In the culinary topography of Montreal, young and not-so-young chefs from all over the world come and go – in every season. Although we’ve heard that opening a restaurant in certain neighborhoods is almost impossible without a little help, it ‘s clear that Montreal is a center of North American gastronomy.
This is partly due to the talents of our chefs, the excellent raw materials raised and grown in the region, and the patchwork nature of the city. Montreal isn’t that big, and it’s relatively easy to climb to the top of the pyramid when you have the courage, creativity and a pinch of luck.
And if it doesn’t work out, you can tear it all down and start afresh – and that’s the heart of some of the city’s best restaurants, based on almost miraculous collaborations between chefs.
This year, the prestigious culinary guide La Liste elected two of the city’s restaurants to its 2026 List of the World’s Top 1000 Restaurants.
Vin Mon Lapin – with a score of 88.5
Farm-to-table wine bar/restaurant Vin Mon Lapin was taken over in 2020 by Marc-Olivier Frappier and Vanya Filipovic, a genius chef-sommelier couple, and the accolades have been piling up ever since.
It’s a neighborhood wine bar beloved by Montrealers in Little Italy first -for experts and lovers of natural wines- and a restaurant whose small dishes have inspired real love letters from food critics…
Where? Vin Mon Lapin, 150 rue Saint-Zotique East
How to get there Make a reservation – here!
Toqué! – with a score of 75
As at Vin Mon Lapin,the cuisine at Toqué! is farm-to-table, with a pronounced accent of the countryside and the freshness of the morning dew in the local fields.
Chef Normand Laprise and Christine Lamarche have nurtured their relationships with small-scale producers in the surrounding hills, cooking fish, meat and vegetables into sophisticated classics.
Where? 900 Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle
How? Make a reservation – here!
Enjoy your meal!