Best bistros in Montreal

Harrison Shewchuk's French, Italian and British-minded menu changes almost daily. Opened 2025.

• MICHELIN Bib GourmandSource ↗

  A Little Italy bistro run by chef Harrison Shewchuk, with a brief, season-driven menu that mixes timeless classics with produce from an Estrie farm. The inspector admired the chef's gourmet treatment of offal and his French-rooted modern style.

  Standout dishes: beef tartare with beef jelly and trout roe, breaded veal brains with sauce ravigote, devilled beef tongue

• Canada's 100 Best #23Source ↗

  A daily-changing menu of French, Italian and British influence with local produce, giving simple-looking dishes depth; vegetables get the care of proteins.

  Standout dishes: einkorn loaf with cultured butter, pommes dauphine with mouclade, sunflower-seed risotto, beef tartare with consommé gelée

• Canada's Best New #3Source ↗

  Dishes that look simple and restrained but gain depth from precise technique and a clear cuisine d'auteur point of view.

Pub-like room, Lyon-style plates, lobster spaghetti. The owners were on Parts Unknown.

• Canada's 100 Best #51Source ↗

  Lyonnaise-inspired, unpretentious cooking in an oyster-bar spirit, with rich signature dishes that have lasted and a wine list that gives Quebec growing weight.

  Standout dishes: lobster spaghetti, oeuf en gelée with black truffle

• MICHELIN RecommendedSource ↗

  A cheerful, convivial room with warm, efficient service. The menu is relaxed, rich French bistro cooking, with steaks and seafood at the centre.

  Standout dishes: rabbit à la royale, calf sweetbreads, fries

32 seats round an open kitchen in Little Italy; lobster oeuf mayo since opening.

• MICHELIN Bib GourmandSource ↗

  A very small restaurant with globally inspired, contemporary cooking that uses spices and mostly local, seasonal ingredients. Dinner is a single set menu, lunch offers choice at good value, and the drinks list is strong.

  Standout dishes: red mullet with herb oil, stuffed cabbage with cod and Sichuan-style chickpeas, egg and mushroom in Sichuan broth, parsley octopus

• Canada's 100 Best #56Source ↗

  A charming 32-seat room with an open kitchen and a concise seasonal menu that draws diners from beyond Little Italy, plus an expanded drinks program.

  Standout dishes: oeuf mayonnaise with lobster and tarragon, Mtl-style trout

• Canada's Best New #9Source ↗

  A homey 32-seater on the edge of Mile-Ex with a focused, seafood-leaning menu from chef Robin Filteau Boucher.

  Standout dishes: eggs mayonnaise with lobster, rainbow trout with raifort sauce, Opus oysters, lamb with carrots and jus

• enRoute Best New #6Source ↗

  A white-tablecloth Mile End bistro where the bread and frites are held up as ideals of their kind.

  Standout dishes: bread, frites, eggs, trout

On Saint-Denis since 1980, with the same classics: marrow bones, steak frites.

• Canada's 100 Best #73Source ↗

  A Montreal landmark since 1980 that sets the standard for classic French bistro dining, with a steady menu, professional service and an extensive, fairly priced wine list.

  Standout dishes: fish soup, bone marrow, veal kidneys in mustard sauce, hanger steak with shallot butter

Corner bistro with French-leaning plates; the kitchen serves till midnight daily.

• MICHELIN Bib GourmandSource ↗

  Chef Charles-Tristan Prévost, formerly of Le Club Chasse et Pêche, cooks generous, carefully prepared, indulgent food with produce from the nearby Jean Talon market. The inspector valued the lively neighbourhood setting, natural wine list and relaxed service.

  Standout dishes: Casavant sausage and mash, confit leek tartlet with Mornay goat's cheese, beef tartare, sea bass grenobloise

• Canada's 100 Best #100Source ↗

  A corner bistro open daily until midnight, where French-leaning staples stand out, with a Euro-centric list of classic and low-intervention wines.

  Standout dishes: saucisse-purée, steak tartare with smoked mackerel, endive-squash salad

• Canada's Best New #6Source ↗

  A bistro near Jean-Talon Market that stays open late, with a luminous, welcoming Ménard Dworkind design and a Euro-centric wine list from the owners of a natural-wine agency.