July in Montréal brings that shift we all wait for, when the city fully settles into summer and every plan seems to turn into an excuse to go out. With long days, warm evenings, and patios buzzing across the city, a new wave of openings is setting the tone for the season.
Minnibar is now fully operational in downtown Montreal near the Bell Centre. Created by Tongue Bui, this all-day cafe and restaurant offers specialty coffee, fresh pasta, and a unique pizza omakase experience within a stunning space designed by Ivy Studio.
Prezze Mollo in Mile End opens its first summer terrace, inviting a relaxed outdoor vibe. Enjoy easy-drinking wines by the glass and seasonal dishes, crudos, carpaccios, tartares, charcuterie, oysters, fresh pasta, grilled meats, gelati and affogati. Pasta e Vino returns all summer on Tue/Wed with cacio e pepe in a parmesan wheel and wine for $29; no reservations.
Two new spots in Petit Laurier enrich the neighborhood's food scene with distinct approaches: Farine & Cacao, a refined pastry and chocolate shop offering carefully crafted viennoiseries, modern desserts, and elegant chocolates driven by quality ingredients; and Boulangerie Le Toledo, an artisanal bakery celebrating local flours, slow fermentation, sourdoughs, and all-butter viennoiseries to nourish the community.
New in Griffintown, Café BRUT opens with Zoé Duval and Josh Monroe as an urban café with a raw, minimalist vibe of concrete, wood and steel. Signature drinks include banana bread latte, salted maple latte and strawberry matcha, using Torqué beans to highlight origin complexity. Open daily 8am-4pm for slow mornings or long work sessions.
Pastel Rita in Montreal's Mile End celebrates spring with a gourmet pop-up on Saturday, April 25 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., marking the terrace opening with wines from Dieu du Vin and grilled dishes by Jules (Juji) in a warm, festive cafe atmosphere.
Hotel William Gray marks its 10th anniversary with Freddi, a new bar and dining destination in Old Montreal. Freddi functions as a social hub blending food, design and atmosphere, open daily from lunch to dinner with weekend brunch; a 50-seat space under a glass roof offers Japanese-inspired shareables, signature cocktails and curated wines, led by Chef Konstantin Chakhnov.
Montreal's Bistrot à Franky, the project of chef Francis Blais, promises a warm, homey Parisian bistro experience. The menu blends classics such as sole meuniere and pepper steak with seasonal rotating dishes, plus a decade-long wine cellar led by sommelier Alexis Demers.
Le Fou Fou welcomes three new vendors this month: Mersea, Sacré Bao and Ciccio's. Mersea offers refined seafood from chef Claude Pelletier, with oysters, mussels and a truffle-topped tartare, plus 5 à 7 specials from November 27 including $1 oysters and $18 wine flights. Sacré Bao serves authentic Asian street food by Hanhak Kim, with fluffy bao buns and banh mi, while Ciccio's begins serving on November 18.
Maison BaultBerri opens in the Quartier Latin inside the Empire boutique at 1275 Berri Street, a cozy forty-seat bistro by Laurent Dagenais and Phil Grisé. Named for the Archambault store, the cafe offers coffee, matcha, smoothies, sandwiches, soups and pastries daily with fresh local ingredients in a relaxed setting designed by Daniel Finkelstein.
Les Vieilles Portes in Saint-Sauveur reopens under A5 Hospitality in the 1880 Victorian house, led by Kevin Latrem and Samuel Paradis-Tremblay. Expect 'fun dining' French cuisine using Quebec and Canadian products, weekend brunches from mid-July, an open kitchen, a 75-guest terrace, and Amlyne Philipps' chic European Alpine design.
