A full spread at Pumpui. | Pumpui
Everywhere to eat in Montreal right now, from bagels to classic French dining, according to Eater’s on-the-ground food writer
With its offbeat blend of poutine, pikliz, natural wine, and piri-piri, Montreal is a food city hors pair. You’ll find Italian, Jewish, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Haitian, and, of course, meaty French-leaning restaurants side by side. Add to that our public markets, rooftop greenhouses, urban farms (Montreal is a world capital of urban agriculture), and a surplus of homegrown cooking talent. No single influence governs Montreal’s distinct, ever-evolving culinary terrain, and that’s what makes eating here so special.
I’ve been curating this map for the past five years. Spanning cuisines, neighborhoods, and price points, it’s a shortlist of must-try spots, reflecting some of the newer openings driving conversation, the trends playing out across dining tables, and generational icons that complete the city. It also serves as a primer on local food-speak; lesson one: If you order an “entree,” you’re getting a starter.
This spring, long-awaited snow crabs and lobsters, fiddleheads, asparagus, and wild mushrooms bring fresh excitement to the city’s restaurants, just as patio furnishings make their ceremonial return out of storage. And with the Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list, the arrival of Michelin’s first-ever Quebec selection, and Les Lauriers de la Gastronomie Québécoise, May is a banner month for culinary recognition — though Montrealers know the food scene here is among the world’s greatest, with or without stars.
In this latest refresh, we’ve revamped our write-ups to include even more relevant info for diners, including a rough range of pricing for each destination — ranging from $ for quick, inexpensive meals with dishes largely under $10 USD (or the equivalent in Canadian dollars), to $$$$ for places where entrees exceed $30.
Eater updates this list quarterly to make sure it reflects the ever-changing Montreal dining scene.
New to the map in May 2025: Champion of Mexican baking traditions Carlota; new-ish Plateau pintxo-and-more spot Bar Vivar; longtime go-to and newly spruced-up Vin Papillon; one of the driving forces behind Montreal’s Lebanese new wave, Lulu Épicerie; Fairmount Bagel, the city’s first and oldest bagel shop; and a favorite for South Indian dishes, Dosa Pointe.
Valerie Silva is a Montreal writer and editor. From 2020 to 2022, she ran Eater’s Montreal site and remains a regular contributor for the publication. Her work has appeared in Bon Appétit, Air Canada’s enRoute, ELLE Canada, Maisonneuve Magazine, and elsewhere, spanning everything from the belugas and beer of the Saguenay Fjord to Hochelaga-Maisonneuve’s clown culture and the history and high notes of poutine in Montreal. Otherwise, you can find her developing concepts and stories for multimedia studio Moment Factory.
