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.
Good food, outstanding service. Flavours were on point but portion sizes a bit small for the price. Would recommend nevertheless for the unique dishes & gorgeous location.
I celebrated my birthday here (large group of about 20 people) & every single person LOVED the experience. I highly recommend the tasting menu, it was an incredible bang-for-buck. The food was absolutely amazing, the place is gorgeous as well with a nice atmosphere. Chef Mike helped me set up the reservation & he was amazing & so helpful. A total 10/10 experience. The music was also a 10/10, the server was so patient & sweet too (even though some of the guests were very late & kept changing seats. I was a server once, & that can be a lot to deal with but our server did it with a smile).
They have a speakeasy in the resto too, which I would have totally visited but unfortunately we had reservations at a club so we had to leave.
Chef Mike, if you ever see this you are a total rockstar! Not only will I be back but I will continue to recommend your resto to every person I meet!
Our dinner at Kwizinn was exceptional! The cocktails & food were delicious. We chose their special price fixe table (Table d'hôte) option. The oxtail empanada, ceviche, fried pork griot, picanha steak were excellent. There was also live music - a mix of jazz, samba, & Caribbean music - which made dinner extra nice. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for dinner in Old Montreal, just one block away from the most crowded locations there, but close to everything.
This place changed my g'dmn life.
No, seriously, that is how this place felt.
Came to Montréal & I fell in love, not with the city but with Kwizinn itself.
My daughter & I were recommended by friends to come here, & we wandered in at dinner time on a quiet Sunday evening. We had not really checked the menu/prices beforehand, but I think had we, we might have been scared off & not gone.
The atmosphere is immaculate. Their location is a beautifully decorated space near but not on the main road of Old Montréal. On one side of the restaurant is a larger group seating are & on the other is a more intimate dining room where the bar & floor to ceiling windows give you views of the square. From the flowers on the table to the color of the benches, you can tell everything in this place has been carefully chosen to reflect the type of restaurant they want to be.
It is kid friendly, but older kids; not like the ones that would scream. The wait staff was so attentive, too. Our waitress (I'm sorry I forgot your name!) was lovely & had so many recommendations for us based on our likes & dislikes. Water glasses were never empty, the table was cleared promptly, & questions were asked in great detail. Not in an irritating way, in an I see you & I care kind of way. It was genuine, & you can tell they really enjoy & love what they do.
All this, & I haven't even gotten to the food yet. My god.
The yucca fries & the sauce - definitely got my kid to eat her vegetables. The plantain burger made her eyes water both from spice but also love. & the Cornish hen with the sauce & grilled pineapple... wooooww. It was so tender & juicy while retaining the smoke & char of how it had been cooked. At the end of all that, they recommended dessert. I wasn't hungry, but we ate the beignets anyways. To round out the night, we were fortunate enough to take in their regular Sunday night Cuban band. It was a wonderful experience & we can honestly say that we might make a trip back just for the food.
Excellent restaurant haitien & des caraibes! Un menu hors de l'ordinaire & un service A++ de la part de la co-propriétaire. Je recommande définitivement.
Amazing! Vibe, decor, food, cocktails were all perfect! The octopus carpaccio was absolutely delicious!!! So much so that we went back a second time. It was the BEST dish we had during our stay in Montreal. I'm still thinking about it! We also had the griot which was very flavorful & not too fatty. Highly recommend Kwizinn! You'll eat well & feel happy doing it!
Jun 12, 2025
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Je viens de passer une très belle soirée au restaurant Kwizinn ! L'ambiance était tout simplement parfaite. J'ai eu la chance de manger sur la terrasse, où j'ai pu profiter d'une belle vue tout en savourant un délicieux repas.
La nourriture était tout simplement succulente. Le plat que j'ai essayé était savoureux & préparé avec soin. Je recommande vivement d'essayer les empanadas au canard!
Un grand merci à la serveuse, Janila, qui a été exceptionnelle. Son service attentionné & son sourire ont ajouté une touche spéciale à mon expérience. Si vous avez la chance de tomber sur elle lors de votre visite, vous ne serez pas déçu !
Dans l'ensemble, je recommande fortement Kwizinn.
