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PLATEAU — A shiny new spot on Saint-Denis Street, by De Bienville, joined the city’s Thai food scene in August. Hong Cuisine Thailandaise’s extensive menu delivers all manner of noodles, stir-fries, salads, soups, fried rice, curries, and appetizers. Options include tao hood tod (deep-fried tofu with peanut sauce), som tam (a spicy salad with carrots and papaya), and kang ped, a red curry with coconut milk, duck, and lychee. If these don’t call, there are 48 other food items on the menu.
Hong Cuisine Thailandaise is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., at 4621 Saint-Denis Street.
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SAINT-HENRI — There’s already Tacos Frida and Tacos Victor on Notre-Dame West in Saint-Henri, but now there’s one more taco haunt: Le 5 Mai. It actually settled in the locale that once housed Frida before the latter moved in 2016. Open as of 9 a.m. on most days, it is also serving up Mexican breakfast.
Le 5 Mai is open daily at 4412 Notre-Dame Street West.
OLD MONTREAL — Nearly 10 years since closing his Sherbrooke Street location, pastry chef Olivier Potier is now back with a new storefront on Wellington Street in Old Montreal. Time Out reports that in addition to pastries (croissants, tartlets, scones, éclairs, etc.), it’s also selling grocery staples, baked goods, deli items, and takeout dishes.
Chez Potier is open Thursday to Sunday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at 630 Wellington Street.
VILLERAY — De Castelnau Street’s latest addition, African street food counter Mokili, is serving up a rotating menu of takeout dishes from across the continent. At the moment, that includes kachi kerri, a chili-spiced mango salad found in Kenya; kelewele, a Ghanaian snack of fried plantains with roasted peanuts; plus some refrigerated strews, juices, and pantry staples. Read more here.
Mokili is open from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday to Sunday at 93 Rue de Castelnau East.
PARK-EX — After months of prep work, long-awaited Indian ice cream and chai shop Crèmerie Meetha held its “soft” opening on August 20. Owners Deexit Patel and Aakruti — the same behind Indian street food catering business Tiffin Montreal — are serving up a menu of 8-ounce pints and scoops in flavours inspired by Indian desserts like sweet syrup-soaked gulab jamun, mango rasmalai, and deep-fried jalebi. Read more about Crémerie Meetha here.
Crèmerie Meetha is currently open Friday, from 6 to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from 2 to 8 p.m., at 787A de Liège Ouest. Hours are subject to change.
BROSSARD — Montreal’s South Shore has ushered in an exciting new specialty coffee shop. Longtime friends Jean-Noel Quilatan and Phil Peñalosa opened Café Kuya earlier this month, serving local roasts from Binocle and 94 Celsius and Vancouver brand Kapé, which sources its beans from small female-led farms in the Philippines. Also on offer: Filipino-inspired pies — think custardy and coconutty buko — from Dre Mejia (formerly at Junior, Dinette Triple Crown, and Elena); lechón (roasted pork) sandwiches; and vegan Cinnamon Toast Crunch affogatos — the last of which is available for a limited time only.
Café Kuya is open Tuesday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 1200 Boulevard Rome, Brossard.
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GRIFFINTOWN — Buzzy Italian snack bar Mano Cornuto has just expanded into the space next door with the opening of a sibling coffee shop called Mano Figa. Photos posted to social media show old-school wood-panelling, Mano Cornuto-branded merchandise ranging from organic body wash to Bic lighters, and a pop-up by skater brand Vans. Come fall, the wall separating Mano Cornuto and Mano Figa will be taken down, creating one roomy space with sit-down dining on one side and a coffee shop and takeout counter on the other.
Mano Figa is open daily, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 988 Ottawa Street.
VERDUN — A former brewmaster and Verdun resident opened a New York-style slice shop, called Brook, on Wellington, August 18. For now, Toby Bouchard is mainly slinging the trusty classics — margherita, pepperoni, and the like — but some more experimental options are on the way. Read more here.
Brook Bar à Café et Pizza NYC is open at 4900 Wellington Street.
PLATEAU — There’s a new fast-casual eatery on Mont-Royal Avenue, and it’s one of a few spots in the city where to sample mici, grilled Romanian rolls of minced meat. Mici D’ici is serving them solo, as a slider in a brioche bun, or for a local spin, atop poutine. Read more here.
Mici D’ici is open Sunday to Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Saturday, from 12 p.m. to 1 a.m., at 19 Mont-Royal Avenue East.
SAINT-MICHEL — A new Haitian restaurant has settled on the strip of Jean-Talon East between D’Iberville and Saint-Michel Boulevard. Casse-Croûte DC is dishing out many of the classics, including griot (pork cubes — marinated, braised, and then fried), fritay (assorted fritters), lambi (conch), and, naturally, all the accompanying rice, pikliz, and macaroni salad you need.
Casse-Croûte DC is open at 2662 Jean-Talon East.
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GRIFFINTOWN — Montreal’s condo development core gets a leafy green oasis this August: Pamai. Though plant nurseries generally fall outside Eater’s purview, this one houses a bubble tea counter. Boba flavours include jasmine milk tea, strawberry oolong, Lao coconut pandan, and avocado smoothie.
Pamai is open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 161 De la Montagne.
HOCHELAGA–MAISONNEUVE — La Pépinière, a nonprofit dedicated to converting underused urban spaces into collective hangouts, has launched its very own café, open to the public, at its head office on Ontario Street. Café de La Pépinière is open on weekdays for salads, sandwiches, coffees, and sweets.
Café de La Pépinière is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 3081 Ontario Street East.
QUARTIER LATIN— UQAM Students lucked out with a relaxed new study spot earlier this month. But Café Léo hopes to be more than that, with plans to host movie screenings, art exhibitions, and maybe even pottery classes in what it’s calling a “modular” space. Read more here.
Café Leo is open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 1215 Berri. Hours are subject to change.
ROSEMONT — Technically a July opening, Maison Chabot quietly landed on Montreal’s café scene late last month with a tidy menu of coffees, baked goods, and brunch/lunch fare from chef Nicolas Salinas of Chilean empanada and sandwich counter Super Loco. Up for grabs are Nordic shrimp rolls, salmon rillettes served with toasted brioche bread and mint chimichurri, and a flaky tart topped with dijon mustard and Quebec tomatoes.
Maison Chabot is open Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 5477 Chabot Street.
Did we miss an August opening? Drop us a note on the tipline.
- Old Montreal’s got a new pastry shop serving edible artwork with Chez Potier [Time Out]
- Villeray Newcomer Mokili Is a Nuanced Celebration of African Cuisines [EMTL]
- Park-Ex Is Getting an Indian Ice Cream and Chai Shop This Summer [EMTL]
- Brook, a New York-Style Slice Shop, Touches Down in Verdun [EMTL]