Grand New Roman Restaurant Lands in the Heart of Old Montreal

A large new Italian restaurant has landed in Old Montreal this week, with Jacopo now serving Roman-leaning dishes on Place Jacques-Cartier.

Jacopo comes from the Antonopoulos Group, joining 14 other venues, all scattered near-ubiquitously around the neighbourhood. Depending on how you look at it, it could be seen as somewhat of a relaunch — Antonopoulos opened pop-up Italianrestaurant Terrazza in the exact same space last summer, but it was only a temporary pop-up.

However that restaurant was a coproduction with Kevin Demers of nearby cocktail hot spot the Coldroom — Jacopo, in comparison, is only an Antonopoulos operation.

As with Terrazza chef Giovanni Vella is heading up the kitchen, but is joined by Matthew Bell, heading over from Bevo Pizzeria, another Antonopoulos venue.

While Terrazza was a bit of a hybrid, focusing partially on aperitivo offerings, Jacopo seems to skew more towards a straight-up restaurant approach. That said, there’s still ample charcuterie, cheese, and other antipasti options on hand, Further down the menu is a selection of classic-leaning pasta options from gnocchi pomodoro to cacio e pepe. Then, the secondi run a hefty gamut from roasted lamb shoulder to braised rabbit and grilled octopus.

JF Galipeau/Jacopo

The space has also had a refresh — the historic building’s outdoor courtyard is still in use, but without tablecloths, giving more of a casual terrasse vibe; the indoor dining room offers a tidy and slightly eclectic mix of vintage and sharp, mid-century furnishings.

JF Galipeau/Jacopo

STATUS — Jacopo is open at 436 Place Jacques-Cartier every day from 4 to 11 p.m.

• Jacopo [Official]
• Grand New Resto-Bar Adds More Apéro and Bocce to Old Montreal [EMTL]