At Kwizinn Vieux-Port, co-owners Michael Lafaille and Claudia Fiorelli bring a vibrant fusion of Caribbean flavours to the heart of Montreal's Old Port. Chef Mike Lafaille expertly blends traditional Caribbean spices with contemporary culinary techniques to create unique fusion dishes such as our octopus carpaccio, lobster poutine, plantain burger, and bao fall of di bone. The bold use of fresh herbs, rich marinades, and zesty sauces brings out the authentic and vibrant flavours that define Kwizinn Vieux-Port’s Caribbean fusion cuisine.
For a more immersive experience, Kwizinn Vieux-Montréal offers a range of special events throughout the week. Enjoy jazz nights every Thursday from 6 to 9 pm, while Fridays and Saturdays feature local DJs spinning beats late into the night. Every Friday to Sunday, indulge in a delightful brunch from 11:30 am to 3 pm, where you can savour dishes like our Fried Chicken Sandwich with coconut-marinated chicken, maple syrup, pikliz rosé, or the Tropical Wrap filled with sautéed vegetables and a choice of shredded griot or braised beef. The menu also features our creamy 3 Cheeses Mac n’ Cheese, the flavourful vegetarian dish Grilled Eggplant Obe Ata, and the savoury Chef Lafaille's Griot with fried plantains and pikliz. After brunch on Sunday, enjoy a lively Cuban night from 6 to 9 pm. We also have a private dining room perfect for groups and special occasions, and we regularly host thematic evenings, from Caribbean-inspired culinary nights to rum-tasting events.
Diners celebrate Kwizinn for its elevated fusion of Haitian and Caribbean flavors, with dishes that are flavorful, well seasoned and beautifully presented, from griot and octopus carpaccio to plantain burger and lobster pasta. Portions are generous and the tasting menu offers great value for exploring the varied menu. The drinks and cocktails are memorable, with inventive presentations like cocktails served in a whole pineapple. The atmosphere is warm, chic, and festive, with a mix of intimate dining rooms and a lively Old Montreal vibe, enhanced by live music on certain nights and a welcoming terrace. The service is consistently described as impeccable, attentive, and friendly, with staff guiding guests through the menu and making celebrations feel special. Kwizinn is recommended for celebrations, group dinners, dates, or simply discovering Caribbean cuisine at a high level, and many guests plan their next visit as soon as they leave.
This restaurant is getting 2 star for the excellent dj performance afterward, so disappointing. It's way too expensive for the food quality & service altogether. I order the griot which was OK, the black was rice not to tasty but the real downfall was grilled fish which tasted spoiled. I almost threw up. I am Very disappointed. If you looking for place to drink & enjoy good music this is the place but for the enjoyment of food & service don't come.near it.
Delicious food, amazing drinks & perfect atmosphere for a night out after a busy day at work. A must-go if you are ever in the Old Montreal area. Shoutout to Chirag for the excellent service & for taking care of everything we needed!
My best friend & I have been to Kwizinn a few times.The welcoming atmosphere & attentive staff always make us feel special from the moment we walk in.
The food is amazing 💛
The drinks are amazing ❤?
Service is impeccable 🤎
I was already a huge fan when Kwizinn first opened in Verdun & I'm still a huge fan.
Thank you so much for always taking good care of us 🥰
I recently had the opportunity of dining at Kwizinn, a charming spot that boasts a beautiful ambiance & a playlist that sets the perfect mood for the evening. The setting itself is inviting-warm lighting, sleek decor, & a cozy yet sophisticated vibe. It's the kind of place you'd want to bring a date or catch up with friends.
Let's talk about the food. The appetizers were absolutely fantastic-bursting with flavor & creativity. The oxtail patty was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, & paired with a subtle sweet dipping sauce that left me wanting more. The deconstructed sushi roll was refreshing, & the mix of citrusy tang with delicate seafood that was spot on, which my colleagues raved about. The drinks had the pure essence of Caribbean culture that really helped tie in the whole start of the meal. I was definitely excited to see what the main dishes had in store.
As for the main dishes, they were a bit of a hit or miss. Some were absolutely delightful, like the griot dish with riz collee & plantain-juicy, rich, & all around complete full meal with good portions. On the other hand, the Picahna dish, while tasty & well cooked, it was lacking on the fullness you'll find in the griot dish. Let's not forget the 4 meat plate dish, that sadly was the most disappointing of all, the chicken served was completely charred than anything & the sides lacked in flavor. For the price it was truly a lost opportunity to really hit the spot. Still, nothing was truly disappointing, but the consistency wasn't quite there, aside from the chicken.
