Foxy is organized around a single principle: everything passes through fire. Since opening in 2015, the kitchen has relied exclusively on a charcoal grill and a wood-fired oven, shaping a menu that favours restraint, smoke, and ingredient clarity over technique-heavy flourishes. Vegetables, seafood, and meats are treated with the same logic, often designed for sharing and built to reward simplicity.

The room mirrors that focus. Intimate and deliberately warm, the space hums from the open kitchen outward, with a steady rhythm that rarely dips even on weeknights. Under new ownership as of 2024, the philosophy remains intact, with seasonal menus grounded in local sourcing and a wine program that leans toward balance rather than excess. Foxy's strength has always been consistency, not reinvention.

For reservations of five or more, patrons must contact the restaurant by phone or email.

Garde Manger has spent nearly two decades refining the balance between serious cooking and late-night energy. Hidden behind a discreet Old Montreal façade, the room opens into two compact dining spaces divided by an open kitchen, where music from the 80s and 90s sets the tempo as service unfolds. The menu leans heavily toward seafood, favouring oysters, razor clams, wild prawns, and raw or lightly handled preparations that keep flavours direct.

Plates are designed for sharing as often as for solo indulgence, with chalkboard specials shifting alongside the seasons. The wine list is broad without being scattered, moving comfortably between France, Italy, North America, and organic or skin-contact bottles. As the night progresses, the dining room tilts from polished to celebratory, a transition the restaurant has made its signature.

Garde Manger takes group bookings by phone or email for parties of six or more.

Found behind storied stone walls in Old Montreal, Romies reimagines midcentury American bistro dining with a distinctly Montreal twist. Created by Alex Cohen and Raegan Steinberg of Arthurs Nosh Bar, this chic yet unpretentious eatery is as much about nostalgia as it is about good food, offering a menu that elevates diner classics.

The kitchen delivers playful yet elegant plates—start with beef tartare layered with potato salad or the Cold-Cut Fish Sevilla, then move to mains like the filet mignon au poivre or Venetian pasta with clams. The desserts are showstoppers, with the Brooklyn blackout cake and an impossibly good cherry pie stealing the spotlight.

The space, designed by Annika Krausz, is a seamless blend of midcentury design's warmth and industrial elegance. Wine-red leather banquettes, candlelit marble tables, and black-and-white photography by Krausz's family create an atmosphere both cozy and refined. Beyond the dining room, a courtyard with a pétanque area and lush tree canopy becomes an escape for cocktails or dessert. It's an expansive venue, ideal for larger parties. For groups of more than eight, contact the restaurant directly.

On the edge of Montreal's Little Italy, Restaurant Gus brings a warm, relaxed, and deeply satisfying dining experience that has kept locals returning since 2014. The menu, designed with seasonal changes and some untouchable Gus classics, offers favourites like made-to-order Caesar salad, foie gras nachos, rich flank steak, and a decadent surf-and-turf for two.

The restaurant's style emphasizes honest cooking—simple yet refined plates that pair perfectly with a carefully curated wine list. For dessert, expect comforting homemade treats like gluten-free blueberry cheesecake or French toast with house-made caramel. A true neighbourhood gem, Gus is about good food, great company, and a personal touch that reflects owner David Angus Ferguson's love for his craft and community.

The 26-seat room exudes a friendly atmosphere with its open kitchen and deep red decor. Its size, though, means larger parties should call well ahead.

"The best chefs and restaurants in the city under one roof"—that's the guiding concept that built the original food hall from the Time Out Group in Lisbon, Portugal, and it's this winning concept that's created Montreal's very own in the Centre Eaton de Montréal. It's a 40,000-square-foot culinary and cultural destination with 15 food concepts, three bars, and a mocktail station for refreshments you need to try once in your lifetime.

Like any standard food hall, Time Out takes no reservations and offers a variety of cuisines, making it perfect for an impromptu group meal where no one has to split or cover the bill, and everyone can find something that suits their appetite.

