Montreal (Montréal) is Quebec's largest city and the second-largest in Canada, home to about 1.76 million people on an island in the St. Lawrence River. This guide covers Old Montreal, Mount Royal, museums, neighbourhood food, transit and practical costs for visitors.
Montreal's food culture blends French and Québécois cooking with the traditions of its immigrant communities: Jewish delis and wood-fired bagel bakeries on boulevard Saint-Laurent and in Mile End, Italian food around Marché Jean-Talon and Little Italy (Petite-Italie), Portuguese grills in the Plateau, Syrian and Lebanese cooking, and Chinatown on boulevard Saint-Laurent and rue de la Gauchetière. Local signatures are poutine, Montreal smoked meat, Montreal-style bagels, steamé hot dogs and maple products. The Michelin Guide Québec 2026, released May 6, 2026, awards one star to five Montreal restaurants (Hoogan et Beaufort, Sushi Nishinokaze, Mastard, Sabayon and Jérôme Ferrer – Europea) and Bib Gourmands to neighbourhood favourites such as L'Express, Le Petit Alep and Limbo.
Must-try dishes
Iconic dishes that define Montreal.
Poutine
French fries topped with fresh cheese curds (fromage en grains) and hot gravy, the signature Québec comfort dish.
Where to try: La Banquise, 994 Rue Rachel Est (open 24 hours)
Price: CAD 15-25 (about USD 10.50-17.50)
Montreal smoked meat sandwich
Spice-cured, smoked and steamed beef brisket, hand-sliced and piled on rye bread with yellow mustard.
Where to try: Schwartz's Deli, 3895 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Price: CAD 15-30 (about USD 10.50-21)
Montreal-style bagel
Hand-rolled bagel boiled in honey-sweetened water and baked in a wood-fired oven; smaller, denser and sweeter than New York bagels.
Where to try: St-Viateur Bagel, 263 Rue Saint-Viateur Ouest, or Fairmount Bagel, 74 Avenue Fairmount Ouest (both open 24 hours)
Price: CAD 2-15 (about USD 1.40-10.50)
Steamé hot dog
Steamed hot dog on a steamed bun, ordered all-dressed (mustard, relish, onion and coleslaw).
Where to try: Montréal Pool Room, 1200 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Price: CAD 5-15 (about USD 3.50-10.50)
Wilensky Special
Grilled and pressed salami-and-bologna sandwich with mustard, served the same way since the 1930s.
Where to try: Wilensky's Light Lunch, 34 Avenue Fairmount Ouest (Tuesday-Saturday)
Price: CAD 8-15 (about USD 5.60-10.50)
Portuguese grilled chicken
Charcoal-grilled chicken with piri-piri, a legacy of the Portuguese community of the Plateau.
Where to try: Ma Poule Mouillée, 969 Rue Rachel Est
Price: CAD 12-25 (about USD 8.40-17.50)
Top restaurants
Handpicked picks for the best dining experiences.
La Banquise
Poutine restaurant on rue Rachel facing Parc La Fontaine, open 24 hours with dozens of poutine variations.
Known for: Poutine
994 Rue Rachel Est, Montréal, QC
Ma Poule Mouillée
Portuguese rotisserie counter on rue Rachel serving charcoal-grilled chicken and a well-known chicken-and-chorizo poutine.
Known for: Portuguese grilled chicken
969 Rue Rachel Est, Montréal, QC
Restaurants by cuisine
Browse picks grouped by cuisine type.
Modern Cuisine
Limbo
Restaurant on avenue Mozart Ouest beside Jean-Talon Market, newly awarded a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide Québec 2026.
Known for: Seasonal market cooking
45 Avenue Mozart Ouest, Montréal, QC
French
L'Express
Parisian-style bistro on rue Saint-Denis, open since 1980, awarded a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide Québec 2026.
Known for: Classic French bistro dishes
3927 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC
Liverpool House
Sister restaurant of Joe Beef a few doors along rue Notre-Dame Ouest, serving seafood, pasta and game in a tavern-style room.
Known for: Seafood and seasonal plates
2501 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, QC
Le Club Chasse et Pêche
Vaulted, dimly lit Old Montreal dining room near the Château Ramezay, open since 2004 and known for game and fish; listed in the Michelin Guide Québec.
Known for: Game and fish, French technique
423 Rue Saint-Claude, Montréal, QC H2Y 3B6
Leméac
Long-running French bistro on avenue Laurier Ouest in Outremont; listed in the Michelin Guide Québec.
Known for: French bistro cooking
1045 Avenue Laurier Ouest, Montréal, QC H2V 2L1
Maison Boulud
Chef Daniel Boulud's French restaurant inside the Ritz-Carlton Montréal on rue Sherbrooke Ouest; listed in the Michelin Guide Québec.
Known for: French cooking with Québec ingredients
1228 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montréal, QC
Japanese
Kazu
Busy Japanese izakaya-style restaurant of about 30 seats on rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest near Concordia University.
Known for: Japanese comfort food
1844 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, Montréal, QC H3H 1M1
Modern Québécois
Mastard
Chef Simon Mathys's neighbourhood tasting-menu restaurant on rue Bélanger, opened in 2021; retains one star in the Michelin Guide Québec 2026.
