"People ask me all the time what my favorite restaurant in the world is, and I always give them the wrong answer. My favorite restaurant in the world is Joe Beef." -David Chang [Eater 38 Member]
Art adorns the walls, the wine list invariably compels and plates like foie gras parfait with roasted prunes, calf's liver à la Montréalaise and raspberry trifle with sprinkles. [Eater 38 Member]
Nora Gray's poise is at an apex and, with it, the expert wine service and southern Italian fare. It is hard to reap more satisfaction from any other restaurant in the city right now. [Eater 38 Member]
Maison Publique is much more than a “little neighbourhood pub”. The humblebrag schtick is of the moment but who’s he kidding: Dammann is one of the top chefs in Montreal. [Eater 38 Member]
Veteran restaurateur and chef Richard Bastien runs one of the tightest, brightest restaurants in Montreal. An exemplary bistro with arguably the most loyal clientele in the city. [Eater 38 Member]
The eminent foursome of Le Club Chasse et Pêche has won Plateau fidelity with emphasis on quality surf sans turf and one of the best wine lists in Montreal. [Eater 38 Member]
The horseshoe bar, playlists and décor play well with the neighbourhood’s hipsters. Dishes like foie gras terrine with rhubarb, yogurt and horse tartare with ox-eye capers resonate. [Eater 38 Member]
"Au Pied de Cochon is simply one of my favourite restaurants on the planet - and the Rabelesian Martin Picard one of my favourite chefs." -Anthony Bourdain [Eater 38 Member]
Old fashioned, medium fat, black cherry soda, maybe some pickles, maybe some fries. That's it, that's all. [Eater 38 Member]
Three Michelin star chef Daniel Boulud's sleek restaurant in the august Ritz-Carlton hotel has galvanized Montreal's Golden Square Mile. [Eater 38 Member]
The restaurant Lesley Chesterman called 2012's "most exciting" and "a wish come true", was not first to bring branché nuevo latino to the city. But nobody is doing it this well. [Eater 38 Member]
Possibly the most complete restaurant in the city. The cushy Mile End locale and the chef's earthy, thoughtful gastropub food make it one of the most difficult tables in town. [Eater 38 Member]
Hostaria is in capable hands. The kitchen's elegant touch with rustic Italian has helped transform Saint-Zotique Est into a restaurant row of note. [Eater 38 Member]
Nobody should be alarmed that Les 400 Coups' original founders recently left the well-orchestrated restaurant to pursue other projects. Expect a seamless transition. [Eater 38 Member]
La Chronique has a "fussy, no-nonsene", "save it for a special occasion" rep but the food is often playful and not solely for a Saturday anniversary dinner. [Eater 38 Member]
If the French restaurant lacks the cult status of a L'Express it has less to do with the quality of food than with the fact it turns over chefs at a whiplash clip. [Eater 38 Member]
"Montreal’s buvettes occupy a particular cozy-chic niche – somewhere between wine bars and gastropubs – and this one has the city’s heartbeat at rest." Sarah Musgrave, enRoute [Eater 38 Member]
La Salle à Manger is the poster child for Plateau scenesterdom but the restaurant is not too cool to forget what binds a place to a particular 'hood in the long run. [Eater 38 Member]
Antonio Park has a private fish import license and is not afraid to use it. The affable native of Argentina and Culinary Institute of Japan alum has sharp knife skills. [Eater 38 Member]
Colin Perry’s ode to his native Kentucky serves up the finger lickin’ goods but beyond the fried chicken (which is the best in the city) you have to admire Triple Crown’s audacity. [Eater 38 Member]
Fisun Ercan prepares comfort food classics from her native Turkey with the flair of a chef schooled in French culinary technique. The result is one of the most fetching restaurants. [Eater 38 Member]
Graziella Battista's food is far from twee, yet what she has built in Old Montreal over the last six years is an antidote to macho, food porn excess. [Eater 38 Member]
Two decades on and the grand dame of Roman cuisine still plays it gratifyingly straightforward, from spaghetti alla vongole to tiramisu. [Eater 38 Member]
Moishes somehow feels fresher than ever but the stuff that got it here is still in evidence. [Eater 38 Member]
Nick Hodge is in this for the fun (a Baskin-Robbins-like taco menu, Dr Pepper ribs and jalapeño poppers). A pitcher of bourbon lemonade in and you forget how long you had to queue. [Eater 38 Member]
Regulars adore it and while the kitchen does not reinvent the wheel - a tartare here, foie gras there, filet de boeuf, crème brûlée - dishes are precise and the atmosphere magnetic. [Eater 38 Member]
Has not had a misstep since John Winter Russell took over from Dion in the kitchen. Quite the opposite: Sylvie Lachance and Urs Jakob's dapper restaurant is as cultivated as ever. [Eater 38 Member]
Most diners are now hip to the fact that Pastaga, despite the name, Little Italy address and playful vitello tonnato, is not an Italian restaurant. [Eater 38 Member]
Au Cinquième Péché has coaxed itself into the hearts of finicky Plateau gourmets with a consistently beguiling market-driven menu. Benoît Lenglet's food is precise and delicious. [Eater 38 Member]
Time will tell if the Steven Leslie (Monkland Tavern, Tavern on the Square) bred owners can pull it off with their homemade pastas, tartares, fish tacos and pork chops and spaetzle. [Eater 38 Member]
Gus has the chops to end the injustice. The small space is a charmer and while Ferguson's wheelhouse is still Southwestern soul, the chef is comfortable outside the strike zone. [Eater 38 Member]
There is no getting to the marrow of Montreal's restaurant scene without a thorough introduction to its bellwether bistro. L'Express is all atmosphere and a perfect menu of classics. [Eater 38 Member]
After two decades, the Relais & Châteaux chef's flagship restaurant is as crucial as ever. [Eater 38 Member]
Martin Picard's homage to sugar shack culture is part working farm, part Felliniesque fever dream. And paralyzingly good. [Eater 38 Member]