Le Jardin de Panos has been on Duluth Avenue since 1979 and holds a special place in Montreal's dining scene as the city's first bring-your-own-wine restaurant. With a lush garden terrace evoking Mediterranean landscapes, this Greek spot is ideal for a casual lunch or an atmospheric dinner under a canopy of greenery. The environment is charming yet unpretentious, where guests in both casual and elegant attire blend seamlessly, and its large square footage can easily accommodate big groups.

The menu celebrates Greek family-style dining, featuring classic dishes like grilled calamari, chicken kebabs, and fresh seafood. Starters like Greek yogurt, made with gherkins, celery, and carrots, bring a refreshing, tangy twist to the table. Lunch includes soup, bread, and dessert, offering a cost-effective way to enjoy the restaurant's flavours. While the indoor space is cozy, the real magic is on the garden patio, a serene escape filled with flowering plants.

Khyber Pass on Duluth Avenue is a beloved institution in Montreal's Plateau, serving up authentic Afghan cuisine with heart and heritage. Opened by Faruk Ramisch over two decades ago, this bring-your-own-wine gem offers an immersive dining experience. The restaurant's atmosphere is cozy and evocative, with rich wood and brick textures, Afghan artifacts, and a garden terrace that's one of the city's prettiest hidden spots.

The menu leans heavily on Afghan classics, with lamb as the standout. Signature dishes include the Kabuli palaw, a tender lamb shank or chicken leg over fragrant brown basmati rice with raisins and carrots, and teka kebab, skewered lamb tenderloin served with traditional Afghan rice and salad. The portions are generous, meant for sharing, and the spices are aromatic without being overwhelming. Each meal is a warm embrace of Afghan culture, with Nadia Ramisch, Faruk's daughter, sharing stories of her family's homeland through both the decor and the dishes.

The name comes from a trip through Cambodia, where Tota Oung and his partners kept running into stray monkeys. Since 2017 it has hung over a Wellington Street room where the cooking leans on kroeung, prahok, and Kampot pepper, and nearly everything is built to be passed around.

Papaya salad comes both fresh and fried. Chicken wings arrive stuffed with pork sausage, cod sits under amok sauce, skewers come off the grill, and the wasabi shrimp ceviche is pitched deliberately past what most people can take. Quebec sourcing runs underneath all of it, from Charlevoix chicken to Gaspésie trout roe and oyster mushrooms grown in the city. The room is dark and loud with a mural down one wall, and it fills with groups. Drinks cover signature cocktails, a house lager, and a wine list weighted toward small European and Quebec producers.

Groups of seven or more need to book directly with the restaurant, and parties of eight or more are served a shared tasting menu at $60 per person.

Knox Taverne in Pointe-Saint-Charles is a neighbourhood favourite that combines historic character with a warm, low-key charm. Paying homage to the Knox family who once owned the surrounding farmland, Knox Taverne captures a "working class" aesthetic with its exposed brick, herringbone hardwood floors, and the vibrant green of a climbing plant wall that stretches to the ceiling. The result is a cozy, welcoming space that feels just as suited for a date night as it does for a catch-up with friends. The ambiance, enhanced by three large garage doors that flood the space with light, transforms seamlessly from lively by day to intimate by night.

The menu focuses on elevated comfort food with a nod to the chef's Mexican heritage, while the bar crafts inventive cocktails with homemade mixers and a thoughtful selection of whiskies and bitters. The terrace is a summer go-to, and inside, attentive service and lively music make for a memorable experience. From the expertly crafted drinks to the "secret" oyster happy hours, Knox Taverne offers a genuinely underrated and gratifying spot in Montreal's Pointe-Saint-Charles.

Raised in Saint-Henri, brothers Alex and Mat Winnicki grew up eating across Montreal, absorbing the city's patchwork food culture long before cooking professionally. Their first move with the now-famous restaurant Satay Brothers wasn't a dining room but a hawker-style stall at Atwater Market, built around Singaporean street staples meant to be fast, flavour-forward, and repeatable.

