It's official! Montreal's dining scene is finally getting some of the attention it deserves. After our first year of consideration from the MICHELINS comes a glorious crop of accolades from the inaugural North America's 50 Best Restaurants black-tie awards ceremony, held last night at the glittering Wynn Las Vegas.
Montreal boasts 5 of the 10 spots held by Canadian restaurants among the continent's 50 best, not to mention two stellar special awards: the LaVazza Icon Award, which was given to Toqué!'s chef Normand Laprise (whose legacy inspired a roaring standing ovation), and the North America's Best Sommelier Award, which went to Mon Lapin's incomparable Vanya Filipovic.
Make your reservations tout de suite to these award-winning spots!
150 Rue St-Zotique E, Montreal, H2S 1L8
This beloved Little Italy gem didn't just nab no. 2, it was named the Best Restaurant in East Canada 2025, PLUS its game-changing sommelier Vanya Filipovic won the North America's Best Sommelier Award. Expect star studded delights by chef Marc-Olivier Frappier to go with the drinks at this casually brilliant food, where honeynut squash with pig's head and camelina and the signature croque-pétoncle are the stuff of dreams.
Read also:
Montreal Shines in Canada's 100 Best 2025
6230 Rue St-Hubert, Montreal, H2S 2M2
It's idiosyncratic and fun and a little crazy, from the plate all the way to the upside-down dollhouse ceiling lights fixture. If you had to pick just one restaurant to represent the spirit of Montreal's fine dining scene it might just be this one on the Saint-Hubert Plaza: Charles-Antoine Crête and Cheryl Johnson's culinary visions oppose, tussle and connect again to make a gourmet magical mystery tour featuring dishes like beef bourguignon with strawberries and lobster mushrooms, and a tartare spiked with popcorn.
4720 Rue Marquette, Montreal, H2J 3Y6
It's so hip it's where Justin took Katy, but Le Violon is also home to honest-to-goodness excellent food. The hype master in the white coat behind this Plateau bijou is chef Danny Smiles, of Top Chef fame, with compadres Mitch Laughren and Sara Raspa adding their endless talents to the unique cultural mélange of the offerings. They draw from Italian and Egyptian roots, but go well beyond with dishes like beef cheek Bordelaise and gochujang-glazed sweetbreads.
1231 Avenue Lajoie, Montreal, H2V 1P2
Hidden on a side street or residential Outremont is Mexico away from Mexico: a small, tranquil tasting-menu restaurant where heritage flavours and cutting-edge techniques marry on the plate. Sommelier Lindsay Brennan, a lover of Catalan wines, and chef Juan Lopez Luna present a choreography of taste with signature dishes like sea bream crudo, mextlapique of Magdalen Island lobster with mezcal butter, and stuffed Quebec quail with mole poblano.
3900 Rue Éthel, Montreal, H4G 1S4
This sweetheart of Verdun was opened by brothers Ari and Pablo Schor to make homage to their grandmother, their Argentine-Jewish roots and their Spanish-Italian influences with pared back feel-food dishes like potato knish with caviar, montadito of mackerel with sesame, salted butter and horseradish, and swordfish with artichokes, flat beans and bone marrow. The vibe here is always warm, filled with Montreal's signature sort of debonair delicatesse.
