Montreal’s Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings for Spring 2022

Things are heating up on Montreal’s rebounding restaurant scene. After a somewhat quiet start to the year (with some notable exceptions), spring will usher in an exciting new crop of food spots, including a Vietnamese street food haunt, a downtown Filipino pulutan bar, and a day-to-night affair in Ville-Émard, serving food grown in the confines of its own basement farm.

As the days grow longer and the weather gets warmer, the options keep ramping up, leaving the city’s dedicated diners with a few busy months ahead. Read on for some of Montreal’s most anticipated spring openings — listed alphabetically.

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An Choi Plaza

What: Buoyed by the success of her online Vietnamese noodle soup operation Pasthyme, Michelle Vo is now taking the plunge — with partner and Otto Bar alum Vien Man Cao Tran — and opening a brick-and-mortar Vietnamese street food spot on Plaza St-Hubert. It’ll be an all-day affair, with Vo’s highly sought-after soups as the lunchtime focus and spreads of sharing dishes like bánh bèo (steamed rice cakes) and bánh bột lọc (tapioca dumplings typically filled with shrimp or pork), paired with creative cocktails and natural wines, come dinner.

Where: 6553 Rue St-Hubert

When: May 2022

An Choi Plaza /Supplied

Cabaret l’Enfer

What: A two-storey Plateau restaurant hyper-focused on fermentation, house-made cheese, charcuterie, and plates of pasta. It’ll be a French-Italian cross-over — a nod to chef-owner Massimo Piedimonte’s culinary training and family ties.

Where: 4094 Rue St-Denis

When: May 2022

Folfol

What: Eating Damas on the regular is poised to become much more feasible with the arrival of Folfol. It’s a takeout counter (without seating) opening across the road, offering the restaurant’s beloved Syrian cooking for pick-up (or delivery via DoorDash) in an all-new sandwich form. Think burgers made with sujok-spiced beef and quail eggs, draped in a raw sheep cheese, or a saj shawarma filled with roasted lamb shoulder, biwaz, and pomegranate molasses.

Where: 1208 Avenue Van Horne

When: End of March

Jun Jun

What: The minds behind Little Burgundy Filipino restaurant Junior are turning their attention downtown, opening a pulutan bar, where diners can expect Filipino snacks shared over tiki-style cocktails. During the day, the space will double as a second location for the team’s audiophile café GotSoul.

Where: 1225 De la Montagne

When: May 2022

Monk Café Buvette

What: A capacious day-to-night Ville-Émard spot serving coffee, beer, and small plates with ingredients grown on-site — in their basement greenhouse farm. It’s a massive undertaking — in an old bank building — from a collective of industry partners, including the folks from Les Brasseurs de West Shefford, café Yo & Co, Verdun brunch spot Well, Escape Coffee Roasters, and Drinkerie Ste-Cunégonde.

Where: 6270 Monk Boulevard

When: Spring/Summer 2022

Neotokyo

What: A cyberpunk-inspired Japanese noodle bar tucked beneath Montreal’s new Google office. The project comes from busy Montreal restaurateur Yann Levy, who’s behind Japanese cocktail bar Gokudo and downtown izakaya Biiru. He’s teamed up with celebrated New York City chef Shigetoshi Nakamura for a menu centred on ramen and its broth-less relative, mazemen.

Where: 425 Viger Ouest

When: End of May 2022

Nikkei

What: This upcoming east Plateau spot, from the team that brought us St-Denis’ Barranco last year, will be showcasing the marriage of Peruvian ingredients and Japanese cooking techniques — on the plate and in its drinks.

Where: 1577 Avenue Laurier Est

When: April/May 20222

Tadhana

What: After moving Le Petit Vibe from Côte-des-Neiges to downtown, members of that restaurant crew — namely, Ryan Oabel and Eric Lazaro Magno — also plan to make inroads into Westmount. They’re opening a new two-floor Filipino spot, where diners can expect a creative approach to traditional cuisine and a basement speakeasy serving tiki drinks.

Where: 4 Avenue Somerville

When: April/May 2022

Terrasse Carla

What: A sprawling French-Vietnamese bistro from the Lucky Belly Group and chef Chanthy Yen, serving dishes like French onion soup but with pho broth and steak frites served with tamarind ketchup. It’ll be perched on the sixth floor of Chinatown’s Hampton Inn hotel, offering stellar views of Old Montreal.

Where: 989 Boulevard St-Laurent

When: May 2022

Looking forward to an upcoming Montreal restaurant that isn’t listed here? Let us know on the tipline.