That DNA still shapes the operation today. The Notre-Dame Street restaurant expanded gradually, mirroring demand rather than chasing scale, while the menu stayed anchored to its originals: satays, laksa, papaya salad, rendang. The cooking favours spice balance over spectacle, with most elements made in-house and desserts drawn directly from family recipes. Satay Brothers works because it behaves like a market stall at heart—casual, generous, and designed to be returned to often, not just discovered once. For groups of six or more, a seven-course tasting menu at $55 per person is required.

The Plateau's Le Pégase has quietly held its place as a beloved French BYOB spot for over 25 years, defying flashy trends with its unpretentious charm and seriously good food. Chef Michael Audet-Laparé, who came up through local legends like Chez Victoire and Grenadine, has brought a refined yet comforting take on French classics since taking the reins, crafting dishes like rack of lamb and escargots that are unapologetically rich and perfectly executed.

The ambiance is intimate, warmed by soft lighting and a tasteful recent refresh by La Firme, which added a modern touch to the long-standing decor. Co-owner Damien Haennel and his team bring decades of hospitality experience, making every service feel effortless and welcoming. Le Pégase's loyal patrons know what they're here for: expertly prepared French cuisine in a cozy, familiar setting where they can bring their own bottle and linger over every bite.

On Fridays and Saturdays, Le Pégase takes parties of fewer than eight; the rest of the week, any number of guests is welcome.

A Montreal icon since 1979, Estiatorio Milos has introduced the world to authentic Greek cuisine thanks to visionary founder Costas Spiliadis. Starting with a modest spot on Park Avenue, Spiliadis set out to showcase the rich simplicity of Greek cooking, emphasizing fresh, quality ingredients and traditional methods. Today, Milos has evolved into a global name with locations in cities from New York to Dubai, as well as a luxury yacht experience, Milos at Sea, and a five-star gastronomic hotel, Xenodocheio Milos in Athens.

The Montreal location, redesigned by Alain Carle in 2015, exudes elegance with warm lighting, opulent drapery, and an open fish bar showcasing the freshness of its seafood. Signature dishes like the Milos Special, fresh fish selections, and traditional Greek salads bring bold flavours with refined presentation. With a menu and service that embody Greek hospitality, Milos continues to deliver an unforgettable dining experience in Montreal and beyond.

You don't come to Kim Fung for quiet intimacy or to be coddled by servers. You come because it's got character and characters. It's where families, students, tourists, and local die-hards converge over steaming baskets of shrimp dumplings, pork buns, and turnip cakes, all brought to you by the relentless, efficient cart service that makes dim sum what it is. In classic dim sum fashion, the room is made up mostly of circular tables seating at least six, and it's best experienced with a group that size or bigger, sharing plates family-style, spinning the Lazy Susan, and trying a bit of everything.

If you're a first-timer, brace yourself. The experience can be chaotic—carts whizz by, filled with all sorts of delicious-looking things, and there's a good chance you'll take something without fully knowing what it is (a rite of passage, really). It's an unapologetically busy atmosphere to grab a seat and dive in headfirst.

A true Montreal institution, Chez Lévêque has graced Laurier Avenue West since 1972, offering a taste of classic French brasserie dining in a timeless setting. Known for its warm, authentic atmosphere, this Parisian-inspired spot is beloved by regulars and visitors alike for its welcoming service and expertly crafted menu. With a focus on French staples like foie gras pâté, coq au vin, fresh oysters, and the famed lobster bisque, each dish is prepared with quality and finesse. The restaurant's outdoor terrace, one of the most charming in Montreal, is an ideal spot to unwind. More than 50 years on, Chez Lévêque remains a go-to for anyone seeking classic French dining in a cozy, elegant atmosphere. Groups of eight or more can design their own group menu or pick from one of the restaurant's three existing options, ranging from $70 to $120.

