Alma Montreal is described as a high end Mexican inspired restaurant that centers on a corn theme within a refined tasting menu and blends traditional Mexican flavors with innovative touches. The dining experience is widely praised for standout dishes, freshness and thoughtful preparation, and a strong wine program paired with attentive service; the setting is intimate and warm, with a terrace option that adds to the appeal. Reservations are often recommended due to limited seating. Opinions on value vary, with some noting the portions are small and prices steep, while others consider the overall experience one of the best in Montreal and worth the price. The kitchen is repeatedly heralded for passion and precision, and many diners enjoy the course menus and the way the menu evolves, though a few reviews mention uneven depth of flavor or areas where service could be more consistently attentive. Overall Alma Montreal is seen as a bold, standout spot in Montreal where guests leave impressed by the culinary creativity and the hospitality.
Alma is a nice place to go. A rare Mexican fine cuisine restaurant. Service is not yet up to the fine restaurant standard, friendly, polite but lack of that special care, knowledge, ease & attitude we used to find in fine restaurants.
It's great to have a Mexican fine cuisine in Montreal. Dishes are nice & fresh. Menu choice of dishes are large, ranking from Catalan influence to Mexican style. I can sense great chefs efforts to elevetate Mexican cuisine. The results could be difficult for most people to appreciate at it true value.
On a table of 5, all ranked it nice, but only 2 of us had the wow experience thru the palate.
Be aware, so you won't be shocked, some dishes are'degustation' type fine dishes with no bigger portions than the ones found in 2-3 starred restaurant. I can easily see they are done with great care, great passion, great innovation effort, but may convoit anger if client is not aware of.
For better overall satisfaction, staff may gain spending more time to educate clients on the effort the chef is trying to elevate the degustation side of these specific fine mexican dishes.
I liked the place, but wouldn't recommend it to bring any type of guest there, except those having deep pockets & love to discover new, esoteric blend of fine tastes & flavors.
Congratulations for your place in the North America's 50 best. Keep going & keep improving the quality of your service.
Truly one of a kind & in a category of it's own. You can tell the chef is really passionate & Mexican elements are shining & re-thought with care & precision.
Jan 17, 2026
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
We were originally attracted to try Alma because it's in the North American Top 50 list - however, the meal was extremely disappointing. We Came as a group of four & got the 5 course tasting menu with no drinks, & it was $145 CAD per person. We all left unsatisfied & felt quite scammed.
The food had NO flavour, & it was such a tiny portion. We had to go to another restaurant to get more food after.
The staff are really nice, but if you're actually looking for a tasty, satisfying Mexican meal, Don't waste your time or money here.
Very cozy little restaurant in Outremont. It's small & intimate. Reservations are recommended because there are only about 20 seats. They offer a tasting menu of high-end Mexican cuisine. We took the 5-course tasting menu because my parents don't eat much. Service here is impeccable. The waitress was very friendly & knowledgeable. The dishes were nicely presented & very tasty. My favourite dishes are the clam & the fish crudo. Very happy that I got to taste these amazing dishes made by Juan.
A small but powerful restaurant. Excellent Mexican inspired cuisine. Attention to every detail. Designed as a fixed course menu. Allow for a good 1.5 hours to experience it as it was designed
We went to their terrace for tacos today. The suadero was good, definitively not worth the $9 per taco. On the other hand the rajas were a disgrace. I don't know how a Mexican chef dared to serve those tacos.
My husband & I took the 5 course meal & added the dessert. Everything was delicious from A to Z. Every dish had an explosion of flavours in our mouth. For someone who loves Mexican food & seafood the combination of both was just perfect. After the 5 courses we were already feeling full but we were glad we ordered the churros, they were the best we've had! They were served hot, soft on the inside & crunchy on the outside, bite-sized heaven!
We shouldn't forget the impeccable service provided by the whole staff, hostess, waitresses & we even got to meet the chef who came out to chat with us! In love with this place ❤?
May 24, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
I'm stunned & full of love for this amazing labor of love that merges Quebec's finest local ingredients into the best gourmet Mexican cuisine I've ever had. Wow, what a chef!
Super restaurant that serves some of the best Mexican food outside of Mexico.
We ordered the 5 course menu & it did not disappoint. All the corn products tasted just what I remember from Mexico. The highlight was the tetela with pipian, which tasted just as the ones my grandmother used to make. The fish dish was super simple & super delicious, & delicate flavors.
