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.
Mediocre at best. Got the Chef's selection for a table of 4, which was pretty much everything on the menu You can get a better version of any of these dishes along Bloor West for a third the price. The trout was the only dish that was better than average Service was abysmal. Had to wait 15+ minutes at times to get the attention of our main waitress. We specifically mentioned no raw meats because of pregnancy, but was still served tuna tartare. One of the blandest, unimpressive tartare I've had, btw. Way too loud for any real conversation Don't buy the hype. Anyone saying this is #1 in Canada is disingenuous
Went with a group of six & ordered almost the whole menu. Every bite was delicious, the service was incredible. We opted to share everything, & the staff advised us on how much to order & even offered to 1.5x certain dishes so that each person would get enough.
Aug 14, 2024
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I won't soon forget this meal. Although I don't live in Montreal, I've heard about Mon Lapin for a few years & have wanted to go for quite some time. This place gets a lot of hype, so going in I had pretty high expectations. I can without a doubt say this place lives up to its #1 spot on Canada's Top 100 list & all the hype it gets. Everything was exceptional, however the standout for me was the mackerel tartare. Cannot wait to go back.
Nous étions là pour fêter mon anniversaire. Le service & l'accueil étaient impeccables, & la nourriture diversifiée & originale! Rose, notre serveuse, était exceptionnelle. Elle nous a suggéré un menu en fonction de nos goûts & la sélection de vin qu'elle a faite était parfaite. Je recommande fortement, une belle expérience culinaire à un coût abordable! Merci à toute l'équipe de Vin mon lapin 🐇
Absolutely fabulous dinner! I was lucky enough to dine here this past week & I couldn't of enjoyed it more. I sat at the bar & Dimitri was so great-perfect wine choices, next time I'll try one of his amazing cocktails. The food was soo good & beautiful everything we had was great. Highlights for me were the tomato cherry salad the scallop sandwich is a must do!! Thank you ❤️
Very briefly, I had a good experience, & I'm glad I went. I think it's difficult to live up to the expectations of being the best restaurant in Canada. Going into the meal I asked myself if this would be the best one I've ever had, that has to be an insurmountable bar. I enjoyed every dish, each one being full flavour. The presentation was great (no pic online really does justice). I think it was fairly priced for what it is too, I expected the mark up in view of its accolades to be much higher. While the service was overall excellent, the wait time between meals was a bit of a sore point. The apps came quite quickly, but the mains took too long in between.
Jul 21, 2024
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Nous avons adoré notre expérience tous les plats que nous avons goûté était une explosion de saveurs à chaque bouchée. Nous avons été bien conseillé pour le choix de nos plats ainsi que le vin. Le service était plus que parfait. Le seul bémol est que c'est très difficile d'avoir une table mais avec de la persévérance on y arrive.
L'accueil & le premier contact étaient assez décevants, principalement la personne qui nous a servi notre premier verre, je pense qu'il n'a même pas essayé de nous conseiller & nous expliquer le menu. Heureusement qu'un des barmans à pris la relève rapidement, car d'une part cette personne était au petit soin mais aussi il a pris le temps de nous écouter & nous conseiller. De plus ces cocktails étaient vraiment bon! Côté bouffe on est plus proche d'un bistrot, très bien travaillé & exécuté, mais comme souvent à Montréal c'est cher. Ça manque d'options végétariennes ou du moins d'alternative. Ceci étant dit on a passé un super moment, merci infiniment au barman pour son service impeccable !
Expérience qui ne répond pas aux attentes crées par la position de 1er meilleur restaurant au Canada !!!!! À ce demander si cette 1ere place n'a pas été achetée L'expérience est bonne mais rien de WOW ! J'ai eu l'occasion de faire bien des restaurants qui devraient être classés devant mon lapin . Dommage que cette liste des 100 meilleurs restaurants au Canada vienne de perdre toute crédibilité à mes yeux !!!
I cannot imagine food being any better than the meal we had here. It was creative, delicious, decedant. Service was 10/10, energetic, supportive, & knowledgeable. With minimal input from us, our server set a delightful menu with thoughtful wine (& non-alcoholic) pairings. FYI - Getting a reservation requires planning a month in advance. I almost want to leave a bad review so it's easier for me to get a table in the future, but that would have left a stain on the wonderful evening.
Loved this restaurant experience, easily in my top ten meals of all time. The staff were kind & incredibly knowledgeable. We picked a few of the dishes that interested us the most & the team was able to bring us four balanced courses with drinks to match. The food was innovative, but never to the point you didn't know what you were eating. The chef did all the ingredients justice. I hope the next time I am back in Montreal, I'm able to secure another reservation.
"Vin mon lapin" : une déception relative J'avais de grandes attentes pour ce restaurant réputé, mais l'expérience s'est révélée mitigée. Quelques points positifs : La truite en feuille de bette à carde était savoureuse, bien que servie tiède. Cependant, plusieurs lacunes ont terni le repas : Les croque-pétoncles manquaient cruellement de saveur. Le dessert'Miel & Sarrasin', pourtant emblématique du restaurant, était décevant avec un goût insipide rappelant le carton mouillé. La joue de porc, malgré sa cuisson parfaite, manquait de goût. Bien que Vin mon lapin soit un bon restaurant, il ne mérite pas, à mon avis, son classement parmi les meilleurs restaurants du Canada ces deux dernières années. L'expérience ne correspond pas au battage médiatique dont il fait l'objet. Un point particulièrement frustrant : l'attente pour réserver est inversement proportionnelle au plaisir ressenti lors du repas. La difficulté à obtenir une table crée des attentes que la cuisine ne parvient malheureusement pas à satisfaire. De plus le restaurant est extrêmement bruyant, ce qui rend le tout assez désagréable, les panneaux acoustiques sont présents mais ne semblent pas suffire. En résumé, une cuisine correcte mais qui ne répond pas aux attentes suscitées par sa réputation & la difficulté à y réserver une table.
Jul 11, 2024
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Have you ever had food is so good that you want to give the chef a forehead kiss, yes the cake was sooooo good, overall all the dishes was interesting & unique in their way I really enjoyed!!
Absolutely loved the croque-petoncle! If you like seafood, you should totally give it a try. The bread was buttery & toasted to perfection. The petoncle filling was delicious. Our server recommended that we pair it with the cucumbers. They were fresh & super tasty. Keep in mind that the prices are very steep. I would even argue it is too expensive for what it is. I ordered the lobster & it literally had 4 pieces of lobster. It was delicious, but not worth the price. The lamb was also cooked to perfection, soft, & salty from the anchovies. It was basically perfect. But again, super overpriced portion wise. On a better note, the servers were super attentive & kind. My plate & cutlery was always clean. & they refilled my water all the time, which showed just how attentive & present they were. The best thing was the dessert. The crostata with grappa was crumbly, buttery, & the grappa was on point. It was sweet, light, & absolutely delicious. I really enjoyed it, but I don't think I'll come back again, mostly because of the prices.
There isn't much more to say than this: it more than deserves its spot at the top of the list of best restaurants in Montreal. The food & wine pairings are next level, & the service is second to none. Bravo!
C'est ici que j'ai mangé les meilleurs pétoncles de ma vie ! Un service au top & une belle expérience pour qui veux très bien manger, le tout dans une ambiance détendue & sympathique. Nous nous sommes laissés guidés de A à Z pour le choix des plats & du vin, tout était très bon 🫶🏻
