The 21 Best Restaurants in Montreal's Mile End

Au Coin’s space is comprised from a curious miscellany of light fixtures, columns, and tables. Its delightfully open kitchen—where fresh herbs grow from pots, the pizza oven takes centre stage, and a swan sculpture nestles in the corner—only adds to the restaurant’s energy. With four services, spanning 15 hours, patrons can stop by any time of day. Breakfast is a simple but well-executed list of toasts, crepes, and pastries, while the slightly elevated lunch, appertivo and dinner menus feature pizzas and salads. Perfect for any occasion.

This Syrian/Lebanese Mile-End staple sits in a former residential space on Parc, all exposed brick and aromatics, serving some of the most understated Middle-Eastern fare in the city. Dining here means embracing the clamor of passing plates—taking a bit of hummus, mouhammara, fattoush, and kibbé for yourself, and handing off the dish to whoever’s at your side. With a diverse menu of veggies, meats, seafood, and more, KazaMaza makes a lovely destination for parties with varied dietary restrictions, which is to say: all will leave satisfied.

The product of Chef Marc Cohen and General Manager-Artist Sefi Amir, Lawrence offers a seasonal-dependent prix-fixe at $120 per person, toting dishes like scallop with clementine koshō, squid ink and carrot cappelletti, and lamb curry ravioli (to name a few). A menagerie of flavours that unite in harmony, it’s no wonder Lawrence has become one of Montreal’s most coveted reservations.

Coming from our very own Montreal but since expanded to everywhere from Athens to Singapore, Estiatorio Milos is a Greek restaurant with twelve locations across the world, yet, unlike many white tablecloth chains, they manage to preserve the quality of their fare. Perhaps that’s because their menu leans heavy on the seafood—seafood that, prior to meeting the pan, sits whole on a counter so diners can have their pick. Try a salt baked fish, oysters or caviar from their raw bar; if their dinner prices are too steep for your liking, a three-course lunch will run you $49. And, if seafood’s not your thing, they also serve meats from local farms.

In a neighbourhood where a Montreal-New York rivalry runs dozens of bagels deep, Pizza Toni, serving up slices of New York (and Detroit) style pies somewhat quells the fire. The perfect spot for an on-the-go lunch, or to sit at a booth and devour a whole 18”, Pizza Toni is a titan of Mile-End and St. Viateur—a street with no shortage of great restaurants. The pepperoni and sweet cherry pie are local favourites, as are their array of delicious, though unorthodox, dipping sauces (hot honey, ranch, and garlic, to name a few).

Led by Canada and Japan trained chef-owner Vincent Gee, Nishinokaze (”West Wind”) is an 8-seat Tokyo-style omakase highlighting the flavours of local and imported seafood—a fusing of the East and West. This ethos appears also in the restaurant’s architecture, designed by Montreal and Tokyo-born architects Justin Nguyen and Taichi Kuma, and dishware, a monthly rotation of both Eastern and Western pottery. In this way, and more, Nishinokaze engages its diners’ artistic and epicurean sensibilities, both a restaurant and a gallery.

Hansang is a family-owned restaurant offering authentic Korean cuisine—attributes that shine through in the flavours and care bestowed to each dish by chef-owner Mrs. Lee. In the restaurant’s relaxed, intimate dining room, Lee’s children deliver classics like seafood pancake, japchae, seolleongtang, soondubu jigae, and bibimbap, alongside homemade banchan. If the kind, welcoming service doesn’t make you feel like a cherished guest in someone’s home, the food certainly will. Just don’t let your halmeoni (grandmother) catch you saying it’s better than hers.

Pasta, foccacia, crudo, cocktails, vino, affogato. That’s Prezze Mollo: simple and intentional. The lunch and dinner spot, the work of Catherine Caron and Julien Messier-Cousineau, is a haven for made-from-scratch Italian favourites. Lunch is sandwiches, salads, and pasta, while the dinner menu is sorted more traditionally into antipasti, primi, pasta, and secondi. Whether olives, aranci, pappardelle, or ossobuco, these are bites you can’t help but enjoy over aperitifs and hearty meals that leave you exiting the restaurant in a starry-eyed, meal-induced stupor.

This retro-style corner spot, with a bold red-and-white sandwich sign wrapping around its storefront, and an interior complete with yellow chairs, wood panelling, and a funky tiled floor, exists visually somewhere in between a diner and a deli. Its menu, though, is all deli. Classic sub, chicken Caesar, corned beef, Cubano: meats and cheeses are synonymous with the Renzo name. Order a boozy slushy with your sandwich, and you’ve got yourself the kind of lunch (or dinner) that turns the day into a small celebration.

The French-Moroccan dinette Nili describes itself as “le café sans café,” which sums up their spirit fairly well. From its tiny kitchen, manned by owner and chef Mikey Levy, comes a deliberate menu, brought into a dining room that, despite the restaurant’s lack of espresso machine, manages to cultivate the neighbourly atmosphere of a coffee shop—with the prices to match. Small plates of spicy Moroccan oranges & olives, or hummus, cucumber, & mint yogurt will run you $11 and $15 respectively, while their salad selection tops at $18. Moroccan couscous, meatballs with a spicy tomato sauce, and chicken pastilla make up the latter half of the menu. Whether stopping in for a quick bite, or chatting over a leisurely meal, Nili delivers good food and community.

