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A bowl of thin noodles in spicy red broth garnished with scallions.
Noodles from  J’ai Feng.
J’ai Feng/Eames Shai

Where to Get Great Chinese Food in Montreal

Montreal’s got three Chinatowns now, each with a different vibe and flavour

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Noodles from  J’ai Feng.
| J’ai Feng/Eames Shai

With a rapidly changing Chinese diaspora, Montreal’s Chinese food options are expanding across the island and beyond, with some flavours and dishes relatively new to the city. Starting with the original downtown La Gauchetière-adjacent Chinatown, offering traditional Hong Kong and southern Chinese flavours, diners can head to Brossard’s strip malls for a range of old-school, big banquet family restaurants. Shaughnessy Village, the newest area near Concordia, features snack foods and flavours popular with many international students. It’s worth exploring to see what’s out there in Verdun, Ville LaSalle, and around Victoria, too.

This map welcomes newcomers like Anita Feng’s award-winning J’ai Feng and Chongqing hot pot purveyors Liu Yi Shou. Two categories of Chinese foods are absent from this map: Our guides to Montreal’s top dumplings and dim sum map have those options covered.

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J'ai Feng

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Chef Anita Yue Ming Feng’s compact lunch counter and grocery on Beaubien in Little Italy is a midday rice noodle resto for slurping her Sichuan-style bowls, with grab-and-go options for dinner. Feng has carefully selected a range of quality ingredients to play with at home: vinegars, rice, noodles, sauces, and at least two kinds of buzzy peppercorns are available, too.

Noodles in hot pepper broth with green garnishes.
Noodles from J’ai Feng.
J’ai Feng/ Eames Shai

Teochew Foodie

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This family-run kitchen and grocery showcases culinary specialties from Chaozhou, a culinary hot spot in eastern Guangdong province. The new Saint-Denis location features in-house braised meats, homemade fresh and frozen wontons, chili oil and chang fen (rice rolls) stuffed with prawns, veggies, or barbecued pork as well as frozen dim sum specialties from Chinatown’s Kim Fung. In addition to this new flagship store, Teochew Foodie offers several spots on and off the island for order pickup.

Restaurant Miran

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Classic Uyghur cuisine and gracious hospitality await at this Ville St-Laurent restaurant suitable for small and large groups. Miran’s tandoor is put to full use, with lamb-stuffed samsa, cumin-laced kebabs on ornate skewers, and tandoori lamb for a crowd (with 24-hour notice). Don’t miss their handmade noodles, round Uyghur naan, or the rich pilov, laced with melt-in-your-mouth carrots. Reservations recommended on weekends.

Mon Nan

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This family-run Chinatown venue has been a favourite since 1982, thanks to a wide-ranging menu of Chinese classics served up by chef Joe Lee. Don’t miss their seafood specialties, crispy duck, and Yeung Chow fried rice; it’s all good.

Kanbai’s menu showcases dishes from Sichuan and Hunan, which are home to some of China’s hottest cuisines. Think: poached fish filet in hot chili soup or eggplant and minced pork with hot garlic sauce. For the spice-averse, there’s an extensive range of more seasonally focused Cantonese food as well.

Nouilles de Lan Zhou

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The skillful chefs here pull noodles in the front window (often for an audience), producing endless bowls of beef broth soup and dan dan noodles. Order the spicy cucumber and edamame salads to round out the experience.

Le Lotus Bleu

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Henan food is the main draw here, with braised meats, soups, classic Chinese salads like shredded potato and wood ear mushrooms with coriander, and their take on Sichuan fūqīfèipiàn, cold beef tongue and heart with chilis. Lotus Bleu boasts seven varieties of noodles, including some hand-pulled and others dried. Don’t miss the fragrant DaoKo herbal roasted chicken, a Henan specialty.

Dobe & Andy

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Dobe and Andy’s barbecue follows in the Hong Kong-style cha can ting café tradition, with a range of barbecued and roasted meats and simple meals adorned with rice and steamed bok choy. These guys learned from their roast master dads, and the results show; don’t forget to ask for extra ginger scallion sauce.

Fried egg and crispy pork.
Fried egg and crispy pork.
Dobe & Andy/Facebook

Restaurant Keung Kee

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Seafood aficionados know to head upstairs at this Chinatown stalwart. Well-known for lobster noodles, steamed fish, and upscale fried rice, stir-fry snow pea leaves and their deep-fried milk are also worth checking out.

