Montréal’s Top 5 Restaurants of 2025

Headed to Montreal? Set the bar high from your very first reservation with our five best Montreal restaurants. At Mon Lapin, co-owners and chefs Jessica Noël and Marc-Olivier Frappier deliver dishes that are playful, precise, and consistently surprising. Over at BEBA, brothers Ari and Pablo Schor double down on identity, cooking food rooted in their Argentinian-Jewish heritage. Le Violon follows, where chefs Danny Smiles and Mitch Laughren offer stripped-back, soulful cooking inspired by Italian, French, and Spanish traditions (their debut landed them the top spot on our 2025 Best New Restaurants list). At Monarque, expect classic French flavours reimagined with modern finesse. And finally, Montréal Plaza, where French technique meets Japanese influence in a way that feels both bold and effortless.

Mon Lapin

For seven years, Mon Lapin has defined that elusive sweet spot between casual and special-occasion restaurants, and the debut late last year of sister restaurant Rôtisserie La Lune has not dimmed its founding vision. “We’re not a bistro, but it’s that vibe,” says co-owner Jessica Noël. “It’s loud and there are no tablecloths.” The ostensibly casual approach encourages co-chefs Noël and Marc-Olivier Frappier to let loose on their daily menu, which in the writing gives little away other than ingredients and producers. (Don’t worry, knowledgeable servers will elucidate.) Read the rest here.

Beba

Over its six years, this convivial 28-seat restaurant 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 co-owner brothers Ari and Pablo Schor’s 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

This intimate and well-considered new restaurant in the Plateau, on the former site of Maison Publique, has been a smash hit from the get-go last summer. A good part of its success is attributable to its design, a winning collaboration from local wunderkind Zébulon Perron and restaurant co-owner Dan Climan, 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. Read the rest here.

Monarque

Thanks to its sensibly delineated spaces, this vast and eminently stylish Old Montreal brasserie manages to feel intimate and comfortable in a manner that belies its 175 seats. You can dine à la carte at the stunning bar with 20 stools and a lounge; or, just beyond, in the brasserie; or if you’re inclined toward something more elevated, enjoy an entirely different multi-course menu in the back room, with its elegant black banquettes and white tablecloths. Read the rest here.

Montréal Plaza

Settle in at a table for two or at the long, busy bar and, at first, all seems normal. The mood is joyous, and the design — by local superstar Zébulon Perron — is as contemporary and appealing today as it was the day Plaza opened in 2015. But hang on a moment — what’s Elmo doing seated at the bar? And why are all those plastic triceratops gathered on the pass? 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.