Now, what really soured the experience for me was the service. Our waiter, Justin, was incredibly subpar & fairly rude. From the moment we sat down, he seemed disinterested & unapproachable. He was curt with his responses toward us & made no effort to engage or make the meal more enjoyable. There were many moments where he seemed bothered by simple requests, like taking our group picture, & the overall attitude he projected was unpleasant & uncomfortable. To tell a group of people he will only take a single picture of us, truly shows how he did not want to be around our table or have to serve us a minute longer, which was amplified by how little he asked about our drinks or advise us the delay for our desserts. Any questions or follow ups from our end, were met with push back & fake smiles. For a restaurant that otherwise excels in its atmosphere & food (somewhat), this was a huge letdown.
In the end, Kwizinn offers a nice varied dining menu if you're looking for delicious appetizers, a solid main course (depending which one you take), & a vibe that's both relaxed & chic. But, I hope they pay more attention to service in the future because it really detracted from what could have been a perfect evening. A little warmth & attentiveness from the staff would go a long way.
Everything about this restaurant is just WOW! The food is mouth watering; from flavor to presentation & even variety, it was just perfect. Every cocktail I had was gorgeous & well balanced! They even offer tasty mocktails for those who don't drink. The staff is so kind & the service is quick! Need I mention that there was a soul/jazz band there playing live music?! The ambience is wonderful & I highly recommend for all ages. Would be perfect for a date night or even a night out with friends. A true gem!
Sep 12, 2025
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Came here with a group of 7 people & overall I'd say there were highs & lows with the meal. The highs: oxtail patty & its salsa were out of this world - meat was tender, the pastry was flaky & it paired really nicely with the sauce. The vibe & decor is also really nice. The medium: had the plantain burger. The beef was nicely cooked & seasoned & I thought it was an interesting take to have plantain as the bun. Overall wasn't out of this world or enough to get me to return. The lows: yucca fries & the beignets felt overpriced for what they were. Both coming in at about 13$, the yucca fries were very salty & the seasoning was really uneven. The beignets were 13$ for 3 timbits sized donuts. Our party commented that the seasoning across several dishes - the burger, the sushi, the yucca fries - were pretty similar. Service was patchy & very slow. It took maybe 20 minutes to get our drinks & then we weren't really offered another round until way after we finished our meal. Dessert was also really slow coming out after an already long meal. Overall I know some delays are to be expected with a larger party but I'm not sure the food & service were enough value for money for me to return.
What on earth?! It takes a lot for me to be disappointed in a restaurant experience, but tell me who pays $75 for a sampler platter per person & doesn't even get dessert. Our reservation was for 8:30 P.m. & we didn't get the first dish at our table until 9:50 P.m. if it wasn't for the quality of the food & the company, I would've given a one star rating. It's unfortunate. They put a very inexperienced server to take care of our table of 12. She didn't even know whether dessert was included in our prefix, & my friend specified that this was her birthday. & it seemed that every single time we ask the server for a drink or whether there was more food coming, we always had to prompt her as opposed to her, asking us what we needed honestly, honestly, I felt sorry for the waiter because if she was the only one working then it's the responsibility of management to make sure that if a group is coming for an event, they should be well taken care of & we were not. I sincerely hope that the owner reaches out to my friend who made the reservation to rectify the situation because, she spoke so highly of the last time. Granted, I found out that her wonderful experience happened at the previous location, which may be one of the reasons why this was not what she expected.
The service was personalized, quick & amazing. The food came quickly. We had the jamaixan & Haitian patties… both beyond delicious. Lobster pasta was good but the lobster was a bit overcooked. The plantain burger was juicy & delicious ! The drinks were also very tasty. Definitely worth the price. Will go back!
Quelle déception! J'avais été lorsque c'était localisé à Verdun & j'avais été très satisfaite. Cette fois, le riz djondjon était remplit de sable, comme si les champignons n'avaient pas été lavés. Pâtes au homard avec une sauce qui avait l'air diluée & sans goût. C'était froid. Le dessert un espèce de bout de pain style buns avec une crème fouettées & caramel. C'était horrible. Je l'ai même dit au serveur & j'ai même demandé si c'était les mêmes propriétaires que Verdun. Over over price! C'est vraiment du vol! On parle des drinks? Le goût y est mais la quantité est une vraie farce! Un petit verre de 8oz remplit de glace donc l'équivalent de 2 gorgées.
