Mon Lapin, a neighbourhood restaurant in the heart of Montreal's Little Italy. Inventive and delicious fare, all the seasonal favourites on an ever-changing menu by chefs Marc-Olivier Frappier and Jessica Noel, and team. Visionary wines, a list filled with vibrant and eclectic bottles.
Reviews describe Mon Lapin as a bold, creative Montreal restaurant that champions seasonal local ingredients in a playful shareable format with inventive dishes like the croque pétoncle, preserved leeks with smoked mussels, sea urchin and buckwheat cake, all set in a warm, intimate atmosphere with a standout wine program and consistently attentive service; reservations are notoriously hard to secure and the experience is hailed as imaginative and worth the hype, though some notes point to small portions for the price, occasional pacing issues, and nights when the wow factor is a touch muted.
Next time, I'm hoping for an earlier reservation. The only table available was at 9:30 p.m., & I was already feeling tired by the third course. That said, the food was delicious & completely worth it. The wine list is impressive, with lots of great choices. Service was excellent. Highly recommended.
We visited Vin Mon Lapin on April 7 as a party of 4.
Atmosphere:
Lovely restaurant with charming decor. Warm & relaxed atmosphere. Wish the candles were real, not battery powered!
Service:
Overall, excellent. Our main server & sommelier was wonderful - passionate, friendly, & had wonderful suggestions for wine for the table. The other servers (I believe we had 5 total?) were friendly as well, except for one - he seemed rather unhappy to be there!
Food was thoughtfully brought to the table & explained, they seemed to have had the food before & genuinely enjoyed explaining every dish to us. Plates & cutlery were changed with each course. The service added positively to our overall experience.
Some minor notes (as this is the #2 restaurant in Canada!):
- we noticed staff taking out the garbage in view of diners
- pacing of the dessert course was lost in translation. We ordered a savoury with our desserts & were told it would come first - instead, it came with all our dessert at once
Food:
The food was excellent. We ambitiously ordered every dish on the menu, & 3 of the desserts. We also shared two bottles of wine at the recommendation of the sommelier.
The dishes were very thoughtfully coursed & well paced, we ended up having approximately 4 savoury courses. All dishes were solid, some were exceptional. The crab salad & bone marrow, linzer, mushroom, duck agnolotti, sea bass, ice cream sandwich surprise, chocolate tourte & sarrasin cake were all wonderful, the entire table raved about them all. We appreciated the use of local ingredients, as well as the beautiful presentation of each dish.
Other dishes were well prepared but not to our taste. The leeks felt like a bit of a miss, but overall nothing truly failed.
Our two wines, one white & one orange, paired beautifully.
Overall:
This restaurant is worth a stop. The reservations are hard to get, for good reason. It's a wonderful dining experience showcasing local ingredients to their fullest. Service is excellent. We all thought that in a few more years, with ironing out of some service kinks & balancing out of some flavours, Vin Mon Lapin could be worthy of a Michelin star.
Apr 8, 2026
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Obviously the food is next level & the wine list is something else. Could not find a single flaw in anything we ate or drank - truly exceptional. But actually what we were most pleasantly surprised by: how brilliant the service was (big thanks to Nino in particular for looking after us).
The atmosphere has this warmth to it that makes you feel like a local coming back for the 50th time rather than a tourist who got lucky with a reservation. Likely the best all round dining experience I've had, ever
- 10/10
I was thrilled to get a reservation here for my trip to Montreal. The food was so good that we were laughing at how we felt sad that our meal was coming to an end. We sat at the bar, which partially overlooks the kitchen. Our bartender basically curated our meal & wine & we just loved everything. The atmosphere is so nice. A cozy neighborhood restaurant. It truly lives up to its reputation. I would go back in a heartbeat!
Had a really amazing time here. Definitely a restaurant that lives up to the hype. All our servers were fantastic Fiona's knowledge of wine & the menu really made the dinner even better! Will be back
Went there for a bachelorette dinner, but it doesn't live up to the hype, unfortunately. Food was tasty, but portions were TINY & expensive. The waitress suggested most of the food & wine. For a glass of wine + 4 tiny portions of an appetizer, we paid around $140 each. There are many places in montreal where you spend +$100 per person that are a thousand more times worth it.
Feb 3, 2026
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The food & atmosphere were wonderful, the wine fantastic & the service next level. Our server, Fiona, took time to pair our dishes with absolutely delicious wines, & explained every dish on the menu. She really took the time to make our experience unforgettable, as well as all of the other staff.
We had 6 dishes & each one was unique & delicious! Do yourself a favour & visit Mon Lapin!
Everything was exceptional, from the food & wine to the service & ambiance. It was an outstanding dining experience from start to finish. I genuinely enjoyed every part of the evening & would highly recommend Vin Mon Lapin. I would absolutely return.
Is this the best restaurant in Canada? Who knows. The hype even years after opening remains pretty strong.
That said, there are few better representations of creative French/Quebeçois cooking in a small plates format, with a wine list this huge.
Everything tastes'French' despite the many subtle nods to other cuisines, like a a scallop mousse on bread that is clearly the Canadian version of shrimp toast.
