcome to The Main's comments section!

      Share your thoughts and join the conversation. Please be respectful and constructive.

      No comments yet. Be the first!

      Follow on Google

      2025 was a study in contradictions for Montreal's dining scene: rooted in Quebec terroir yet gaining international recognition, confident in its identity yet grappling with affordability, celebrating Michelin stars while questioning what they actually mean for a city built on neighbourhood spots and casual excellence.

      We asked local food insiders—writers, photographers, critics, influencers—to reflect on the year that was and what might lie ahead. Their answers reveal a scene that's found its footing: less about chasing hype, more cooking with personality. Neighbourhoods mattered more than ever, collaborations pushed boundaries, and the gap between what diners could afford and what restaurants needed to charge became impossible to ignore.

      Looking ahead to 2026, some say we should expect more pop-ups and chef collaborations, a continued shift toward casual-but-serious dining, and the ongoing tension between Michelin's spotlight and Montreal's unpretentious soul. Will the guide recognize quietly consistent chefs or keep chasing fine dining? Will $27 sandwiches and $13 matchas cool off? And can the city's talent shine globally without losing what makes it special?

      Free account required

      For readers who care about Montreal

      Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.

      Independent. Local. Reader-supported.

      or

      Already a member? Sign in

      The Main

      More Food & Drink

      30 Years Later, Ferreira Is Building a Portuguese Hospitality Dynasty
      Food & Drink
      Ivy Lerner-Frank

      30 Years Later, Ferreira Is Building a Portuguese Hospitality Dynasty

      Carlos Ferreira built his Peel Street restaurant to represent a larger vision of Portugal. Three decades later, his daughters are helping carry that ambition into its next era.

      Café BRUT Wants to Be Griffintown’s Living Room
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Café BRUT Wants to Be Griffintown’s Living Room

      Inside a raw concrete space on Murray Street, banana-infused espresso and matcha drinks anchor a broader ambition to become part of the neighbourhood’s daily rhythm.

      Plume Was Built the Old-Fashioned Way
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Plume Was Built the Old-Fashioned Way

      Set inside a former Mile End bakery, two Bouillon Bilk alumni are pairing French-influenced cooking with private import wines and a handcrafted dining room.

      Michelin Expands Its Quebec Guide With New Stars Across Montreal and Beyond
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Michelin Expands Its Quebec Guide With New Stars Across Montreal and Beyond

      Michelin’s second Québec selection adds four new One Stars while continuing to push the guide beyond Montreal’s usual fine dining conversation.

      Inside the 2026 Lauriers Gala, Quebec’s Culinary Red Carpet
      Food & Drink
      Ariane Gonzalez

      Inside the 2026 Lauriers Gala, Quebec’s Culinary Red Carpet

      From producers and artisans to chefs and sommeliers, the industry gathered in Montreal to celebrate its own ecosystem and signal where the province's gastronomy is heading next.

      Montreal Wanted the Michelin Guide. Now It Has to Live With It.
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Montreal Wanted the Michelin Guide. Now It Has to Live With It.

      As Quebec’s second Michelin Guide approaches, longtime critic Lesley Chesterman questions whether the city’s restaurants are built for what the guide rewards—and what chasing stars really costs.

      Latest from The Main

      NewsletterThe Bulletin: Porchside Music Crawls, Springtime Dancing, and Soju at the Bookstore [Issue #181]OpinionTim Hortons Lost Canada Long Before Dunkin’ ArrivedArts & CultureBalls Up Wastes a Great Comedy Setup on Mark WahlbergArts & CultureWhat To Do This Weekend (05.14–05.17)Food & Drink30 Years Later, Ferreira Is Building a Portuguese Hospitality Dynasty
      Montreal's most exciting openings and heartbreaking closures of 2025

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      Montreal's Most Exciting Openings and Heartbreaking Closures of 2025

      Next

      The Bulletin: Welcome to a Brand New Year, Montreal [Issue #162]

      The Bulletin: Welcome to a brand new year, Montreal [Issue #162]

      2025 was a study in contradictions for Montreal's dining scene: rooted in Quebec terroir yet gaining international recognition, confident in its identity yet grappling with affordability, celebrating Michelin stars while questioning what they actually mean for a city built on neighbourhood spots and casual excellence.

      We asked local food insiders—writers, photographers, critics, influencers—to reflect on the year that was and what might lie ahead. Their answers reveal a scene that's found its footing: less about chasing hype, more cooking with personality. Neighbourhoods mattered more than ever, collaborations pushed boundaries, and the gap between what diners could afford and what restaurants needed to charge became impossible to ignore.

      Looking ahead to 2026, some say we should expect more pop-ups and chef collaborations, a continued shift toward casual-but-serious dining, and the ongoing tension between Michelin's spotlight and Montreal's unpretentious soul. Will the guide recognize quietly consistent chefs or keep chasing fine dining? Will $27 sandwiches and $13 matchas cool off? And can the city's talent shine globally without losing what makes it special?

      Free account required

      For readers who care about Montreal

      Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.