Lobster over rice.
Lobster from Restaurant Keung Kee.
Keung Kee/Facebook

MajesThé

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MajesThé brings a Taiwanese food sensibility to the city: light, fresh, and flavourful, with a hint of sweetness. There’s a restaurant bistro upstairs with homemade bubble tea, bowls, and the Taiwanese classic Lu Rou Fan, minced pork on rice with egg. Downstairs it’s their speakeasy bar, with three cup chicken, lamb skewers with Sichuan peppercorn and cumin, and Earl Grey cheesecake.

Three pieces of fried food with a dipping sauce.
Fried deliciousness from MajesThe.
MajesThe

Liu Yi Shou Hotpot Montreal

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Liu Yi Shou is out to prove why Chongqing style hotpot is a dish for all seasons, with an endless variety of mix and match options, and a pretty much all-you-can-eat menu. The meal happens in steps: First select spicy or not spicy broth, and then head to the DIY dipping sauce bar to mix up your own (try a base of sesame paste, with some chili oil, fresh coriander, and a splash of vinegar). Choose sliced meats, offal, and veggies to cook yourself, immersing it in your shared or individual pot. Not sure how to do it, or what to choose? There are human — and robot — servers to help out. 

lots of hot pot accompaniments
Hot pot from Liu Yi Shou
Liu Yi Shou

Dak Hing Barbecue

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Côte-des-Neiges’ Dak Hing has all the barbecue classics — duck, crispy pork, soy chicken, and then some. Try their roasted quail, the chicken or duck feet, and the wings, all beautifully marinated. Dak Hing’s zongzi alone — steamed sticky rice with meats and salty duck egg yolk, wrapped in bamboo leaf — are worth the visit.

Aunt Dai

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Owner Feigang Fei’s peppery online commentary about Aunt Dai’s menu items went viral early in 2021, but the downtown restaurant had a loyal following for its Sichuan spice well before then. If you need help ordering, check out their online tutorial and Fei’s new YouTube channel where he offers his take on pretty much every dish.

A spicy fish dish.
A dish from Aunt Dai.
Cuisine Aunt Dai/Facebook

Yin Ji Chang Fen

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This Guangzhou-based chain specializes in two different types of Chinese comfort food: Congee (rice soup) and chang fen (rice flour rolls). The combinations are endless, with options for meat, seafood, offal, or veggie fillings, with or without youtiao (deep-fried crunchy crullers). While the dim sum dishes are off the menu for now, check out their crispy fish skin served with chicken soup on the side for dipping, or the brisket with daikon.

La Canting

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Taiwan-born chef Helena Lin is making the most of her pandemic opening in Point St-Charles’ historic Nordelec building. She’s devised a compact, representative menu with Shanghainese duck magret noodles, lou rou fan (a Taiwanese braised pork and rice bowl), and a few carefully prepared appetizers. Sesame balls served with a cocoa sorbet give the menu a beautiful finish.

Maison Sai Yan

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One of Brossard’s favourites for classic Cantonese cuisine, the folks at Maison Sai Yan know how to please the crowd with their personalized suggestions and traditional recipes. The soft-shell crab fried rice and lobster sticky rice get raves, as does their oyster hotpot. Ask them what’s in season.

Hong Mère

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Verdun favourite Hong Mère has its legions of loyal followers in the neighbourhood digging the restaurant’s mix of Dongbei (northern Chinese) and spicy Sichuan fare, alongside a roster of cold dishes rarely seen in Montreal. Try the Dongbei-style la pi (a cold vegetable salad with slippery rice noodles), Dongbei lao hu salad (crunchy veggies with a tart dressing), and the scallion pancakes.

La Maison Kam Fung

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Brossard’s cavernous Kam Fung might be best known for dim sum, but nighttime gives way to banquet-style meals for a crowd, with Cantonese and Sichuan platters available. All the classics are here: har gow, shu mai, sticky rice in lotus leaf, phoenix feet with black bean sauce, water chestnut cake, and little steamed spare ribs. Night time is more banquet-style, with Cantonese and Sichuan food available.

