11 Best Restaurants in Montreal, Quebec

Only one word accurately describes the all-natural goodness at this ice cream and sorbet stand: yum. Flavors change frequently based on what chefs find at the market, but the lightly salted butter ice cream is a staple; partner it with the apple sorbet and you'll have yourself an apple pie on a cone. Or, better yet, give the “soft serve of the week” a taste. Oddly satisfying combinations like blueberry and honey as well as rosewater, raspberry, and lychee are to be expected.

Open since 2001, this sophisticated French bistro pleases Montrealers with its flawless classics and its heated wraparound outdoor terrace. Regulars gravitate toward dishes such as the beef or salmon tartare, grilled Cornish hen, asparagus and wild mushroom risotto, mushroom ravioli, and hanger steak—all served with ceremonial aplomb on white linen tablecloths. Leave room for dessert: Pain Perdu, a thick slice of brioche with caramel and maple, is an indulgent specialty and can feed two people (if you can bear to share).

This small and tastefully decorated bakery is, simply put, a Montréal treasure. Locals come from all over the city to pick up delicious desserts like lemon tarts and Paris-Brest that taste as good as they look. Pâtisserie Rhubarbe also serves a delightful afternoon tea every Friday from 2 to 5.

A melange between a patisserie, a café, and a French bistro, this little restaurant has been a darling of food critics since it opened in 2017. Serving deftly executed French dishes like quiche, vol au vent, and tartines niçoises in a fresh, modern setting of white subway tiles, decorative brass struts, richly patinated wooden tables, and mint green–velvet seating, Café Bazin is a little corner of France in the heart of Anglo Westmount. You'll likely feel sated after your main course, but don't make the mistake of passing on dessert. Bazin is originally a patissier by profession and the patisseries here are exquisite. Try the tartelette choco café, a chocolate flan with Chantilly coffee cream, or the Paris brest, a choux pastry with hazelnut praline mousseline.   

Aficionados are willing to wait for a seat at this small café, where the foam on your latte or café au lait is artfully arranged in waves, hearts, or curlicues. The delicious coffee is imported from Ethiopia, Guatemala, Brazil, Bolivia, and elsewhere via the famed 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters in Vancouver. Patrons can choose alternatives to dairy milk, such as soy, almond, and oat. Don't drink coffee? Try the molten hot chocolate or the homemade iced tea. Baked goods are sourced from six different local bakeries, all of which are delicious. Myriade now has a second, Instagram-worthy Downtown location inside the Club Monaco store at 1000 Ste-Catherine Street West, and even a third one at 4627 rue St-Denis in the Plateau.

Students, freelancers, and local hipsters flock to this understated Turkish café for two reasons: the gourmet coffee and the food. Between the Nutella and sea salt cookie, and the feta and sausage omelet, and the boreks (a traditional flaky pastry sprinkled with sesame seeds), it’s hard to pick just one thing off Replika’s menu. But what really keeps people coming back is the genuine friendliness of the owners, a Turkish couple that’s always eager to chat.

A light croissant or rich pastry from the city's oldest patisserie makes for a nice break after visiting the Parc Mont-Royal or Oratoire St-Joseph. For lunch, try the quiche du jour, the onion soup, or the mushroom risotto followed by a tartelette aux abricots (apricot tart). Try to snag an almond paste (as opposed to almond cream) croissant (or rouleau) before the shop runs out.

Families and couples with dogs congregate here on warm summer nights, where the artisanal ice-cream recipes are prepared by hand. Real cream and real milk are the star ingredients, while the sorbets are 80% fruit puree. The hottest flavors? The Mi'Kmaq with coffee, the maple taffy, classic vanilla and chocolate, and the cranberry sorbet. At the peak of the season, the Outremont location is open until midnight every night.  There are outposts at 1600 rue Laurier E. in the Plateau and at 3905 boul. St-Laurent in Mile End.

This elegant patisserie is housed in a historic, beautifully renovated three-story graystone in Old Montréal. Baskets of buttery brioches and flaky croissants await, and the prominent pastry display holds rows of seasonal fruit tarts and classic French desserts like mille-feuilles (made of delicate layers of puff pastry and airy vanilla-scented custard) and Paris-Brest (made of choux pastry and a praline-flavored cream). The acclaimed pastry chef here, Christian Faure, is the recipient of France's highest culinary honor, Meilleur Ouvrier de France. A pastry school takes up space on the upper floors, while the ground floor is dedicated to various delectable take-out or eat-in sweet and savory options. There are two other locations, one in Westmount and one downtown.

Pick up a pastry to go at the counter or choose one of the plated desserts to enjoy on-site at Patrice Pâtissier, a beautifully designed pastry shop and lunch spot, overseen by one of Québec's most renowned pastry chefs. The almond cream with seasonal fruits is luscious and will certainly please those following a gluten-free and/or vegan diet. The chef's kouign amann (a French sugar and butter layered dessert from Brittany) is delicious, as is the maple financier—a nutty-tasting, brown butter cake.