Montreal keeps cooking: 25 local restaurants make the 2025 Canada’s 100 Best list

Mon Lapin slips to #2, but the city’s dining scene is still unmatched.

J.P. Karwacki

May 6, 2025- Read time: 2 min

Le Violon comes out shining this year. | Photograph: Jeremy Dionne

Call it a passing of the torch or just good company—Montreal may have lost the top spot on this year’s Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list, but it more than made up for it in numbers. With 25 spots on the list, including two of the top ten and the #1 Best New Restaurant in the country, the city continues to dominate the conversation around Canadian dining.

On top of that: Montreal leads all cities in Canada for the number of restaurants on the 2025 Canada’s 100 Best list.

After two years at #1, Mon Lapin moves to #2, ceding the crown to Ontario’s Restaurant Pearl Morissette. Still, it remains a standard-bearer for the kind of food-forward, wine-driven, wildly personal restaurants Montreal is known for. Beba in Verdun isn’t far behind at #7, continuing its steady climb as one of the most influential kitchens in the country.

Newcomer Le Violon (Plateau) didn’t just make the list—it topped the Best New Restaurants ranking, landing at #11 overall, a rare feat for a first-year spot. Co-chefs Danny Smiles and Mitch Laughren’s pared-back European cooking struck a chord with voters, placing it ahead of dozens of longer-standing peers.

Also making their mark as new additions are Juliette Plaza (#77 overall, #7 new restaurant), Casavant (#31), and Parapluie (#35), part of a new wave of neighbourhood spots mixing skill with laid-back charm.

Mon Lapin. | Photograph: Scott Usheroff / @cravingcurator

Here’s the full list of Montreal restaurants that made the 2025 rankings:

🔥 Top 50

Mon Lapin (#2)
Beba (#7)
Le Violon (#11)
Monarque (#17)
Montréal Plaza (#20)
Cabaret l’Enfer (#22)
Alma (#24)
Pichai (#25)
Bar St-Denis (#27)
Casavant (#31)
Parapluie (#35)
Mastard (#40)
Salle Climatisée (#44)
Joe Beef (#46)
Sabayon (#48)

Heni (left) & Beba (right) | Photograph: Rami El-Sabban (left) & Scott Usheroff (right)

🧭 The Rest of the 100

Whether it’s a 50-seat bohemian wine bar, a Québécois landmark, or a new spot that just hit its stride, this year’s list confirms what most of us already know: Montreal still eats better than anywhere else in the country.