Tapeo in Villeray has mastered the art of tapas with an authenticity that transports you straight to Spain. Founded by friends Sébastien Muniz and Victor Afonso, Tapeo is known for its unfussy yet refined approach to Spanish small plates, with a menu that ranges from classic patatas bravas and smoky chorizo to inventive plates like swordfish ceviche with olive chutney. Since 2004, chef Marie-Fleur St-Pierre has brought her creative edge to the kitchen, updating the menu with daily and monthly specials that keep regulars coming back for something new.

In a space designed by Surface 3, Tapeo's interior exudes a warm, modern elegance with exposed brick, moody lighting, and a bustling open kitchen. The wine list leans heavily on Spanish bottles, thoughtfully curated to complement the diverse flavours of each dish. Service is attentive and well-paced, making it easy to settle in for a slow, multi-course experience. For groups of up to 18, reserve the chef's table, where you can watch St-Pierre and her team at work.

Hoogan & Beaufort operates like a carefully tuned workshop, where the building's industrial past still dictates the pace of the room. Housed in a former Angus Shops structure from the early 20th century, the restaurant keeps its scale intentionally measured, with sightlines drawn toward the open-fire kitchen that anchors service from start to finish. Fire isn't a flourish here—it's infrastructure. Ingredients are selected with that constraint in mind, designed to withstand heat and emerge clearer, not louder.

Chef Marc-André Jetté's menus prioritize balance and timing, moving comfortably between vegetables, seafood, and meat without leaning on excess. The wine program, deep and meticulously assembled, rewards curiosity as much as pairing logic.

The restaurant can host groups of eight to 90, with tasting menus designed in collaboration with the chef.

Bistro La Franquette takes the idea of a neighbourhood bistro seriously, even in a part of the city not known for understatement. Opened by chef Elias Deligianis with sommelier and co-owner Renée Deschenes, the restaurant leans into clarity rather than show. The menu is concise and seasonal, built around well-executed plates that favour balance over excess, from pastas and poultry to seafood and classic steak frites.

The room is warm without being precious. High ceilings, handmade details, and a steady hum of conversation give it a lived-in feel, while the service stays attentive and unforced. Wine plays a central role, with a list that leans European and rewards curiosity. La Franquette works because it resists the urge to overdefine itself, letting good cooking and hospitality carry the evening.

Groups of seven or more have the option of a tasting menu or a family-style menu, priced at $85 and $75 per person, respectively.

Burgundy Lion Pub offers a distinct blend of British tradition and Montreal vibes, making it a relied-upon spot in Little Burgundy since opening in 2008. The pub's décor is filled with memorabilia and souvenirs from the owners' travels to England, along with collaborations with artists, which all together add to the welcoming vibe. They serve a rotating list of beers, including two house brews, and boast one of the largest whisky collections in Quebec, with over 500 different bottles.

While the pub fare stays true to its roots with dishes that have included the likes of bangers and mash, Lancashire hotpot, and shepherd's pie, there are seasonal updates to keep things fresh. Their brunch options are crowd-pleasers as well, ranging from hearty staples like the full English breakfast to Scotch eggs, avocado toasts, and a whole lotta mimosas. Group menus are available for parties of eight or more.

McKiernan Luncheonette, a sprawling spot from the team behind Joe Beef and Maison Publique, redefines casual dining in Montreal's Sud-Ouest. Positioned to cater to the day-to-day needs of locals, McKiernan occupies a vibrant space on St-Patrick Street, serving straightforward yet inventive breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Expect comforting staples like rotisserie chicken and unique all-day breakfast options, accompanied by a modest selection of natural wines and beers. With its capacity for large groups and a flair for hosting, it promises more than just a meal—expect a culinary event designed for community engagement and pure delights.

