Headed to Montreal? Learn about our top 5 restaurants of 2026. At Mon Lapin, the room is lively, tables bare, and the vibe relaxed and unforced, giving co-chefs Noël and Marc-Olivier Frappier space to play. Find Beba, from co-owner brothers Ari and Pablo Schor, who opened an unpretentious, convivial 28-seat restaurant, turning a quiet residential corner into a culinary destination. Le Violon, a collaboration between local wunderkind Zébulon Perron and restaurant co-owner Dan Climan, is an intimate and hospitable restaurant in the Plateau that continues to attract a loyal following of local families, couples and serious connoisseurs of Montreal’s fine dining scene. Make your way to Montréal Plaza, where, in front of the house, you notice the joyous mood and design from local superstar Zébulon Perron, remaining as contemporary and appealing as ever. Finally, Rôtisserie La Lune (the team behind Mon Lapin), Marc-Olivier Frappier, Vanya Filipovic, Jessica Noël, Alex Landry and Marc-Antoine Gélinas turn their talent towards Quebec’s most nostalgic staple: rotisserie chicken, rebuilding the genre from the bones up.
Mon Lapin
For eight years, Mon Lapin has quietly carved out its own lane — somewhere between neighbourhood hangout and destination dining, without ever trying too hard to be either. The recent arrival of sister spot Rôtisserie La Lune (No. 2 on our list of best new restaurants 2026) hasn’t changed that dynamic. If anything, it has sharpened it. Mon Lapin is “not a bistro, but it has that energy,” says co-owner Jessica Noël. The room is lively, tables bare, the vibe relaxed and unforced. That ease gives co-chefs Noël and Marc-Olivier Frappier space to play. Read the rest here.
Beba
Co-owner brothers Ari and Pablo Schor opened this unpretentious, convivial 28-seat restaurant in 2019, naming it for their beloved grandmother. Since then, it has singlehandedly turned a quiet residential corner in the working-class suburb of Verdun into a culinary destination, drawing regulars from near and far. Much of its appeal is attributable to the brothers’ generous sense of hospitality, but more important still is their commitment to being the best possible ambassadors for their rich, but locally unusual, Argentine-Jewish culinary tradition. Read the rest here.
Le Violon
Two years in, this intimate and hospitable restaurant in the Plateau continues to attract a loyal following of local families, couples and serious connoisseurs of Montreal’s fine-dining scene. A good part of its success is attributable to the elegantly understated design — a collaboration between local wunderkind Zébulon Perron and restaurant co-owner Dan Climan, who’s the painter responsible for the striking Dalmatian that anchors the dining room. Then there’s the smart, restrained cooking from co-chefs Danny Smiles and Mitch Laughren and their chef de cuisine, Sara Raspa. The menu is continually evolving, but certain constants can be relied upon — when in season, freshly caught Nova Scotia tuna, for example, or monkfish, the latter paired with a juicy pork dumpling, celeriac threads and a lobster bisque scented with Périgord truffle. Read the rest here.
Montreal Plaza
Recent renovations in the kitchen marked the restaurant’s 10th anniversary. In the front of house, the joyous mood and design — by local superstar Zébulon Perron — remains as contemporary and appealing as ever. Whimsical touches are everywhere. Is that Elmo seated at the bar? And why are all those plastic Triceratops gathered on the pass? They are serving dinosaurs, obviously — vessels for some manner of tartare de pétoncles. Plaza co-chefs and co-owners Charles-Antoine Crête and Cheryl Johnson are committed to having fun, but they also share unassailable credentials and an intense commitment to quality. Read the rest here.
Rotisserie La Lune
The team behind Mon Lapin — Marc-Olivier Frappier, Vanya Filipovic, Jessica Noël, Alex Landry and Marc-Antoine Gélinas — turns its talent toward Quebec’s most nostalgic staple: rotisserie chicken. At La Lune, they rebuild the genre from the bones up — chickens and ducks from small farms roast slowly on the spit and arrive golden, served with hand-punched fries and a generous pour of house-made chicken gravy. For the side, coleslaw, green salad, Béarnaise sauce and mushrooms cooked in chicken fat are available. Read the rest here
Photography by Dominique Lafond, Gage Shereck, Gabriel Boutin, Matthieu Goyer, Dominique Lafond
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