Très déçue & jamais j'y retournerai. On paie très cher pour leur décision d'être localisé au Vieux-Montreal.
Aug 2, 2025
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10/10 outta 10/10
Exquisite!! Booked back on Feb 1st for a surprise birthday dinner. We had the degustation meals which came with lots of options & truly each meal were fire 🔥🔥.
Everything we had hit the spot, the freshness, flavours to spiciness, to tenderness of the meat! The whole crew loved it & to please 8 different personalities & taste buds, I'm truly impressed & grateful for a superb experience.
I don't drink alcohol but the others did let me know they loved their drinks. My mocktail was on point.
The vibes were immaculate! Decor & music were amazing!
Compliments to the chef!! I will most definitely stop by whenever I come to Montreal! I have to get the fish tartare & the octopus 🤤🤤🤤
DELICIOUS!!! Made a reservation here for a Sunday night which also had a live Cuban band, Havana Mambo, which was awesome. The staff was lovely, the venue is beautiful, the drinks were great, & the food was AMAZING! Their brunch also looks to be a good time, so would want to come back for that. I HIGHLY recommend for a great time, if you're looking for something fun, different, & delicious, this is the place to go!
Feb 4, 2025
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The restaurant is quaint, the food is mostly good but the shrimp salad was pretty ordinary. The music was far too loud. The live band was great but I had trouble hearing the person across the table from me. The restaurant was not well heated, i don't usually mind the cold but had to keep my tuque on to keep my head warm. The speakeasy in the basement is no speakeasy at all, the music was far too loud & I still had a hard time hearing my partner. The decorations for Christmas felt a bit thrown together. The drinks were very nice but pricey, paying 22$ for a cocktail in a noisy room with people trying to talk loudly over the music made it difficult to truly enjoy the experience. Service in the restaurant was great, the staff is lovely. I won't be returning to the speakeasy (or recommending it to anyone) but I may go to the restaurant again because the food was great.
Moi & mon copain avons découvert le secret bar sous le Kwizzin, & quelle expérience! ✨ Le service était impeccable, & les drinks étaient tout simplement exceptionnels. Un énorme merci à Claudia, Stéphane & Kevin qui ont rendu notre soirée mémorable avec leur accueil chaleureux! La bouffe était délicieuse, & l'ambiance festive nous a vraiment mis dans l'esprit du temps des Fêtes. On reviendra sans hésiter!
Went to the Secrets Christmas themed pop bar that is part of Kwizinn, in their basement. Paid 40$ just to book, it did not come back to me after nor did it get any kind of drinks or food items. Drinks were not bad, but nothing special. Mold wine with sugar cane & some Old Fashioned with a cookie. They are about 18$ each... The pizza was a small 6" pizza. That was 18$... We left as soon as we could & went to a different place. Not worth it!
Update location in the Old port The decor & the bar was really nice Service was good, the waitress was nice, the oysters were lovely. We got the bao bun, it was really good, the griot & the goat, we were surprised that the goat didn't come with anything & for it to be 45$, i wasn't able to eat it because of the harsh smell. Ive eaten goat before & the smell was bever this harsh, waitress didn't recommend us to get sides, the only side we had was 3 pieces of plantain with the griot It would have been nice for her to let us know maybe we wouldn't have ordered 2 meat plates Also we were the last ones there & we felt like we were getting stared at to leave by all the employees, & it made us feel uncomfortable even one of the employees asked my friend if she can move from her chair because they wanted to clean & rearrange the table while we were still there. After having to pay over 200$ each I think they could have been abit more courteous towards there clientele Cute little Carribean place. We were 2 ppl & we got the shared plate for 2 but it was alot. It was nice to have different stuff on the platter to try but definitely alot to share for 2 ppl, I wish they had told us that the portions are insanely big. The food itself was so good, the only bad part was that the crab was overcooked. They have the meat or the seafood platter that you can chose from, we chose the meat,on the platter we had okra, plantain, griot, lamb, steak, crab, octopus, arrancini, rice, salad & a few dipping sauces. We got mojitos as drinks, the drinks were average If we do go back with will probably be a bigger group to share the platter, or we would get out own plate. Plus it would cost you cheaper if you get your own plate. The sharable plate was 130$ & it was expensive for just 2 ppl This place was full when we went & it was very noisy you can hear other ppls conversation because everyone was talking to loud & can't really hear the person in front of you. This place is good for big groups I find They have a very small bar area. The cocktails were ok The service was pretty good, they were nice.
