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.
Sur les 5 plats que nous avons commandé tout était délicieux! Par contre pour le plat de griot la sauce ne goûtait en rien la sauce traditionnelle & il n'y avait pas assez de sauce également, le pikliz était doux pas vraiment épicé c'était plus comme une salade de choux & il faut commander le riz à coter car il n'est pas compris dans le plat de griot, sinon ambiance & décors sont au rendez vous, les plats sont chaud & arrive rapidement, je vous le recommande à 100% c'était une belle expérience somme tout. Par contre pour le chef le pikliz & la sauce est à revoir pour le plat de griot.
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.
Sep 19, 2025
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First time visiting Kwizin since it moved to the Old Port. Wow! Everything!! The service, the atmosphere & most importantly, the food. It was absolutely delicious. The oxtail Jamaican patty is a MUST! Such a flaky dough with a tender & creamy meat filling. The (sweet) homemade ketchup pairs perfectly with it. For the main, we LOVED the plantain burger. Again, the dish is so well thought & balanced. The cheesy sauce adds an amazing flavour & extra moisture, it's finger licking good. Finally, the beignets were a pleasant surprise. Like a warm crispy donut with a sweet glaze drizzle on the plate. Will definitely go back! Ultimate date spot.
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.
The food overalll tasty & good! The sauce chalè is spicy & good I loved it. Their pikliz need to be better The oysters were good I love the sauce that comes with it. The sauce for the oysters was tasty but tho thick it would be nicer to have more a liquid sauce. The oxtail patty very good but would love if it was more juicy & saucy inside but the tasty was there very good ! Then the lobster pasta was good too! But I would love it more saucy. The service was a bit slow they seem low staff. The lady on the front was ok I think she could be more warmth & welcoming. The atmosphere & deco are nice but they were playing latino music all night. I would love to hear some carribean vibes in a carribean restaurant . Would I go back? Definitely it was good
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.
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.
Jun 27, 2025
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Restaurant bien localisé. La décoration est très belle, très cosy & sympa. La tenanciere était accueillante, gentille & professionnelle. Elle était également a l´ecoute en venant nous demander si tout était bien lors du repas.
Les cocktails étaient bons mais pas donné.
La nourriture était très bonne, le poulet était succulent & la sauce aussi mais difficile à manger avec les couverts. Le riz était très bon aussi & le burger a aussi été apprécié.
Merci pour la soiree.
Je suis allée manger avec une amie qui désirait goûter à la cuisine haïtienne nous étions très excité de goûter commençons par le positif le griot 10/10 vraiment le goût était parfait les plantain croustillant alloco bien sucrer . Le accras 0/10 complètement brûler la chèvre mon amie est allée vomir au toilette car c'était sa première fois de manger la chèvre elle n'a pas digérer le goût lorsque j'ai informer la serveuse à la place de nous accommoder avec un autre plat elle nous informe qu'on va devoir payer la chèvre malgré que nous avons goûter un petit morceau…. Nous étions pas contente mais puisque le griot était succulent on s'est dit que moi je vais le prendre pour emporter & on va prendre les empanadas au griot & sauce colombien… On reçois les empanadas à 22$ y'en a 3 petite dans l'assiette pour le prix déjà sa va mal le goût deguelasse sa goûte le baking soda avec la poudre à pâté sa ma ramener à mes souvenirs enfance lorsque je ratait mes gâteaux …
J'informe la serveuse je lui dis catégoriquement c'est un non elle part avec les assiette … le riz collé rien de spécial riz minute rice mélanger avec les fève avec lait coco sa goûte plutôt le riz que tu trouve dans les resto jamaïcain & non a fusion haïtienne très décevant … on reçois la facture il nous on charger 11$ chaque pour les empanadas & 4$ pour une sauce piquante demander sans nous aviser que c'était payant… vous imaginez resto caraïbe pas de sauce piquante gratuite .. le pikliz goûtait comme une salade & n'était pas piquant overall déçu j'ai refuser de payer les empanadas car c'était du vol & la sauce piquante je ne retournerais pas dommage le griot était bon
Amazing food, had their special April carribean sushi fusion menu & it was really good. The sauces were 🫶 A DJ was there but the music is not too loud. Very reasonable prices for Old port.
Kwizinn was a cool experience. I went with my partner as one of the experiences for Passport MTL & I was very happy with my choice.
We started off with fresh oysters that came with a tangy, citrus sauce. Then, we shared the pollo dish where the chicken was so tender & crispy at the same time. Everything was well seasoned, & it came together well.
The service was absolutely lovely. She was very kind & always made sure that we were okay. I appreciated that a lot. The atmosphere was great too, I bet it would be even more gorgeous in the evenings.
I personally don't think we came at the right time since there seem to be many events hosted throughout the week. However, it was a great experience nevertheless.
Mar 26, 2025
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La cuisine est bonne & le personnel souriant mais 28$ pour un champignon coupé en deux sur un peu de sauce… J'ai juste l'impression qu'on m'a volé mon argent.
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.
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.
Nov 21, 2024
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J'ai été pour un brunch le midi durant mtl a table. On a pris deux plat tofu, 2 plat griot & 2 plat morue.... Malheureusement c'est décevant. Nous n'avons pas aimé le menu. On a pris des entrées en plus empanadas de griot merite une sauce c'est un peu sec. C'était pas notre tasse de thé. Le plat de morue.... j'ai cherché la morue longtemps & l'ai pas trouvé trop de sauce sur le foccasia. Le tofu était fade. Le riz djon à l'ail & le griot malgré qu'il soit tendre très fade. L'ambiance & la place est belle le service est correct. De plus, si vous venez avec des enfants il n'y a pas de menu pour eux. Le rapport qualité prix n'y ait absolument pas. Après une facture salé nous sommes sortis affamé
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.
Went for a brunch ! Pretty good but the plantain which were dry. Meat too. Vegetarian option was excellent Chili sauce was fresh & good but for the amount we can actually eat it's a bit on the pricy side. Still a refreshing brunch
Je suis une cliente régulière de l'ancien kwiziin Verdun & je vais devenir une de celui du vieux Montréal .Magnifique restaurant ambiance & service impeccable. J'ai commandé les huîtres la mignonnette au lait coco ,calamansi & piment oiseau était délicieuse. Comme repas j'ai pris le griot , riz djondjon , sauce chalè & pikliz parfaitement exécuté comme toujours . Nouveau cocktail signature chumi chumi avec du bissap que j'ai vraiment adoré & toutouni qui était vraiment excellent aussi . Toujours un de mes coup de coeur de Montréal
The new location in the old port is so beautiful & I really want to see this restaurant thrive ! However, please do not be afraid of seasoning ! Serve the dishes as they are supposed to taste like. Especially rice & mac & cheese who tend to be so disappointing when not well seasoned. Also, I think it would be great if hot sauce, salt & pepper were available/ accessible to customers in the restaurant. (I asked for hot sauce & was handed a large tabasco bottle with only 10 drops max in it) Thank you !