Damas operates at a scale that feels almost defiant in Montreal: a vast, richly detailed dining room devoted entirely to generosity. Opened by chef Fuad Alnirabie, the restaurant treats Syrian cuisine as both craft and ceremony, built around mezze meant for sharing, bread baked constantly, and charcoal-grilled meats that anchor the meal. The cooking leans bright and aromatic—fattoush heavy on herbs and lemon, hummus crowned with lamb, vegetables treated with the same care as meat. Lamb appears often and confidently, braised, grilled, or folded into larger compositions.

The room hums nightly, fuelled by families, long tables, and a service team that knows how to pace abundance without rushing it. Sit near the kitchen if you can; watching pita balloon and grills flare is part of the experience.

La Belle Tonki is a refreshing take on Vietnamese dining in Montreal, blending traditional flavours with bold, unconventional twists. Founded by friends Michel Nguyen and Michel "Boombeast" Lim, the restaurant began as a revamp of Nguyen's family restaurant, La Belle Tonkinoise, before evolving into the vibrant La Belle Tonki on Beaubien Street.

The menu reflects the unique cultural backgrounds of the owners—Vietnamese and Cambodian—enhanced with a Montreal twist. Dishes like kimcheesy poutine, phở with short ribs, and a bánh mì burger offer an eclectic fusion of flavours. With hip-hop influences woven into the decor, service, and vibe, La Belle Tonki creates an atmosphere as dynamic as its cuisine. The restaurant only takes reservations for groups of six or more, and parties of eight or more are required to order the family-style menu at $50 per person, unless they arrive at or before 5:30 p.m.

Restaurant Sandhu offers a unique experience, blending the rich traditions of Indian and Italian cuisine under one roof. Founded by Ajmer Sandhu, whose journey from Punjab farm life to Montreal culinary icon spans decades, this family-owned spot has been a staple in the community for over 35 years. Originally inspired by Sandhu's time in Italy, where he trained in Italian cooking, the restaurant began with a focus on pizza and pasta but soon expanded to reflect the flavours of his roots with classic North Indian dishes.

The menu boasts hearty Indian staples like butter chicken, lamb bhuna, and tandoori salmon, each made with quality ingredients from local markets and served with freshly baked naan or rice. On the Italian side, you'll find pizzas, pastas, and classic veal dishes. For those craving a comforting meal, the butter chicken stands out as a top favourite—creamy, flavourful, and complemented by naan made fresh in a traditional tandoori oven.

Beyond food, Sandhu's atmosphere invites guests to relax in a welcoming space suited for birthdays, family gatherings, or a casual evening with friends. With private rooms for large events and a longstanding reputation for quality, Sandhu has earned its place as a go-to destination for group dining.

The Four Seasons Hotel Montreal's in-house restaurant, Marcus, fuses luxury with local flair on an expansive third floor designed by Atelier Zébulon Perron. This communal space welcomes both locals and guests, where the lounge, bar, restaurant, and terrasse offer distinct atmospheres, from an oceanic lounge to a forest-like bar. Helmed by Michelin-starred chef Marcus Samuelsson with executive chef Jason Morris, the venue reflects Montreal's vibrant social scene. Morris, known for his precision and creativity, ensures each dish from the globally inspired menu complements the sophisticated, timeless setting, making Marcus a culinary landmark in the city.

A labour of love by partners Kristin and Johnny, Keela warmly welcomes diners to its intimate and charming space in the Village. Bringing a wealth of experience and passion to their neighbourhood, Johnny is a seasoned chef with stints at Lucille's Oyster Dive and Park who applies himself to a menu rich in comfort food classics and daily specials, while Kristin ensures a seamless dining experience on the floor. Signature dishes include wood-fired flatbreads, burgers, steak frites, and appetizers like piri piri shrimp and celery root carpaccio. With a customizable three-course sharing menu on offer as well as a drink selection including organic and natural wines and house-crafted cocktails, it's a great place to enjoy a wooden terrace in the summer and a warm interior of brick walls, wood floors, and a large bay window in the winter.