Montreal has got incredible restaurants for ramen, phō and luscious Italian pasta, and we've got lists for all of those. THIS list is for when you crave an overflowing plate of Asian noodles sans soup, from saucy hand-pulled sautés to chewy udon to rice vermicelli to fried noodles loaded with veggies and grilled meat. Here are 10 of our favourite noodle dishes in Montreal.
222 Avenue Laurier O, Montreal, H2T 2N8
This Chinese restaurant on tawny Laurier West is a must for all sorts of dishes, but one of our favourites is their deceptively simple spicy sesame noodles. Made with thick, chewy, stretchy udon, the texture is a winner even before the toasty, oily sauce imparts its slow-burn heat. Let the tingles set the mood for your whole meal in this lantern-lit home away from home: chef Andersen Lee's food is full of heart.
Read also:
The Best Ramen in Montreal
La Maison De Mademoiselle Dumpling
6381 Rue St-Hubert, Montreal, H2S 2L9
It's literally called the home of dumplings, but dig a little deeper on the menu on this Plaza Saint-Hubert success and you'll find a few feel-good noodle dishes that satisfy every time. The fresh noodle salad features cold hand-pulled noodles served intertwined with a generous mound of crunchy veggies, from julienned cucumber and red cabbage to red pepper and romaine. Dressed in a tangy, salty-sweet vinaigrette and topped with tons of chopped peanuts and cilantro, it's a winner.
3721 Rue Notre Dame O, Montreal, H4C 1P8
It's always a fun time at this Saint-Henri mainstay, and no visit is complete without a bottle from their natural wines list AND a plate of the char kuay teow noodles. Great for the gluten-free among us, these wide rice noodles make a change from the typical pad seew: they're stir-fried Southeast Asian-style with bean sprouts and the perfect protein-packed surf-and-turf mix of shrimp, Chinese sausage and clams. Served with hot sauce and a wedge of lime.
83 Rue St-Zotique E, Montreal, H2S 1K7
Pad Thai comes in all shapes and sizes in Montreal, but if we had to pick one to come back to again and again, it would be Pumpui's. This small eatery in Little Italy makes no substitutions, no matter how sweetly you ask: their classic pad Thai comes one way only, with tofu, egg and shrimp… no the vegetarian one can't be made vegan (fish sauce), no you can't add chicken. It's special for its smokiness, its perfect note of tamarind tanginess, and the finesse of the stretchy, gluten-free rice noodles.
1440 Boulevard de Rome, Brossard, J4W 2T4
You get to choose your ideal noodle thickness at this Brossard strip-mall find, where they'll pull them right before your eyes. We go nuts for their braised pork oil noodles, a recipe from the northwestern Shaanxi province of China: it features double-wide noodles that are divinely slurpable, served with just-crunchy bok choi, gai lan, sautéed chopped pork, lots of green onion and chili, and a drizzle of bubbling-hot oil from the pork pan.
Photo: @pri_mtlfoodie
1901 Rue Ste-Catherine O, Montreal, H3H 1M3
This Shaughnessy Village spot is one of the only places in town that specializes in gui lin rice noodles, a popular Chinese dish consisting of thin, soft rice noodles served with various toppings: typically pork in one form or other, plus fried peanuts, pickled vegetables, sliced chilies, a tea egg and lots of fresh cilantro. It's a very special dish that's as fresh and zingy as it is comforting; and if you're in the mood for MORE comfort, opt for one of their many noodle soups.
Multiple locations
Our go-to Vietnamese restaurant in the Petit Maghreb area in the east end has some stellar noodle dishes on offer, beyond their lauded phō. Top marks go to the vermicelli served with Hanoi style grilled pork patties and salad. The rice vermicelli are exactly as you'd imagine them, but they're the ideal vehicle for the flavoursome pork (crunchy on the outside, fragrantly spiced and fresh with cilantro and green onion) and the zippy sweet-and-sour salad.
1006 Boulevard St-Laurent, Montreal, H2Z 9Y9
It's a Chinatown destination that's worth queuing for, especially when the mood strikes for hand-pulled noodles. Watching them make them in the window is half the fun! Saddle up to your table in the bare-bones spot in Swatow Plaza and dive into a hearty bowlful of beefy dan dan noodles: slim noodles served with a mess of garlicky sautéed ground beef, julienned carrots, softened bok choy, green onions and peanuts.
3401 Rue Notre-Dame O, Montreal, H4C 1P3
This fancy Korean restaurant in Saint-Henri is a cocktails-and-friends kind of hangout, where you get the most out of the menu by sharing a whole bunch of dishes. Among them, pick their noodles du jour: though they have regulars on the menu, the seasonal specials really shine, like the Korean stir fried spicy seafood noodle dish that appears periodically. Smothered in spicy kim chi broth, these noodles are PACKED with punch and textures, from the plump shrimp to the chewy pork strips and crunchy veggies aplenty.
908 Rue Sherbrooke O, Montreal, H3A 1G3
The oil-spill noodles are a much-ordered fave at this Sherbrooke Street restaurant. The Chinese equivalent of spaghetti aglio e olio, these are hand-pulled noodles of your desired size served drizzled in toasty oil with a smattering of spices and green onions, tout simplement, then topped with the ingredients of your choice. Will you pick pickled edamame? Spicy cucumber? A tea egg?
Photo: @cheesyobsession
Check out these articles if you are craving comforting Pho in or delicious Ramen in Montreal.
