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 resturant, oh my god the foods are amazing, good seasoning,good sauce, oh my god, & for hatian people if you want to go there ita bascially a place for you guys the fried pork, the fried planktan to the black rice its just so good. The service too thsy were so kind so I tipped them $5. If your looking at this just try it its amazing.
I took my fiancé to dinner at Kwizinn to celebrate our anniversary last Saturday. We had arrived 15 minutes late due to traffic , & we apologized for missing our reservation, we were told it was no worries & were seated immediately with a smile. My fiancé & I started off by ordering an espresso martini & a Cucumber Mojito as well as appetizers pictured below, I had gotten the empanadas while she had gotten the oysters. Both appetizers were delicious, the empanadas were rich & fluffy, while the oysters were tangy with a smooth finish. The mains were the Pork chop (my dinner) & the Lobster Poutine (Fiancé's Dish). The Pork Chop was savoury & crunchy thanks to the garnish on top, meanwhile my fiancé stated that the lobster was fresh, & the seasoning on the poutine was full of flavour. We ended off our meal with tostadas paired with a Birds Eye sauce, as well as the chocolate cake. A perfect way to end off the night. Overall loved the experience at Kwizinn , most definitely a restaurant you need to visit whenever you are in town, will definitely be coming back.
Jul 20, 2024
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.
Nous cherchions un beau restaurant qui sert de la nourriture caribéenne. Après avoir vu leur page Instagram nous avons choisi ce restaurant. L'ambiance & le décor est très bien, cependant la nourriture est de type fusion donc nous avons été déçu par le manque de goût & les plats que nous avons pris (griot sec, aucune sauce pour accompagner le plat; le poisson avait un goût acidulé déplaisant; la composition de la salade de crevettes très ordinaire : crevettes non assaisonnées & plus de poivrons qu'autre chose). Nous avions commandé un drink & demande d'avoir le jus séparé afin de pouvoir doser nous-mêmes le cocktail & nous avons été chargé pour l'alcool en plus du jus. Lorsque nous avons demandé à la serveuse pourquoi elle n'a pas pu nous répondre. Nous ne retournerons pas.
Fall-off-the-bone kabrit! Where to begin? It was honestly such a fun night. The place looks amazing. It's very immersive & it feels like we're entering a fancy grave. I loved the music by A$h Banks; it was top-tier selections nonstop! The food was so tasty, really well-seasoned & exceptional. Each dish was so unique & well-executed. We had 2 cocktails which were very delicious & potent! The mac & cheese was baked & creamy, & it didn't taste like water, as opposed to 99.9% of other places where they serve mac & cheese. It was really authentic & comforting. My discovery is the octopus carpaccio - let me tell you this one is a show stopper. SO fresh. & it was topped with a bruschetta-like sauce & focaccia. It was so unexpected & daring to compose a dish like that, but the tastes blended so well together, & it was also topped with mashed avocado. SO creative. I recommend this dish to everyone! The kabrit was G.O.A.T. It came with shishito peppers & it was literally the most tender kabrit I have ever tasted in my entire life. It just fell appart & melted like butter in my mouth. The griyo was outstanding! This dish is very authentic & simple, but it is executed exceptionally by Chef Mike Lafaille. The pikliz was pikliz! Very delicious & it's just what you hope for & more. We also ordered allocco which was just a delight! They use the sweet, ripe plantain & it was such a perfect addition to our dishes. I find the the menu is ecclectic & unexpected, but there is definitely caribbean tastes & influence in every dish I've tasted. I find it so rare to find fusion restaurants that make sense & Kwizinn makes sense! It's really well-executed & it was worth every penny. Don't go there without an open mind. It's truly an experience & they also do brunch & have fun events. I also appreciate that they were very family-friendly. We came with a baby & they didn't make us feel uncomfortable, which some fancy restaurants can sometimes make you feel like & inconvenience if you have a family or young baby, but it was not the case at Kwizinn. It's very welcoming. The service was great! I could feel the passion in every person who served us. It shows that they love what they do. They tended to our needs & were super friendly. I love that it's a chic environment, but it's also very warm & loving. A huge shoutout to Claudia who is such a great host & made me feel at home! This one is already a staple in the city. It's so worth it. I can't wait to go back & try more dishes. I'm really proud that we have such an institution here in Montreal. Bravo to everyone involved! Fantastic experience. Will recommend & tell everyone.