We ordered the tlacoyo, which was extra from the menu. It was ok, nothing out of this world, plus it was a little raw in the middle. However, the salsa that came with the tlacoyos was to die for. The spiciness & the flavors well super well balanced.
The only comment I have is that some of the portions seemed a bit small & for someone who has a good appetite, I was still hungry at the end of the meal.
Service was impeccable. The staff were very friendly. The atmosphere & the vibes inside was immaculate. The presentation, which was creative & fun, is really the standout. It's very cozy inside. The food is very good as well, & there were 2-3 dishes in the Carte Blanche menu that really knocked it out of the park. The focus on local ingredients was also great. The highlight of the meal was surprisingly the duck breast, which was absolutely wonderful. There were a few dishes that lacked slightly in flavour or needed a little bit more balance (I must admit, I was more critical than usual because Mexican food is one of my favourites) but in general, a wonderful experience.
The food is absolutely spectacular! The service is excellent. The overall experience is so unique by Montreal standards. Both the five course & the nine course tasting menus are totally worthy.
Each time we go it is a marvellous exploration of Mexican cuisine. This is a truly unique experience by Montreal standards & worth every penny.
Apr 27, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
When Mexico rates Alma as the best Mexican restaurant outside of Mexico we should, as Canadians & food lovers, rally around this cherished eatery, & support them with our reservations & dollars so the owners can continue to be the best. Congratulations to Alma!!
This review is written from a Mexican perspective & specifically regarding the taco omakase: YMMV. 0) booze selection: seems like the sommelier said "I am in charge of the booze & I don't care what anyone thinks" "Il y aura aussi des margaritas, des mezcals & des bières disponibles pour cette occasion! " "Une selection de jerez, tequila, mezcal & vin doux est également disponible ainsi que des margaritas". Lies... Mezcal: cheapest SAQ option, 1 option. Tequila: cheapest SAQ option, 1 option. Cerveza/beer: most commercial Spanish beer, 1 option. Cocktails: margarita (1 flavour) or mezcalita (1 flavour). 1) First dish was agua de tortilla. Just tortillas mixed with water, sugar & cinnamon. Minimal effort but fine... 2) Second dish was an aguachile with tortilla chips. Very delicious aguachile but only 5 tortilla chips. At least give me an even number of chips if I they are meant to be shared between two people. Also, nowhere near the proper amount of chips for the amount of aguachile which was very generous. 3) Third dish was A tostada... to share between two people. First time I had ever have to share a tostada. Not even physically possible to do it cleanly unless the tostada is getting soggy... which it was getting there... 4) Fourth dish was an octopus taco. I was afraid I was going to share one taco with my partner but we each got our own & it was delicious so nothing to complain here. 5) Fifth dish was a filet mignon carpaccio taco with a black garlic salsa; each our own. The filet mignon had 0 seasoning & it was placed on top of the garlic salsa covering the entire tortilla. Who in Mexico hides their salsa?!?! Besides not appreciating the salsa itself & making the tortilla soggy, in this particular execution, you take a bite & it tastes like tortilla + unseasoned beef & suddenly... boom! Garlic bomb! I was surprised no one internally picked this up. 6) Fish "Zaranzeado" with A tortilla. Surprisingly, the misspelling wasn't the worst part since what I was fearing the most happened: a single tortilla to share. I asked for another one & I was denied my request. FYI: in Mexico we get a side of tortillas with tortilla-based dishes. It kept getting worse: the tortilla had imprinted the name of the restaurant, which they obviously had to do in advance, so the "special" tortilla was soggy & room temperature. (Second) First time ever in my life sharing a tortilla which is pretty sad because the fish was seasoned & cooked perfectly. 7) The dessert amazing! Check Chef Mariana's Carlota Boulangerie Mexicaine. My favourite spot in town for Mexican pastries. She even went to our table to say hi & ask for feedback rather than having mezcal shots like the head chef did between dinner services. We are a generous culture. My blood is made mostly of corn. I am sorry, but I cannot have a lot of sympathy for a Mexican owner of a high-end restaurant who denies me an extra tortilla in QC while I can get it for free from any senito in MX selling way better street food.
As a Mexican guy living in Montreal for just a year this place is quite an experience. The food takes you to a journey of different flavors with a really good feeling. The menu was really good. I will only add a little bit more of chips for the aguachile because they were so tasty
Unique experience! We went there for my birthday & took the 9 services couple with natural wines. Every plate was unique & tasteful. We found a new way to eat mexican food 😍