My partner & I went here to celebrate our anniversary. We had a reservation, but when we arrived, we still waited about 20 minutes because the place was absolutely jam-packed-which already tells you how good it is.
What I really loved about this restaurant is that they have a wine sommelier who truly knows their wines. They take the time to understand your taste & even let you try the wine before you decide, which made the experience feel very thoughtful & personalized.
The food was truly memorable. Every dish we ordered practically melted in our mouths-no complaints at all. My partner's favorite was the leeks; the flavors were perfectly balanced & gone in seconds. Mine was the sea urchin-I was in complete awe & honestly speechless after the first bite.
I will definitely be coming back. Now I understand why this is considered one of the best restaurants in Canada. If you're ever visiting Montreal, this place is a must-try.
Dec 28, 2025
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This restaurant often tops Canada's best lists but after a disappointing time at Le Violon (probably victim of its success after Trudeau's visit), I was skeptical but man did it deliver.
First the service, something which is very hit & miss in Quebec, this was the definition of attentive service without being over the top.
The wines were fantastic, & well-deserved Michelin blessings to the sommelière. We tried yellow wine which was quite unique & honestly this spot could easily become my favourite wine bar in the city.
The food - Flawless experience. Unique flavours & methods, chicken in a sourdough crust was spectacular, the pork cheeks was melt in the mouth, the beetroots were fresh & creamy, the mousse in little rabbit biscuits was cute but delicious. Special mention to the sea urchins, I couldn't help exclaim my joy when the table next to us ordered it but they were non-chalant.
This one is a repeat & definitely a spot not to be missed.
Not sure what the whole hype / difficulty to reserve is about. Food is bland at best & alcohol over priced. Never was much a fan of French/quebecois food, just bland flavors, salty & fatty. But if that's your thing, go for it.
What they do here best is their ability to push & sell you drinks through'free sampling'. If you sit at the bar like I did, the barmaid is incredible at making you feel welcome & serve you free samples of wine so the'appetite' to spend opens up. It's a brilliant sales tactic.
Great atmosphere though. 300$ bill for 2 main dishes, 1 entree, 2 desserts & 6 drinks. Mediocre imo.
Exceptional meal! The food was very creative, thoughtful & delicious. It did a great job showcasing local ingredients. The service was on par to Michelin places we've been - very attentive & warm. Great wine. Cost atmosphere on a snowy winter night. Would definitely visit.
Expectations were extremely high given all the recent accolades & I have to say I was ready to be disappointed. Marco, Jessica, Vanya, & their wonderful team blew my expectations out of the water.
Dishes like the foie cookies with habanada jelly, & the conserve leeks with fermented chips & mussel mayo are nostalgic in flavour, but creative & fun in their execution.
Their wine list is nothing short of impressive, with many references you'd have a hard time finding outside of a passionate collectors personal cave. Prices are also very reasonable by the glass relative to most wine bars around.
Atmosphere is what you hope for with Montreal dining; far from pretentious but very attentive & warm.
We left having gone through half the menu, & I did not feel heavy or overly full at all.
Merci Mon Lapin & until next time!
Dec 1, 2025
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Once again, we were blown away by the creativity & taste of the food but also by the warm , high quality service of the many staff members who did everything to make our dinner enjoyable. Kudos for promoting local cuisine & supporting local wine makers which exceeded our expectations. C'est la 4ieme fois que je visitais ce restaurant, meme chose pour mes parents qui s'étaient joints à nous & nous y retournerons. Nous avons tout simplement adoré! Merci aux propriétaires & le staff, votre service attentionné & la qualité de vos recommandations ont agrémenté notre soirée!
This is one of the best restaurants I've been to. I was able to walk in solo mid week, & everyone was so friendly & helpful (shoutout Guillaume for your recommendations & hospitality). The wine & food were both delicious - I ordered the razor clams, uni, scallop sandwich, tomatoes in broth, & cod. The flavors & dishes were so thoughtful, balanced, & unique. I can't wait to come back & try more.
I went with my family to celebrate my fiance birthday. Wine selection is great . Ambiance is nice bit loud.
Food was good some dishes but other one not my kind of favorite. I definitely don't think is the best restaurant in montreal like people describe.
✨ We had the most wonderful evening at Mon Lapin yesterday for my mother-in-law's birthday, & I can't stop thinking about it. From start to finish, everything was exceptional, the food, the wine, the atmosphere, & the hospitality.
Every dish was so beautifully prepared, layered with flavor & creativity while still feeling comforting & approachable. The staff made us feel truly celebrated - warm, attentive, & full of knowledge about the menu & wine pairings. The energy in the restaurant is both lively & intimate, making it the perfect place for a special occasion.
My in-law was absolutely delighted, & we all left with full hearts (& very happy stomachs!). We'll definitely be back soon.
Absolutely incredible. The vibe here is very cozy & warm. It's not a large restaurant & they encourage guests to spend time savouring, so if you make a reservation don't expect to be seated for about an hour afterwards. That said, the service when seated makes up for it.
We spent time enjoying a glass of wine & watching the chefs do their thing over the bar. When a table had cleared we ordered the tuna, scallop sandwiches (a must), somerset chicken, cod, & ricotta balls. Everything was so light yet packed so much for flavour. We actually made a second reservation while still at dinner.