Je suis extrêmement déçue de mon expérience chez Kwizinn du Vieux-Port. Selon moi, cet endroit est surévalué. Les plats étaient fades & la sauce du poisson était amère lors de la première dégustation. Heureusement, le chef l'a modifiée par la suite, ce qui m'a ravie. La serveuse, malgré quelques oublis, était sympathique & a bien géré la situation.Cependant, j'ai trouvé que le menu à 75 $ par personne aurait été plus approprié pour notre groupe de 7 personnes, au lieu de la commande individuelle qui s'est avérée très coûteuse. Payer 8 $ pour un extra de pikliz ? Qui fait ça dans notre communauté ? Au minimum, assurez-vous que le service soit de qualité irréprochable du début à la fin. Malheureusement, j'ai eu l'impression que cet endroit & ceux qui connaissaient mes cousins & ma famille ne s'adressaient pas à moi. Peut-être que la clientèle visée est d'une autre communauté, qui sait.Pour plus de 200 $ par personne, je m'attends à un tout autre niveau de service. Mes cousins, qui connaissaient le propriétaire, m'ont dit qu'ils avaient reçu un délicieux cocktail au pamplemousse en arrivant. Étant arrivée plus tard à cause de la circulation, j'aurais aussi aimé déguster ce cocktail & en apprendre davantage. Lorsque le propriétaire est passé devant nous, je lui ai dit, comme nous l'avions fait plus tôt avec mes cousins : "Hey mon ami!" à deux reprises. Cependant, il m'a ignorée en tournant le dos comme s'il n'avait rien entendu.En d'autres termes, je ne recommanderais en aucun cas cet endroit à ma clientèle, mes amis ou ma famille comme une référence de la cuisine haïtienne. Nous sommes bien plus sympathiques & chaleureux, sans mépris ni ignorance... & surtout pas avec une facture de 150 à 175 $ par personne.
Venue avec un groupe d'amis pour fêter mon anniversaire, j'ai été très déçue de la qualité de mon plat ( le lambi) qui n'était pas épicé, contrairement à ce qui avait été annoncé mais surtout mal préparé ( chair non attendrie, citron ayant cuit à coeur le lambi & aucune saveur dans la sauce avec un aspect du plat peu attrayant) pas du tout la fricassée de lambi que j'espérais & le riz d'accompagnement ne m'a pas semblé frais car très sec. Bref je ne reviendrais sans doute pas , même si le feuilleté au canard & sa sauce sucrée & épicée était délicieux. Ma déception ne se fonde pas uniquement sur mon plat, mais aussi sur celle du reste du groupe qui a eu une appréciation moyenne.
Oct 29, 2023
🍽️
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.
Hands down, la meilleure cuisine haïtienne que j'ai mangé 🤤 de l'entrée jusqu'au dessert, un délice pour les papilles 💕le griot est tellement tendre qu'il fond & les saveurs sont explosives. Mention spéciale pour le feuilleté au canard confit avec la sauce pimentée...juste WOW! Kwizinn sera dorénavant ma seule & unique destination pour les plats haïtiens! Bravo chef Mike! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Meilleur Griot en ville!! 5/5
Délicieux desserts fait maisons; Beignets aux bananes, sauce noix de coco, & zeste de lime.
Bonnes portions & belle presentation. Excellent Service courtois & attentionné.
Sans oublier de délicieux cocktails!
Apr 27, 2023
🍽️
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.
Personnels chaleureux,La nourriture était bonne le cabrit c étais trop bon mais malheureusement il y a pas l option de commender pour emporter ou avoir un extra de cabrit 🥹 le poisson boukanin était pas pire mais il y avait pas sauce pour le riz c est juste ça l inconvénient , puis les bananes plantain étaient mûres ce que j aime moins je vais retourner la prochaine fois c est sû
Food is fresh & delicious. I love the fact that I got 4 platain. I love plantain. I wish I would have had more sauce with my plate. One of the best Pikliz I've ever had, nice & spicy. Great music & ambiance. Definitely make a reservation at night because they do fill up fast
J'ai adoré le burger de bananes plantain & le griot était tendre & savoureux!
Par contre, je trouve qu'il manquait de sauce viande pour accompagner le riz & la salade macaroni manquait de saveur. Sinon c'était bon & la terrasse est agréable.
Quelle belle découverte! La nourriture est excellente & le service rapide, courtois & surtout très sympatique. Le resto appartient à un couple & leur passion est évidente. J'ai bien aimé la terrasse. On m'a même donné un pot de leur merveilleuse sauce piquante & super épicée (fait avec 30 piments 'scoth bonnet'
What a beautiful discovery! The food is excellent & the service fast, courteous & above all very friendly. The restaurant belongs to a couple & their passion is obvious. I liked the terrace. I was even given a pot of their wonderful & super spicy sauce (made with 30 scotch bonnet' peppers)
