HENI specializes in the vibrant culinary traditions of the Middle East, emphasizing charcoal-grilled meats and authentic Lebanese flavors. Skilled preparation centers on seasoned skewers, freshly prepared hummus, and an array of traditional mezze that highlight robust spice blends and high-quality ingredients. The kitchen maintains a focus on consistent execution, delivering plates that prioritize the smoky profiles inherent in open-flame cooking. Patrons experience a direct reflection of regional staples through meticulously assembled platters and hand-stretched breads. This establishment balances structural simplicity with an unwavering commitment to traditional Levantine preparation techniques. Each menu selection serves as a testament to classic flavor profiles, ensuring that the essence of the grill remains the focal point for every visitor seeking an authentic experience within this specialized culinary landscape.
Heni is widely regarded as a standout culinary destination in Montreal, celebrated for its innovative and flavorful Middle Eastern fusion cuisine, particularly the highly recommended tasting menus. Diners frequently praise the artistic presentation, fresh ingredients, and the extensive selection of unique, high-quality wines. While the atmosphere is generally described as cozy, hip, and welcoming, with many guests highlighting the exceptional and knowledgeable service provided by the staff, some visitors noted challenges regarding noise levels, portion sizes relative to price, and occasional wait times. Despite a few mixed experiences regarding specific dishes or beverage options, the majority of patrons report a memorable dining experience and express a strong desire to return.
Dommage que la serveuse ne précise pas que les tajines contiennent déjà des pâtes. Cela nous aurait évité de commander un accompagnement de légumes supplémentaire. Concernant le vin, les conseils étaient plutôt limités & nous n'avons pas reçu beaucoup d'orientation pour le choix. Enfin, pour les personnes qui ne consomment pas d'alcool, l'offre est assez restreinte : un seul cocktail sans alcool était proposé & aucune liqueur sans alcool n'était disponible.
I've honestly never eaten such a delicious & unique meal (we had the tasting menu). Artful & filling food. Completely unique wines & cocktails. Get there if you can!
One of the best spots in Montreal. I love to bring my out of town friends here when they visit. All of the staff are wonderful, the food is delicious, the cocktails are phenomenal. Highly recommend the tasting menu. Once you've finished your meal you have to check out the cocktail bar in the basement!
Nov 14, 2025
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I've been watching this place since it was being renovated in December 2023. Finally found a chance to visit with my friend. We were served by Niles who was impeccable with his service. Always attentive & making sure everything was okay even though we were seated in the corner of the restaurant. We ordered Koobideh, cauliflower pickles, bread, kibbeh, lobster curry, milk punch, & cocktail of the week. The food was delicious beyond my expectations & we were completely satisfied with the number of dishes we ordered. The only things that I would prefer to be different were the cocktails, the fact that the bread wasn't complimentary, & how hot it was in the restaurant with no AC. The cocktails tasted like juice & did not seem to contain much alcohol. However, these points would not stop me from going back for the rest of the menu.
2025: came back during Mtl a la table to try put their menu. We had a lovely experience & certainly an improvement from my last experience. We had the lovely server Sasha who kept us entertained all evening. The food was even better than I remembered. Their bread is probably my favourite thing (warm & smells like cinnamon). I will be back again to try their regular menu for sure.
Really great wine & cocktails, we tried the bread, the eggplant dip & the potatoes with halloumi, all were quite good but the potatoes were very greasy. I found the glasses of wine & cocktails to be pretty pricey though.
The service, however, was very good but a little slow, especially on a quiet night. They stopped checking in on us after we had finished our food & second drink, we might have ordered more if asked but they seemed to be running around trying to deal with other patrons. That was okay, my friend & I mostly just needed a quiet & nice place to talk & catch up, so we didnt really mind.
The restaurant itself is quite nice & warmly decorated, but a bit of an overall weird layout.
I think it is ok, but not great if you are looking for a Mediterranean experience. We had tasting menu with alcohol pairings. Service is really great. Cocktails were not to my taste, wines were good, great selection of Lebanese wines which was really nice. Food was a little of a let down, I LOVE Mediterranean food, especially Lebanese & Syrian which have amazing flavours, but the one served at Heni was rather bland. It was still good, but not what I came for. Would recommend for 5a7 style dinner but there are definitely better options for an actual Mediterranean experience.
Great atmosphere, great service & delicious food & cocktails. Don't miss out on the downstairs speakeasy for some live music & a large list of delicious cocktails.
My group & I were generally not super impressed with our experience at Heni. The restaurant was presented to us a Middle Eastearn & North African cuisine, yet no mocktails or alcohol free drinks appeared on the menu. Our server informed us uppon asking that the two cocktails shown (18$), are just as good without the alcohol. Seemed liked a missed opportunity to have a well crafted mocktail list. We got the tasting menu, of which we genuinely loved one dish - the tuna. We asked about replacing an item in the tasting menu with another & were discouraged to do so, & ended up adding the quail dish. Good thing we did because the quail was great! The rest of the menu lacked the something special that the tuna & quail dishes seemed to have, especially for the price (313$ for two people, including a bottle of wine & tip).