Tian Fu Restaurant

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This Brossard strip mall resto offers both Sichuan and Cantonese options with a menu that touches on the classics from both schools of cuisine, served up by chefs brought in from the region. Don’t miss the Sichuan casserole dishes, the spicy boiled fish with loads of soy sprouts, tree ear mushrooms, and silky fish filets in a broth of Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilis, or classic rice noodles with sliced beef.

Le Taklamakan

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Named after the central Asian desert, this halal Uyghur restaurant offers Xinjiang-Turkic food wildly popular in urban China. Lamb and homemade noodles are still the main attractions here despite the reduced takeout menu, but don’t miss the Da Pan Ji (literally, big chicken plate), a tomato-laced bone-in stew.

J'ai Feng

Chef Anita Yue Ming Feng’s compact lunch counter and grocery on Beaubien in Little Italy is a midday rice noodle resto for slurping her Sichuan-style bowls, with grab-and-go options for dinner. Feng has carefully selected a range of quality ingredients to play with at home: vinegars, rice, noodles, sauces, and at least two kinds of buzzy peppercorns are available, too.

Noodles in hot pepper broth with green garnishes.
Noodles from J’ai Feng.
J’ai Feng/ Eames Shai

Teochew Foodie

This family-run kitchen and grocery showcases culinary specialties from Chaozhou, a culinary hot spot in eastern Guangdong province. The new Saint-Denis location features in-house braised meats, homemade fresh and frozen wontons, chili oil and chang fen (rice rolls) stuffed with prawns, veggies, or barbecued pork as well as frozen dim sum specialties from Chinatown’s Kim Fung. In addition to this new flagship store, Teochew Foodie offers several spots on and off the island for order pickup.

Restaurant Miran

Classic Uyghur cuisine and gracious hospitality await at this Ville St-Laurent restaurant suitable for small and large groups. Miran’s tandoor is put to full use, with lamb-stuffed samsa, cumin-laced kebabs on ornate skewers, and tandoori lamb for a crowd (with 24-hour notice). Don’t miss their handmade noodles, round Uyghur naan, or the rich pilov, laced with melt-in-your-mouth carrots. Reservations recommended on weekends.

Mon Nan

This family-run Chinatown venue has been a favourite since 1982, thanks to a wide-ranging menu of Chinese classics served up by chef Joe Lee. Don’t miss their seafood specialties, crispy duck, and Yeung Chow fried rice; it’s all good.

Kanbai

Kanbai’s menu showcases dishes from Sichuan and Hunan, which are home to some of China’s hottest cuisines. Think: poached fish filet in hot chili soup or eggplant and minced pork with hot garlic sauce. For the spice-averse, there’s an extensive range of more seasonally focused Cantonese food as well.

Nouilles de Lan Zhou

The skillful chefs here pull noodles in the front window (often for an audience), producing endless bowls of beef broth soup and dan dan noodles. Order the spicy cucumber and edamame salads to round out the experience.

Le Lotus Bleu

Henan food is the main draw here, with braised meats, soups, classic Chinese salads like shredded potato and wood ear mushrooms with coriander, and their take on Sichuan fūqīfèipiàn, cold beef tongue and heart with chilis. Lotus Bleu boasts seven varieties of noodles, including some hand-pulled and others dried. Don’t miss the fragrant DaoKo herbal roasted chicken, a Henan specialty.

Dobe & Andy

Dobe and Andy’s barbecue follows in the Hong Kong-style cha can ting café tradition, with a range of barbecued and roasted meats and simple meals adorned with rice and steamed bok choy. These guys learned from their roast master dads, and the results show; don’t forget to ask for extra ginger scallion sauce.

Fried egg and crispy pork.
Fried egg and crispy pork.
Dobe & Andy/Facebook

Restaurant Keung Kee

Seafood aficionados know to head upstairs at this Chinatown stalwart. Well-known for lobster noodles, steamed fish, and upscale fried rice, stir-fry snow pea leaves and their deep-fried milk are also worth checking out.

Lobster over rice.
Lobster from Restaurant Keung Kee.
Keung Kee/Facebook

MajesThé

MajesThé brings a Taiwanese food sensibility to the city: light, fresh, and flavourful, with a hint of sweetness. There’s a restaurant bistro upstairs with homemade bubble tea, bowls, and the Taiwanese classic Lu Rou Fan, minced pork on rice with egg. Downstairs it’s their speakeasy bar, with three cup chicken, lamb skewers with Sichuan peppercorn and cumin, and Earl Grey cheesecake.

