The Best Restaurants in Montreal's West Island

Foodies in the know recognize that the West Island is hopping with options. Out here, dinner can mean dry-aged steak, smoked-habanero wings, Louisiana gumbo, ultra-creative sushi or Greek food straight off the grill. And there's always great parking!

Go big and make yourself at home. The bone-in beef is dry-aged for 28 to 35 days, but the menu gets more interesting than straight steak: sesame-crusted ahi tuna comes with coconut rice cake and zingy yuzu-soy vinaigrette, while seafood linguine swims in a lush tomato-saffron bisque with lobster, shrimp, clams and scallops.

Read also:
Where to Eat Near The Montreal Airport

Birdhouse takes wings very seriously, without acting remotely serious about them. They're brined for hours, fried crisp and dressed in flavours from Parmesan-heavy cacio e pepe to smokey-sweet apple habanero. Also excellent: fish tacos loaded with crispy cod, grilled pineapple salsa and that same habanero sauce. Napkins are a must.

Maiko has been doing maximalist sushi long before maximalist sushi was cool. The Popcorn Roll wraps golden popcorn shrimp into a signature maki, while a recent Soleil de Maiko creation piles torched salmon and caviar onto crispy rice. Expect crunch, richness, clean fish and plenty of playful contrast rather than strictly traditional rolls.

This is Greek comfort food with the grill turned up. Souvlaki, roast potatoes and grilled chicken form the holy trinity; throw in a Greek salad for salty feta-and-olive freshness and grilled octopus when you're feeling fancy. It's straightforward, generous and a great place for group parties if you're lucky enough to have boisterous friends.

Lucille's speaks fluent surf and turf. Start with briny $1 oysters, then follow your heart: will it be a lobster roll, cedar-plank salmon or one of the dry-aged steaks? Seafood towers deliver maximum shellfish theatre, but there's something particularly satisfying about going from cold oysters to deeply charred beef in a single sitting.

Part wine bar, part neighbourhood hangout, Rendez-Vous was opened by the owners of the beloved Lou's and has a similar following to its big sister. It keeps things interesting with a rotating menu of fresh pastas and focaccias, with seasonal small plates and dishes such as octopus drifting in and out of the lineup. Don't become emotionally attached to one dish, because most of them are seasonal.

Lou's serves up contemporary American fare in a casually chic bistro space. Crispy Brussels sprouts get poblano jam and aioli; tuna carpaccio brings chilli, cucumber and crunchy shallots; and spicy eggplant parm arrives bubbling with fior di latte and Parmesan. Feeling hungrier? Pappardelle with braised beef rib and Parmesan should sort that out nicely.

Come hungry and wear your stretchy pants. Nolah's Louisiana playbook includes gumbo, jambalaya, fried chicken, shrimp and grits and blackened catfish: smokey, spicy, creamy comfort food with zero interest in restraint. Save room for dessert: bread pudding with bourbon sauce is waiting at the finish line.

Tavern-style pizza and martinis: Bernie's understood the assignment. The Hot Pep piles pepperoni, hot peppers and honey onto a crisp pie for that salty-sweet-spicy combination that makes the next slice basically compulsory. Add a very cold martini, some meatballs or crispy chicken sliders, and suddenly DDO just became your regular Saturday night destination.

This Valois diner does all-day eggs alongside Montreal smoked meat, towering breakfast plates and more playful specials like Chicken & Cakes. Solve all the world's problems (or at least fix your hangover) with something greasy, salty and restorative, or just come because ordering pancakes at 2 pm is one of life's great joys.

The chicken cutlet sandwich is a lunchtime hit, but don't ignore the pizzas: the Calabrese comes topped with sausage, hot peppers and spicy oil, while the Tartufata goes gloriously earthy with black truffle, pancetta, mushrooms, fior di latte and Parmesan. A quick espresso afterwards, and the afternoon is yours to conquer.

Old-school French cooking, gloriously uninterested in becoming a small-plates wine bar. Start with escargots with lashings of Café de Paris butter, then tuck into beef tartare, seared foie gras or whatever rich, saucy classic catches your eye. This is a place for butter, wine and remembering how French cooking introduced gastronomy to the food world in the first place.

The jerk chicken at this unassuming perennial favourite brings all the smokey, spiciness it should, but don't hesitate to go off piste and try the curry goat: its deeply savoury sauce will have you coming back. The tender oxtail demands plenty of rice and peas to catch every last bit of gravy. Add sweet fried plantain and a festival (Jamaica's lightly sweet fried dough) for the full experience.

Fifteen dumplings sounds excessive until you're fighting over the last one. Choose them steamed for soft, delicate wrappers or fried for those crispy golden bottoms; fillings run from classic pork and green onion to chicken with coriander, curry beef and fragrant lamb with coriander. Order several flavours and take any leftovers home; they're even delicious cold.

The move here is quesabirria: fried tacos packed with slow-stewed shredded beef, ready for dipping and almost engineered to destroy a white shirt. Carne asada tacos keep things simpler, while the hefty birria burrito is like two meals in one. "Hearty" doesn't quite express it!

The steak frites at Grace is probably the most ordered dish, and no wonder with its side of béarnaise butter and caramelized onions. There's also jumbo shrimp with piri-piri, white wine, lemon and garlic, or a mac and cheese smothered in a mix of aged cheddar, Monterey Jack, mozzarella and Parmesan. The classics slap at this Pierrefonds fave, but the blackboard is worth checking for seasonal hits too.

David McMillan and Derek Dammann have basically built the anti-twee restaurant: big flavours, serious ingredients and zero fear of fun. The D+D burger keeps things classic, while even avocado gets served hot, sauced and breaded. Earlier standouts have included smoked herring with horseradish cream and barely cooked wild salmon with beurre blanc, pine nuts and caviar. The menu changes all the time, but the buzz seems here to stay.

Falafel St. Jacques makes the crispiest, tastiest falafel, served stuffed into house-baked pita with hummus, tahini and so many crunchy vegetables that you'll barely be able to hold the sandwich. That said, the sabich might steal the show: fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg, hummus and tangy mango pickle create a gloriously creamy, crunchy, sour, savoury mess. Get one of each and a mix of salads to go, and you'll be set for a weekful of glorious lunches.

The famous chicken cutlet sandwich has finally migrated west, bringing crisp chicken, tomato, lettuce, mayo and bomba along for the ride. But Gentile DDO goes well beyond sandwiches: think cacio e pepe breakfast sandwiches, eggplant parm, polpette, properly fermented pizza and cavatelli tangled with sausage and rapini.

The chef creations at Aiwaka draw regulars with their playfulness, tastiness and creativity. Try the Queen of the Sea maki, which features delicious tempura lobster with the contrast of cool cuke and a spicy sauce, or the Mango Tango, which marries scallops and shrimp with sweet mango, or the rice-free Empress, which wraps salmon and tuna in tofu leaf. Those are just three of our faves; you can't go wrong with this menu.

Sometimes you want Italian food that knows exactly why you came. Bellissimo delivers all the classics, from fried calamari to arancini, polpette, burrata, meaty mains galore and a pasta menu that runs from spag bol to lobster ravioli and linguine pescatore. The Dorval institution has been doing its thing for more than 20 years, with a leafy terrace out back and a serviceable wine list. Save room for tiramisu.

Want more Western adventures? Here's a list of other fantastic West Island restaurants for you to explore.