Known for: Five-course tasting menu built on Québec ingredients
1879 Rue Bélanger, Montréal, QC H2G 1B6
African
Le Virunga
Restaurant on rue Rachel Est serving sub-Saharan African cooking with Québec ingredients; listed in the Michelin Guide Québec.
Known for: Pan-African cuisine
851 Rue Rachel Est, Montréal, QC
Café And Bakery
Modern British
Lawrence
Restaurant from chef Marc Cohen on avenue Fairmount in Mile End; listed in the Michelin Guide Québec.
Known for: Seasonal nose-to-tail cooking
9 Avenue Fairmount Est, Montréal, QC
Modern Vegetable
Le Vin Papillon
Natural-wine bar from the Joe Beef team on rue Notre-Dame Ouest, with a vegetable-focused small-plates menu; listed in the Michelin Guide Québec.
Known for: Vegetable small plates and natural wine
2519 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, QC
Montreal Jewish Deli
Lester's Deli
Outremont deli on avenue Bernard serving Montreal smoked meat since 1951.
Known for: Montreal smoked meat
1053A Avenue Bernard, Montréal, QC H2V 1V1
Portuguese
Québécois
Rotisserie
Sandwiches And Diner
Seafood
Syrian
Syrian And Armenian
Le Petit Alep
Syrian-Armenian restaurant opened in 1995 opposite Jean-Talon Market, awarded a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide Québec.
Known for: Aleppo-style mezze and grills
191 Rue Jean-Talon Est, Montréal, QC
Food tours & tastings in Montreal
Eat your way through Montreal with a guide.
Browse food experiences in MontrealWe may earn a commission from bookings made through these links.
Street food
Local flavours at affordable prices.
Hot bagels from the oven
Bagels sold warm by the bag at all hours, eaten on the pavement outside the bakery.
Find it at: St-Viateur Bagel, 263 Rue Saint-Viateur Ouest, Mile End
Steamés and fries
Montreal-style hot dogs from a counter that has served the Main for decades.
Find it at: Montréal Pool Room, 1200 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Market snacks
Fruit, cheese, sausages, maple treats and pastries sold by stallholders at the open-air market.
Find it at: Marché Jean-Talon, 7070 Avenue Henri-Julien, Little Italy
Food markets
Where locals shop and graze.
Marché Jean-Talon
One of North America's largest open-air public markets, with produce, cheese, butchers, bakeries, maple producers and prepared-food counters; partly enclosed in winter.
Hours: Summer schedule Monday-Saturday 8:00-18:00, Sunday 8:00-17:00; check marchespublics-mtl.com for seasonal and holiday hours
Marché Atwater
Art Deco market hall beside the Lachine Canal with butchers, cheese shops, bakeries and seasonal outdoor produce stalls.
Hours: Opens daily from 9:00; check marchespublics-mtl.com for current closing times
Marché Maisonneuve
Smaller public market in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve beside the historic 1914 market building.
Hours: Hours vary by season; check marchespublics-mtl.com
Dining etiquette & tips
Navigate the local food scene confidently.
Tipping is customary: 15-20% of the pre-tax bill in sit-down restaurants; card terminals brought to the table suggest percentages.
Québec adds GST (5%) and QST (9.975%), about 14.975% in total, to restaurant bills; menu prices exclude tax.
Many Plateau restaurants are 'Apportez votre vin' (bring your own wine), especially on rue Duluth and rue Prince-Arthur; buy wine at a SAQ store beforehand.
Menus are in French first; most restaurants also have an English menu or English-speaking staff. 'Table d'hôte' means a fixed-price set meal.
Starred restaurants such as Sushi Nishinokaze, Hoogan et Beaufort and Mastard need booking weeks ahead; Schwartz's, La Banquise and the bagel bakeries take no reservations.
St-Viateur Bagel's original shop on rue Saint-Viateur does not take cards, so carry some cash.
Many restaurants close on Monday and sometimes Tuesday; check the restaurant's website before travelling.
- Vegetarian
- Widely available; vegetable-forward menus at wine bars such as Le Vin Papillon, plus vegetarian poutine with meatless gravy at La Banquise and many Middle Eastern restaurants.
- Halal
- Halal butchers and restaurants are concentrated in Parc-Extension, Côte-des-Neiges and along rue Jean-Talon; many Lebanese and Syrian restaurants serve halal meat, so ask staff.
- Gluten free
- Most restaurants mark gluten-free dishes ('sans gluten') on the menu; poutine gravy and bagels usually contain gluten.
Food budget guide
What to expect at different price points.
| Level | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | CAD 10-25 per meal (about USD 7-17.50) | Bagels, poutine, steamés, smoked meat counters and market snacks. |
| Mid-range | CAD 40-90 per meal (about USD 28-63) | Bib Gourmand bistros, wine bars and neighbourhood restaurants. |
| Upscale | CAD 130-450 per meal (about USD 91-315) | Michelin-starred tasting menus and omakase counters, before wine and tip. |