From chef Amine Laabi, Gregory Watson, Phillipe Carile, and Giuseppe Carta (all ex-Cafe Gentile) is Leila, a southern Mediterranean restaurant on Saint-Laurent with an oft-rotating menu—though their signature sardines on toast remains a constant. Their space is refined, but elegant, with brown velvet barstools, and a green-tiled countertop that draws the eyeline to an open kitchen. Their menu is equally well-presented and executed, featuring seasonal selections using three to four ingredients.

Dining at Barcola Bistro Audio is an idiosyncratic experience that can only be described as equal parts auditory and gustatory. Though it opened in 2013, the creation of couple Fabrizio and Danielle, the restaurant evolved into its present state during the pandemic, where Fabrizio’s vinyl and vintage audio equipment merged with Danielle’s DJ past. And, while most restaurants use music as mere background noise, Barcola approaches it differently, using its sound system as the architecture around which everything else exists. The food menu is succinct and heavily inspired by Fabrizio’s Italian roots—$68 for three courses, with dishes like sorrel salad, rigatoni, braised roast pork, and panna cotta—and a substantial wine list to pair.

Molenne brings the atmosphere of a worn-in Parisian bistro to the Mile-End, appending enough Montreal grit (their banquettes come from Théâtre du Nouveau Monde) to feel like an organic presence in the neighbourhood. Chef Louis-Joseph Rochefort (Attica, Australia) cooks up a refined menu, including rockerfeller oysters, whelks in brine, mulard duck magret, and crispy potatoes; Gia Bach Nguyen (Gia) takes over the bar, with a cocktail menu boasting names like “Mile-End with a View” and “Seabiscuit.” Though it opened in February 2025, every detail is delivered with the ease of somewhere that’s existed for decades.

Île Flottante boasts similar characteristics to its namesake dessert (soft meringue on crème anglaise): light, classic, simple. And it lives up to its literal definition. From the kitchen of owner and chef Sean Murray Smith emerges a frequently changing, Michelin guide-level tasting menu that exists on its own floating island. A sole product of Murray’s; a unique democratization of vegetables, fish, and meat. For that, and for its warm, neighbourhood bistro atmosphere, it’s worth visting and revisiting.

Chez Greenberg is a generational affair, with founder Jake Greenberg’s family history of hospitality going back to the 1940s. His great-grandparents, then grandparents, owned a hotel, within which his father and uncle opened Zadies, serving their favourite childhood meals. Chez Greenberg emerged from similar roots: Jake Greenberg’s desire to revive Zadies, Daniel Feinglos’ wish to bring more Jewish culture to the Mile End. The result was a restaurant that makes “everything but the bagel.” Breakfast sandwiches, lox, whitefish, latkes, and knish, plus coffee and tea: it’s the kind of menu perfect for any morning or afternoon.

Fresh homemade bread, soups, salads, sweets, and drinks: Le Butterblume’s menu is as bright as its atmosphere and yellow door. The lunch and brunch spot is a thoughtful meditation on comfort food. Pork and spinach “maultasche” ravioli is paired with chicken dashi, confit onion, and parsley oil; toasted coconut, passion fruit, whipped sour cream, and vanilla custard top an oat and sesame cake. They’ve also got a modest drinks menu, complete with juices, cocktails, beers, and a full wine list. The place to go for a homey late-morning, mid-afternoon sit-down.

Contemporary Chinese cuisine is what you’ll find at Chef Anderson Lee’s sort-of eponymous Oncle Lee. Spicy salmon rice cake, fresh oysters, 5 spice duck platter, garlic fried rice, sautéed greens—just a glimpse at the menu begets an immediate, specific hunger. The cozy space, lined with booths, Chinese lanterns hanging, and a full bar as a centrepiece, emits the perfect ambience for a casual date or family dinner; a meal where sharing is essential and leftovers will inevitably accompany you home.

Double’s epitomizes the contemporary dive bar. A space that’s equal parts worn and stylish, where crowds gather around the pool table and watching sports feels instinctive—even for the least sports-interested of patrons. True, too, is the fact that Double’s delivers two-fold, with drinks and food. Their Montreal-famous burger goes well with crispy onion rings and fries. Think classic bar fare with Chef Danny Smiles’ special flair.

Minou’s no-tipping, rotating wine bar menu moves from charcuterie and PEI oysters through confident small plates (like fried artichokes, beef tartare, lamb ragù pappardelle), to conclude with Quebec cheeses and a seasonal dessert. Inheriting the warm construction of an old diner, owners and chefs Yailén “Yaya” Díaz and Phil transformed the space into something that strikes a balance between cozy and refined.

Serving sushi, sashimi, maki, and an omakase in the evening, Jun I—from Chef Junichi Ikematsu—has been a Mile-End destination since 2005. Fresh fish and impeccably prepared rice are focal points of the meal, as they should be, with a menu that rewards those who let the kitchen lead. The room itself is simple and calm, with Japanese malts and whiskeys at the bar, and a clearly in-control Itamae at behind the counter. A nice respite from the bustle of Saint-Laurent.

Mikado’s menu reflects Japanese cuisine with mild global influences, resulting in an array of sushi and tapas. Tofu agedashi, gyoza, and sushi pizza start the meal, while nigiri ranging toro, uni, unagi, scallop, and more take centre stage. Makis are also on the menu (think simple, like spicy salmon, and more inventive, like crab cake, lobster, yuzu, teriyaki, and spicy mayo). Reliably good food with a lovely front-of-house staff.