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 warm welcome and attentive service, with creative dishes that are full of flavor. The ambiance is intimate and cozy, with soft lighting that keeps the room pleasantly quiet. The menu changes regularly and the staff explain the dishes clearly, helping guests discover new ingredients and spice profiles. While portions can be on the smaller side and the pacing can vary, the overall experience is memorable, with desserts that delight and a thoughtful wine list, especially with a South African focus, making it a great choice for a date or a small celebration. Overall, guests leave inspired to return and explore more of the evolving menu.
A hidden gem in The Plateau area of Montreal. If you're looking for something different, & mind-blowing flavours, give this place a try.
The restaurant is a Pan-African fusion restaurant; a hybrid of Saharan, Congolese, & Mozambican cuisine. The flavours of the unique spice blends were outrageously good. You can tell the sauces are very thoughtfully prepared. & the small, well-curated menu shows that they want to specialize in what they do, rather than offer a hundred different things & miss the mark on some. Also, a well put together all-South African wine list.
We will definitely come again!
Aug 10, 2025
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Ma découverte de l'année! Plats succulents, saveurs nouvelles, & parfois relevées. Profiter de ce petit resto, c'est voyager pour quelques heures. Nous étions 6, & nous avons tous été ravis.
J'ai fait une réservation pour un groupe de 10 personnes, pour mon anniversaire. Ils nous ont obligé à prendre la table d'hôte (qui contenait très peu de choix), prétendant que ça serait trop de gestion pour eux qu'on prenne le menu à la carte. C'était très décevant pour nous, car la majorité des choses que nous voulions goûter n'étaient pas sur le menu table d'hôte.
Le repas était tout de même bon, bien que pas ce que nous souhaitions. La serveuse a offert un bon service. Par contre, elle nous a imposé un pourboire de 20%, sans possibilité de choisir ce que nous voulions donner. Leur pratique en la matière est probablement même illégale.
Aucun de nous n'a l'intention de retourner dans ce restaurant. Il y en a des tout aussi bon culinairement, où il y a une plus grande considération des clients.
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!
Jun 1, 2025
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Came from NYC back to Montreal just to eat here again. Our favorite meal in the city. A truly unique dining experience, amazing flavors, & first class service.
Ce restaurant était jolie & very aestheticly pleasing, mais simple en terme de saveur & originalité. Mon copain Nigérien était tres enthousiaste lorsqu'on est rentrer & qu'il y avait beaucoup de musique Afrobeat par des chanteurs nigerien, mais c'était tout. Il n'y avait rien au menu représentant la culture nigérienne.
Niveau nourriture le repas principal etait une banane plantain avec un boeuf style crockpot, rien de special pour 92$ par personne plus taxes & pourboire. Je donne un 5/10. Étant haitienne moi-meme il n'y avait rien de different ou de special pour le prix donné & le menu spécial St-Valentin
Went for the first time on Valentine's Day w. A set menu. They were attentive to making adjustments for any intolerances or allergies. It was just excellent!! However, service was a little long we got our food at 11:30pm (reservation at 9pm) but time went by fast thanks to the service checking in, great wine & music
Quite frankly, this is the best tasting African cuisine I've had the pleasure of eating; however, it was a gastro-tease without the foodgasm with the very disappointing portion size. Two bites in, & it's was over. I believe it brought tears to my eyes.
Food was okay. Price to quality & creativity ratio is lacking. Was probably much better when it first opened but has since lost it's lustre. Unfortunate. Price is around 120$-140$ per person for three services & some drinks.
Came for MTL á Table promotion - a wonderful evening! This was high level cooking in a style I didn`t know, sub-Saharan African specialties & inspiration. The servers were warm, professional, knowledgeable & courteous. The atmosphere was cozy but not cramped with music that was not too loud & convivial. & the food was great - every dish came out perfectly, beautifully presented, delicious even though it was unfamiliar (part of the appeal). From the dual eggplant with watercress foam stew appetizer through the cooked banana with light chocolate & biscuit dessert, all was done to perfection. My main course (Palette of Bon Boeuf low-temperature beef, lacquered with tomato juice flavoured with curry & turmeric, butternut squash purée, potato cromesquis, marinated zucchini roll) was amazingly tender & delicious. Artful & satisfying, we will be back! An additional thanks for using warm serving plates, which kept the delicious hot food warm without rushing through it! It`s a sign of a good restaurant that knows what it`s doing. Highly recommended!