      Independent. Local. Reader-supported.

      or

      Already a member? Sign in

      The Main

      More Food & Drink

      30 Years Later, Ferreira Is Building a Portuguese Hospitality Dynasty
      Food & Drink
      Ivy Lerner-Frank

      30 Years Later, Ferreira Is Building a Portuguese Hospitality Dynasty

      Carlos Ferreira built his Peel Street restaurant to represent a larger vision of Portugal. Three decades later, his daughters are helping carry that ambition into its next era.

      Café BRUT Wants to Be Griffintown’s Living Room
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Café BRUT Wants to Be Griffintown’s Living Room

      Inside a raw concrete space on Murray Street, banana-infused espresso and matcha drinks anchor a broader ambition to become part of the neighbourhood’s daily rhythm.

      Plume Was Built the Old-Fashioned Way
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Plume Was Built the Old-Fashioned Way

      Set inside a former Mile End bakery, two Bouillon Bilk alumni are pairing French-influenced cooking with private import wines and a handcrafted dining room.

      Michelin Expands Its Quebec Guide With New Stars Across Montreal and Beyond
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Michelin Expands Its Quebec Guide With New Stars Across Montreal and Beyond

      Michelin’s second Québec selection adds four new One Stars while continuing to push the guide beyond Montreal’s usual fine dining conversation.

      Inside the 2026 Lauriers Gala, Quebec’s Culinary Red Carpet
      Food & Drink
      Ariane Gonzalez

      Inside the 2026 Lauriers Gala, Quebec’s Culinary Red Carpet

      From producers and artisans to chefs and sommeliers, the industry gathered in Montreal to celebrate its own ecosystem and signal where the province's gastronomy is heading next.

      Montreal Wanted the Michelin Guide. Now It Has to Live With It.
      Food & Drink
      J.P. Karwacki

      Montreal Wanted the Michelin Guide. Now It Has to Live With It.

      As Quebec’s second Michelin Guide approaches, longtime critic Lesley Chesterman questions whether the city’s restaurants are built for what the guide rewards—and what chasing stars really costs.

      Latest from The Main

      NewsletterThe Bulletin: Porchside Music Crawls, Springtime Dancing, and Soju at the Bookstore [Issue #181]OpinionTim Hortons Lost Canada Long Before Dunkin’ ArrivedArts & CultureBalls Up Wastes a Great Comedy Setup on Mark WahlbergArts & CultureWhat To Do This Weekend (05.14–05.17)Food & Drink30 Years Later, Ferreira Is Building a Portuguese Hospitality Dynasty
      Montreal's most exciting openings and heartbreaking closures of 2025

      Previous

      Montreal's Most Exciting Openings and Heartbreaking Closures of 2025

      Next

      The Bulletin: Welcome to a Brand New Year, Montreal [Issue #162]

      The Bulletin: Welcome to a brand new year, Montreal [Issue #162]

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      Where Montreal's Food Writers and Photographers Loved to Drink in 2025 (and What They Ordered)

      From cocktails 45 floors above the city streets to neighbourhood wine bars and timeless martinis, here's where the city's insiders raised a glass in 2025.

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      Alex Cohen and Raegan Steinberg are combining dinners with breakfast classics to the 48-seat Arthus Dinette in Monkland Village.

      His Restaurant Almost Broke Him. Does It Deserve a Second Chance?
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      His Restaurant Almost Broke Him. Does It Deserve a Second Chance?

      Omar Zabuair lost everything when Le Coq de l'Est closed in 2022. Three years later, he ran a pop-up to find out if the food still works—and whether that's reason enough to try again.

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      Montreal Leads Canada's 100 Best Bar Rankings for 2026
      Food & Drink
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      Montreal Leads Canada's 100 Best Bar Rankings for 2026

      Eight Montreal bars cracked the top 50. One took the whole thing.

      Where Montreal's food writers and photographers loved to drink in 2025 (and what they ordered)
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      Where Montreal's Food Writers and Photographers Loved to Drink in 2025 (and What They Ordered)

      From cocktails 45 floors above the city streets to neighbourhood wine bars and timeless martinis, here's where the city's insiders raised a glass in 2025.

      How Boom J's Went From a Home Kitchen to a Jamaican Institution
      Food & Drink
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      Owner Jermaine learned to cook from his grandmother in Jamaica at six years old. Everything at Boom J's still carries those teachings.

      Arthurs Nosh Bar Is Coming to NDG, and This Time, They're Bringing Dinner
      Food & Drink
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      His Restaurant Almost Broke Him. Does It Deserve a Second Chance?
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      J.P. Karwacki

      His Restaurant Almost Broke Him. Does It Deserve a Second Chance?

      Omar Zabuair lost everything when Le Coq de l'Est closed in 2022. Three years later, he ran a pop-up to find out if the food still works—and whether that's reason enough to try again.

      My restaurant got busy before it was ready. Now I can finally take a step back.
      Food & Drink
      Scott Usheroff

      My Restaurant Got Busy Before it Was Ready. Now I Can Finally Take a Step Back.

      It's the unspoken problem of early popularity in restaurants: Nineteen months in, La Spada's owner reflects on the chaos, clarity, and learning to step away.