A bánh mì counter that sells through a window onto the Bernard sidewalk, sharing a kitchen with the Ping Pong Club next door. It's the second address for Wendy Tran, who ran Cu Lắc as pop-ups and catering out of a home kitchen before opening on Bishop. Tran grew up in Vietnam and found Vietnamese restaurants here stuck on recipes from decades back, so her sandwiches pull from wherever: jerk-spiced oyster mushrooms with mango chutney and Quebec corn, lapsang-infused chicken with chipotle mayo, miso chicken, and a classic of slow-roasted pork belly with chả lụa and pâté. The pork and the lapsang chicken stay put; everything else rotates, with limited runs lasting about two months. Chef Giang Pham runs the kitchen. The baguette follows their own recipe, baked with local flour by Joe la Croûte at Jean-Talon. Open through winter, and available for catering.

Café Castel occupies a bright, compact room inside the Hôtel Ville-Marie. A house blend of espresso is the anchor here alongside café au lait and the usual range of milk drinks, plus iced coffee, iced tea, and smoothies when the weather applies. The food is counter service and geared to the neighbourhood's office and hotel traffic, with bagels, croissants, chocolatines and quiches in the morning, then sandwiches, wraps, pizza, soups and salads through the afternoon. A pastry case covers the rest. Seating spills onto a terrasse in summer, though the skylight ceiling that runs the length of the place makes it a perennial stop worth making.

Gian Paolo De Riggi spent two decades in kitchens and bars, as chef, sommelier and mixologist, before moving into design, and Ciccio's is the rare shop where one person handled the menu, the branding, the furniture and the room. The studio he runs with his father Agostino did interiors for Béatrice, Moretti and Helena, which accounts for the leather banquettes and chrome stools at the downtown counter. The food is deliberately plain-spoken: a short list of Italian sandwiches built on mortadella, porchetta, tuna, breaded eggplant, and a muffuletta that leans hard on giardiniera and hot pepper bomba. Salads are generous, antipasto boards come sized for four or eight, and dessert is cannoli or a pistachio tiramisu packed in a lidded jar. A small grocery shelf carries Italian sodas and local wine and beer, and there's catering for nearby offices. The name means plump.

Snowdon Deli isn't just a restaurant; it's an institution. For those in the know, it's a nostalgic trip down memory lane. For newcomers, it's a delightful discovery waiting to happen. This iconic Jewish deli, with its vibrant matzo ball soup and cheese bagelach, transports you straight to the heart of classic Miami eateries, echoing the charm of places like Wolfie’s Rascal House. Outlasting local legends like The Brown Derby and Ben’s, Snowdon Deli stands as a testament to timeless taste and tradition.

One of the few spots that’s so recognized for its food some would argue it’s barely even a dep. Le Pick-Up brings a bodega-style spot to Montreal complete with swivelling stools and outdoor diner tables regularly stacked with clientele. Try the cubanos, chipotle chicken clubs, those grilled halloumi and pulled pork sandwiches everyone orders, burgers, all-day breakfast—and always pull a bottle out of the fridges to go with it.

A Park Extension institution since 1977, Village Grec Souvlaki has spent nearly five decades setting the standard for affordable, no-frills Greek food in Montreal. The gyro is the draw: generous with meat, heavy on tzatziki, and consistent enough that regulars have been coming back for decades. Souvlaki comes on a stick or in a pita, in pork or chicken, and the mixed grilled meat platter, which brings together lamb, sausage, chicken, and pork, is the move for groups. Fried calamari, Greek salad, spanakopita, and dolmadakia fill out the supporting cast.

AMPM Café Apéro runs on a schedule that changes with the day. Mornings, it's espresso and allongés, matcha and hojicha lattes, bagels with cream cheese and a breakfast sandwich finished with spiced honey. Midday, the counter turns to sandwiches—jambon-beurre on baguette, a croissant with ham and Mornay, mortadelle and burrata on miche with roasted peach—plus soup, salads and yogurt bowls. Weekends bring brunch. Early evening, the room works as a buvette: wine, cocktails and small plates. The project comes from the team behind La Part des Anges, the restaurant at the Distillerie de Montréal, and the menu shifts with the seasons and whichever Quebec producers the kitchen is working with.

Pizzeria Nonnina occupies one end of the former Grand Marché building on Notre-Dame in Lachine, with the sandwich and pastry shop that shares its name at the other. Massimo Cappellano started Nonnina in 2020, after a stint running a gelato truck, and named it for his grandmother; his family is Sicilian, and he and his wife, Selina Sforza, both have roots in Lachine. The pizzeria is counter service with no seating, built for a slice on the way to the waterfront. The pies are New York style, thin and crisp, twenty inches across, sold whole or by the slice off the display. Toppings run from a margherita finished with basil pesto to a vodka sauce with bacon and caramelized onion, with bomba, ranch and hot honey on hand. One wall is given over to family photographs.

Café Milano has anchored Jarry Est in Saint-Léonard since 1971, when founder Matteo Paranzino opened what would become one of the Italian community's most reliable gathering spots. The formula hasn't changed much in five decades: Italian-style espresso pulled at all hours, thick pressed sandwiches running from capicollo and sausage to steak and veal cutlet (the Special Milano combines the house favourites), and a pastry counter stocked with cannoli, lobster tails, and biscotti. The original is famously open around the clock, drawing everyone from espresso-sipping regulars to the post-bar crowd, and the menu stretches to salads, poutine, and beer by the pitcher. Now run with the founder's son Marco Paranzino involved, the family business has since expanded to Laval and Pointe-Claire.

A Plateau institution for over 30 years, Chez José Café has held down its corner of avenue Duluth with a straightforward proposition: honest, no-frills cooking sourced from local artisans and small producers, served in a colourful, convivial room with a patio out front. Everything is made in-house, nothing is fried.

The menu covers a lot of ground without losing focus. Portuguese-style breakfasts anchor the morning (fried eggs, chorizo, sautéed potatoes and peppers on toasted Portuguese bread), alongside vegan platters, omelettes, sweet and savoury crêpes, and a strong smoothie list. At lunch, the sandwiches on housemade Portuguese bread are the move: the Churrasco chicken and the house végé-pâté have their devotees. The seafood soup (mussels, squid, shrimp in a tomato-coriander base) is considered a signature. An evening tapas and cocktail menu rounds things out.

This is where Arthurs, one of Montreal’s most beloved Jewish food spots, has taken its famed comfort food downtown at Le Cathcart in Place Ville Marie. It's where the city core crowd can savour the Saint-Henri classic’s most popular dishes: Expect to see their legendary McArthur sandwich (crispy chicken schnitzel), the vibrant latke smorgasbord (with smoked salmon, soft scrambled eggs, and challah), and their fluffy cottage cheese pancakes. They’ve also debuted a new babka and ice cream creation here.

Unlike their original spot, this Le Cathcart address—located in the space previously occupied by brasserie Mirabel—offers 90 seats and weekday service only. For the first time ever, Arthurs takes reservations here, a blessing for fans who’ve long endured the weekend lineups at the Notre-Dame location.