When we look back on how folks in the media and influencer-verse were eating out this past year, Montreal's food scene in 2025 wasn't about the next big opening or constant exploration, but the places worth going back to over and over again.

Read on and you'll see: we turned to the critics, photographers, and bloggers who spend their lives hunting down the city's best meals once again to hear about their most memorable meals and the spots they couldn't stay away from. From rotisserie chicken that reminded everyone why simple food done right never goes out of style to pop-ups that pushed boundaries with collaborations spanning cities and cultures, their picks reveal a dining scene that's confident, grounded, and unafraid to have fun.

This year saw neighbourhood spots cement their status as essentials: Le Violon's gracious hospitality, Mon Lapin's December lunches, Pasta Pooks' warm chaos at the counter. La Lune proved chicken is legitimate restaurant food, and Limbo arrived polished and assured from day one—really, all across the city from Little Italy's weeknight rotations to Brossard's dim sum worth the drive, Montrealers kept returning to places that deliver on craft, hospitality, and flavour without the flash.

Where did you love to eat in 2025, new or old?

Ivy Lerner-Frank, @ivylernerfrank: "My year usually begins and ends with lunch—first at L'Express on New Year's Day, and then at Mon Lapin in December. In between, my Little Italy neighbourhood is my go-to: San Gennaro for a quick pizza al taglio, Mon Lapin for anything Marco and Jess are cooking up, Bar St-Denis for that labneh and flatbread, and Le Super Qualité for their thali and some Chicken 65. Bottega (the polpette! the salads!) and Impasto (the gnocchi! the focaccia!) make me very happy. Casavant has been great for lunch, Le Violon is so gracious, and I discovered Molenne this year, too, which I love for the retro vibe and the great seafood. And I always love heading to Le Petit Alep and Kitano Shokudo, for rolled things, like vine leaves and sashimi (and arak and sake)."

When we look back on how folks in the media and influencer-verse were eating out this past year, Montreal's food scene in 2025 wasn't about the next big opening or constant exploration, but the places worth going back to over and over again.

Read on and you'll see: we turned to the critics, photographers, and bloggers who spend their lives hunting down the city's best meals once again to hear about their most memorable meals and the spots they couldn't stay away from. From rotisserie chicken that reminded everyone why simple food done right never goes out of style to pop-ups that pushed boundaries with collaborations spanning cities and cultures, their picks reveal a dining scene that's confident, grounded, and unafraid to have fun.

This year saw neighbourhood spots cement their status as essentials: Le Violon's gracious hospitality, Mon Lapin's December lunches, Pasta Pooks' warm chaos at the counter. La Lune proved chicken is legitimate restaurant food, and Limbo arrived polished and assured from day one—really, all across the city from Little Italy's weeknight rotations to Brossard's dim sum worth the drive, Montrealers kept returning to places that deliver on craft, hospitality, and flavour without the flash.

Where did you love to eat in 2025, new or old?

Ivy Lerner-Frank, @ivylernerfrank: "My year usually begins and ends with lunch—first at L'Express on New Year's Day, and then at Mon Lapin in December. In between, my Little Italy neighbourhood is my go-to: San Gennaro for a quick pizza al taglio, Mon Lapin for anything Marco and Jess are cooking up, Bar St-Denis for that labneh and flatbread, and Le Super Qualité for their thali and some Chicken 65. Bottega (the polpette! the salads!) and Impasto (the gnocchi! the focaccia!) make me very happy. Casavant has been great for lunch, Le Violon is so gracious, and I discovered Molenne this year, too, which I love for the retro vibe and the great seafood. And I always love heading to Le Petit Alep and Kitano Shokudo, for rolled things, like vine leaves and sashimi (and arak and sake)."

When we look back on how folks in the media and influencer-verse were eating out this past year, Montreal's food scene in 2025 wasn't about the next big opening or constant exploration, but the places worth going back to over and over again.

Read on and you'll see: we turned to the critics, photographers, and bloggers who spend their lives hunting down the city's best meals once again to hear about their most memorable meals and the spots they couldn't stay away from. From rotisserie chicken that reminded everyone why simple food done right never goes out of style to pop-ups that pushed boundaries with collaborations spanning cities and cultures, their picks reveal a dining scene that's confident, grounded, and unafraid to have fun.

When we look back on how folks in the media and influencer-verse were eating out this past year, Montreal's food scene in 2025 wasn't about the next big opening or constant exploration, but the places worth going back to over and over again.

Read on and you'll see: we turned to the critics, photographers, and bloggers who spend their lives hunting down the city's best meals once again to hear about their most memorable meals and the spots they couldn't stay away from. From rotisserie chicken that reminded everyone why simple food done right never goes out of style to pop-ups that pushed boundaries with collaborations spanning cities and cultures, their picks reveal a dining scene that's confident, grounded, and unafraid to have fun.