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.
Across reviews, Mon Lapin is widely praised for inventive seasonal dishes, a warm intimate atmosphere, and a dining experience that many call a standout in Canada. The service is repeatedly described as attentive and knowledgeable, with wine pairings and menu explanations that elevate the meal, though a few readers note moments of overcrowding, speed, or overly persistent attention. Portions are often described as small and prices high, with some guests feeling the experience is about culinary artistry more than meat on the plate, while others celebrate the finesse and balance of flavors. The menu emphasizes local ingredients and frequent changes, with signatures like the scallop pétoncle croque, preserved leeks with smoked mussels, and buckwheat cake standing out for many; the overall impression is one of creative presentation and thoughtful pairings. Reservations are hard to secure and the ambiance can be noisy, but the consensus is that the quality of food and service justifies the hype for many, even as a minority call it overrated or inconsistent.
Simply the best experience I've had in Montréal's finer dining scene. The food was made with care & obvious quality but never pretentious or over done, our server paired wines for each course impeccably, the staff was fast, incredibly kind & helpful! I cannot reccomend Mon Lapin enough, the experience certainly lives up to the hype
Probably the best dining experience I've ever had. Our server, Rose, was phenomenal. Perfect balance of friendly, fun, knowledgeable & professional. Everything we ate was insanely good. Wine pairings perfect. Highly highly recommend this restaurant & looking forward to coming back next time I'm in Montreal.
Our dinner date was sublime. The staff was absolutely friendly in both English & French, & adapted to our mood while being very courteous. The food was excellent. As the menu changes quite often, the best I can suggest is their dessert options which often are consistent & the scallops sandwich for sure. The staff was very well prepared to explain every dish that we were interested in with fine detail without confusing us & the wine selection was excellent too. Whilst this restaurant is definitely a special occasion spot, I do recommend trying it out once as it's a must try in Montreal.
It's tough to be name Canada's best restaurant & I think the accolade leads diners to have unrealistic otherworldly expectations. I loved the fun & upbeat atmosphere of the restaurant. Our service was great. We greatly enjoyed our dishes, in particular the tartare with the assortment of bitter greens & the scallop toast. I found the carbonara serving temperature a tad cold though I understand it can't to too hot to execute properly. Nor did I understand the uni & chestnut dish. Great bottle of wine. All in all a lovely meal, but the "best" restaurant title is probably a bit of a curse.
Dec 5, 2023
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.
After making a reservation several months ago, the big day finally arrived! My husband & I left the restaurant extremely happy & delightfully full. The concept of ordering multiple dishes to share worked wonderfully for us. For starters, we tried the restaurant's signature sandwich & some bread, both of which were fantastic. Our main courses included an outstanding carbonara pasta & fish, not particularly extraordinary for our taste, but still quite good. For dessert, we indulged in a maple tartlette, a definite highlight & perhaps the best dessert I've ever tasted, along with the recommended signature dessert from our waitress. We paired our meal with white & orange wine, an excellent choice suggested by our waitress. I loved the service; the staff was consistently attentive, swiftly clearing tables & plates. Everyone was friendly, & they provided service in both English & French. The bathroom is small, but it's immaculately clean. An unforgettable dinner experience!
Really exceptional experience. I sat at the bar & the server there was amazing. She really knew her food & wine, & just clearly loved being there. The food was incredible, wine was great, & the place just had a great vibe in general. I can't wait to go back, this will become a regular for me when in Montreal. In a city of great restaurants, super happy to have found another gem.
Dinner here was a special experience. Part of the fun is sharing dishes with people you are dining with. Another enjoyable aspect is the brilliance of the dishes. They are not showy. Yet great care has gone into creatively & playfully preparing ingredients that are familiar. There is a twist to everything we tried. I really appreciate the novelty & skill this requires. But I don't think that this would be noticed or enjoyed by all. Service was excellent, wine recommendation spot on, atmosphere of the space was casual but stylish. I expected the bill to be far more than it was. Very cool night out.
Honestly, underwhelmed by the food, given the price. Best in Canada? NO. However, waitstaff was exceptional & the interior design is beautiful & some wines delicious - so we still had a fun time. But won't return. Too bad.
Nov 15, 2023
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.
It's such a lovely restaurant with great food & amazing people. The food looks simple but cooked with so many details in mind. We were traveling from Amsterdam, & one of our friends highly recommended it. We tried many of their dishes & a few wines. They were all perfect.
One of our standout meals in Montreal, we enjoyed VML’s warm welcome & excellent meal of 5 or 6 small courses, with perfect wine pairings.
I had to plan ahead to get a reservation, but I’m so glad I did.
Is this place worth the hype?
In a word...yes.
Everything was on point. Menu variety & quality? Oh yeah. Wine & beer list? Totally.
Overall feel of this place? You bet.
I was flying solo & felt like a king here. I loved everything I had, the urchin, the radishes with chicken pâté, both scallop dishes, the ricotta pasta with mushroom sauce, the vin jaune Baba, it was all awesome, with the accompanying wine suggested by the waiter perfect.
Not cheap, but frankly it was worth every penny. I had a surreal experience & any foodie would love it here.
Sep 28, 2023
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.
No wonder int one of the best restaurants in Canada. The food was amazing, we had 5 dishes, the menu changes all the time. The server Tania chose wine for us & every time it was delicious. We also enjoyed that she was very knowledgeable (not only about food) & casual, talking with us occasionally. We loved our experience & would come back 100%.
One of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had - from the service to the food.
First off, the service was incredible. I’ve been to a few Michelin star restaurants, but the service here may eclipse even those. The servers are extremely attentive to you, & take the time to craft a menu for the night based on the preferences you’ve given them in your intro discussion (if you want to choose your own menu that’s an option too). They’ll pair every course with a wine & give a great overview on what you’re eating.
Now onto the food. Everything was absolutely incredible. The scallop sandwich was actually probably my least favorite thing, despite it still being so rich & delicious. The pasta was fantastic, the fish was cooked perfectly, & the sour dough chicken is a knockout.
Incredible experience & a must try if you’re lucky enough to get a reservation.
The wine list was very good, got to give them credit for that. The menu changes often & is based off fresh ingredients. The menu items are very original & super delicious, I will return! The service is really fast & the staff is very welcoming
What a gem. Superb wine list, knowledgeable staff, & absolutely outstanding food. We had a 1 year old with us, too, & the staff was extremely accommodating. Cannot recommend enough.