Commençons par le positif, une belle déco, de la bonne musique afro caribéenne, un bon service. Un sans faute jusque là. Je vous recommande le cabri & le macaronis & cheese & les beignets banane en dessert.
En revanche je n'ai pas aimé les crevettes quasi pas cuites que j'ai commandé. Je vous déconseille le tiramisu crèmasse il a un goût très particulier, limite salé.
Je n'y retournerai pas parce que le rapport qualité prix n'y est pas.
Super expérience au Kwizinn ! Les plats sont délicieux, plein de saveurs & bien présentés. L'ambiance est chaleureuse & le service vraiment attentionné. Je recommande à 100% & j'y retournerai avec plaisir !
Mar 1, 2025
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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!
My partner & I went here on a Saturday night after landing in Montreal. The service was great & the food was very tasty. The bao was really good! I highly recommend this spot for anyone looking for great African/caribbean food. The cocktail choices were also great & they were very tasty. The night we were there, there was a live DJ which was pleasantly surprising!
Très bonne cuisine ! Super restaurant. Haute qualité des produits. Cuisson parfaite du griot & du cabri ! Nous étions dimanche nous avons eu des musiciens cubains en live c'était top. Nous recommandons ce restaurant. Manger de la bonne nourriture des caraïbes par -15 degrés nous a bien réchauffé ! Le riz djondjon était excellent aussi ! Nous avions pris le menu dégustation ... Faire confiance au chef ! Très bons cocktails aussi 😉
Warning: tourism trap 1st location was incroyable. 2nd location got a bit worse. 3rd location in Vieux-Port is made for tourists! Overpriced & overhyped. The service however, is extremely AMAZING! Ambiance of restaurant is lovely. I do not recommend the Chef Tasting menu, it's too expensive. - Bao was oddly tangy. Not a good bao. - cold menu: plantain hummus purée is extremely creative & executed so so well. - cold menu: arctic char & octopus was comme ci comme ça, pas mal. - avocado was mixed with cod, which is cool & unique. - pork (griot) was extremely dry. The meat sauce could not have made it better. - salad was lame & shrimp not good. - Coleslaw was spicy & really nice - plantain was dry - jerk chicken was the best thing, would recommend! - mushroom infused rice was creative & not bad - would not recommend the empanadas, they were dry. Overall, the items are so creative. But the ideas were not executed well. It's too bad that this is not good Caribbean cuisine.
Jan 18, 2025
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The plantain was dry & the food just wasn't it. Definitely recommend anything from the grill though :) Loved the location & the waiters were nice. Over all, I would expect better food from a Haitian restaurant
Je suis allée hier soir avec ma fille pour célébrer un événement, notre réservation était à 19h. Nous avons été placées à côté d'une fenêtre où on sentait l'air, ma fille a gardé son manteau toute la soirée. My bad, j'aurais dû passer un commentaire, on nous aurait sûrement déplacées. Beau & bon cocktail...j'ai pris un zuzu, épicé sans exagération, juste parfait. La nourriture & les quantités étaient excellentes. Nous avons tout partagé : en entrée des sandwichs bao fall of di bone & du griot du chef avec pikliz & bananes pesées & ensuite un plat de poulet de Cornouaille fumé au Bourbon & sa sauce curry qu'on a accompagné de frites de yuka (manioc). Nous n'avions plus de place pour du dessert, la prochaine fois. Très beau décor & bonne musique. Nous recommandons toutes les deux.
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.
Souper samedi soir 12 octobre 2024. Après une visite au World Press Photos au Marché Bonsecour & une virée jusqu'à l'Horloge, Attiré par la musique & l'ambiance & à la suggestion de mon amie globetrotter. Excellent choix. Le poisson était un loup de mer européen aussi appelé bar commun. Accompagné de légumes & de sauces épicées & gôuteuses. Belles présentations. Desserts & cappucinos. Ambiance chaleureuse & personnels attentionnées & courtoises. Vraiment un beau & bon moment. Il y a une salle pour les groupes & l'autre section pour un tête à tête. Nou recommandons; pour une expérience exotique & savoureuse. À bientôt. GP.
