Virunga Restaurant is the story of two women passionate about African culture, who invite you to discover the gastronomic richness of this continent, which is so dear to them.
Through revisited traditional recipes, the restaurant celebrates the authentic flavors of sub-Saharan Africa, while showcasing local Quebec products.
Both simple and creative, this cuisine demonstrates, above all, a respect for ingredients and gastronomy.
Virunga Restaurant aims to be a warm and friendly place, offering professional and quality service.
Chef Maria and her daughter Zoya generously welcome you for a unique culinary experience, combining history, modernity, and heritage.
Le Virunga offers a bold African inspired dining experience in the Plateau, blending local Quebec ingredients with aromatic spices and bold flavors that feel thoughtful and special without being fussy. Guests praise flavorful, well seasoned mains and innovative entrées, and the atmosphere is described as cozy, elegant and intimate. The service is frequently praised as attentive and professional, with staff who know the menu inside out and a wine list that features a South African focus. Many reviews highlight the Pan African fusion concept and a small, carefully chosen menu that changes with the season, inviting a sense of discovery. While some notes mention small portions or occasional delays, the overall sentiment points to high quality, craft, and hospitality that make Le Virunga a standout option in Montreal's dining scene.
A gourmet restaurant with flavors & dishes that are explosive & surprising in a cozy & hushed atmosphere. Perfect for foodies. I would like to test their entire menu.
Update 2025: whilst I had a good meal (& adapted for vegan options), for the cost of the meals, I think experience had some hiccups. We waited 45 minutes for our bill due to a payment machine issue & they didn't provide free drinks or a discount for the wait, which is honestly the LEAST they could have done for a party of 9 which had been seated for already over 3 hours. Really disappointed in that part of the service although the servers themselves were attentive & kind.
Old: Food is pricey but I really love the concept of this restaurant! Modernized food with a lot of care & thought out into the dishes. A little pricey but definitely worth a visit. The restaurant is beautiful but could do with more personality inside in my opinion. Overall happy with the place (wish there was more vegan options).
Aug 30, 2025
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Amazing place with very unique dishes. The only comment would be the amount of food per dish, felt like they could have been more generous. But totally recommend & worth paying a visit!
THIS PLACE IS CRAZY GOOD! The dishes (the appetizers, the goat main, those plantain beignet fritters), the paired wines... & the lovely service. I come here every year for my birthday meal & this might be our favourite Le Virunga meal yet!
Jun 16, 2024
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Delicious food, service & presentation! We tried multiple dishes as well as both desserts, & everything tasted extremely comforting & delicious! The service is really good too, the server took her time to explain everything to us about the dishes & we also had some help pairing a perfect wine with the dishes! Highly recommended!!
We had a wonderful experience at Le Virunga! Excellent & unique flavors & dishes. The service was TrueType outstanding. A memorable evening. I would recommend this restaurant for any special occasion!
Beautiful small restaurant! The flavors were really different & delicious. You get to try not so common ingredients in beautifully inspired dishes. We will definitely put it on our list of favorites neighborhood restaurants.
we were there for a special event, part of Montréal en lumière & a special menu conceived of & produced by Lysanne O'bomsawin was our treat. a happy marriage of pan-African & Abenaki ingredients were presented (with beautiful pairings of South African wines) in a parade of gorgeously plated dishes, each with its own twist: confit de canard on a base of cloudberry jam, smoked trout, wapiti tartare,, smoked mutton & a rasberry paté with coconut ice cream. everything was delicious, the portions were adequate, the service & the atmosphere with a great pan-African playlist at a reasonable level wrapped the evening in a bright red bow. we'll be back for their regular menu, soon!
Feb 28, 2022
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Very refined & delicate food & attentive service. Sort of a French version of African food, dishes had many flavors that all went together very well. Be sure to try one of their drinks, the Elephant Tree. Yum
Our initial excitement for this restaurant dwindled after our starters. While they had more variety of flavour, our main dishes (mutton special & goat leg) were surprisingly lackluster. They weren't bad, but they seemed to be missing the 'gastronomie Africaine' that we were expecting. The cassava gnocchis that came with the mutton special were very dense. We surmised that the toned down flavours were possibly to accommodate the older crowd that filled the dining room. In terms of service, the restaurant was understaffed for a Saturday night. With around ten tables, two servers were also running food, hosting & bartending. This lead to slow service through no fault of their own. Overall, it was good, but nothing spectacular, & we probably wouldn't return.
Le Virunga was the most pleasant surprise I've had at a restaurant in a long time! The atmosphere is warm & inviting, even on a cold rainy night! The music was superb, & played at a volume that allowed for normal conversation. & the food ... absolutely delicious. We were 5 friends for dinner , & everyone adored their dishes. Mine was a pan seared Sturgeon, just delicious. & the plantain donut for dessert ... wow. I don't want to forget our server; she explained the dishes & eagerly answered our questions & even asked the chef when we had questions about substitutions. Cannot wait to go back. One more thing, lovely wine list, our Riesling was superb!
Went for our anniversary. Lovely small space, excellent service. We had the goat salad appetizer, oxtail & duck leg as mains, & for dessert, the beignets with rum sauce. All was DELICIOUS! Only criticism is that the food could have been hotter. Would certainly visit again to try some of their other dishes, including the goat.