Three pieces of fried food with a dipping sauce.
Fried deliciousness from MajesThe.
MajesThe

Liu Yi Shou Hotpot Montreal

Liu Yi Shou is out to prove why Chongqing style hotpot is a dish for all seasons, with an endless variety of mix and match options, and a pretty much all-you-can-eat menu. The meal happens in steps: First select spicy or not spicy broth, and then head to the DIY dipping sauce bar to mix up your own (try a base of sesame paste, with some chili oil, fresh coriander, and a splash of vinegar). Choose sliced meats, offal, and veggies to cook yourself, immersing it in your shared or individual pot. Not sure how to do it, or what to choose? There are human — and robot — servers to help out. 

lots of hot pot accompaniments
Hot pot from Liu Yi Shou
Liu Yi Shou

Dak Hing Barbecue

Côte-des-Neiges’ Dak Hing has all the barbecue classics — duck, crispy pork, soy chicken, and then some. Try their roasted quail, the chicken or duck feet, and the wings, all beautifully marinated. Dak Hing’s zongzi alone — steamed sticky rice with meats and salty duck egg yolk, wrapped in bamboo leaf — are worth the visit.

Aunt Dai

Owner Feigang Fei’s peppery online commentary about Aunt Dai’s menu items went viral early in 2021, but the downtown restaurant had a loyal following for its Sichuan spice well before then. If you need help ordering, check out their online tutorial and Fei’s new YouTube channel where he offers his take on pretty much every dish.

A spicy fish dish.
A dish from Aunt Dai.
Cuisine Aunt Dai/Facebook

Yin Ji Chang Fen

This Guangzhou-based chain specializes in two different types of Chinese comfort food: Congee (rice soup) and chang fen (rice flour rolls). The combinations are endless, with options for meat, seafood, offal, or veggie fillings, with or without youtiao (deep-fried crunchy crullers). While the dim sum dishes are off the menu for now, check out their crispy fish skin served with chicken soup on the side for dipping, or the brisket with daikon.

La Canting

Taiwan-born chef Helena Lin is making the most of her pandemic opening in Point St-Charles’ historic Nordelec building. She’s devised a compact, representative menu with Shanghainese duck magret noodles, lou rou fan (a Taiwanese braised pork and rice bowl), and a few carefully prepared appetizers. Sesame balls served with a cocoa sorbet give the menu a beautiful finish.

Maison Sai Yan

One of Brossard’s favourites for classic Cantonese cuisine, the folks at Maison Sai Yan know how to please the crowd with their personalized suggestions and traditional recipes. The soft-shell crab fried rice and lobster sticky rice get raves, as does their oyster hotpot. Ask them what’s in season.

Hong Mère

Verdun favourite Hong Mère has its legions of loyal followers in the neighbourhood digging the restaurant’s mix of Dongbei (northern Chinese) and spicy Sichuan fare, alongside a roster of cold dishes rarely seen in Montreal. Try the Dongbei-style la pi (a cold vegetable salad with slippery rice noodles), Dongbei lao hu salad (crunchy veggies with a tart dressing), and the scallion pancakes.

La Maison Kam Fung

Brossard’s cavernous Kam Fung might be best known for dim sum, but nighttime gives way to banquet-style meals for a crowd, with Cantonese and Sichuan platters available. All the classics are here: har gow, shu mai, sticky rice in lotus leaf, phoenix feet with black bean sauce, water chestnut cake, and little steamed spare ribs. Night time is more banquet-style, with Cantonese and Sichuan food available.

Tian Fu Restaurant

This Brossard strip mall resto offers both Sichuan and Cantonese options with a menu that touches on the classics from both schools of cuisine, served up by chefs brought in from the region. Don’t miss the Sichuan casserole dishes, the spicy boiled fish with loads of soy sprouts, tree ear mushrooms, and silky fish filets in a broth of Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilis, or classic rice noodles with sliced beef.

Le Taklamakan

Named after the central Asian desert, this halal Uyghur restaurant offers Xinjiang-Turkic food wildly popular in urban China. Lamb and homemade noodles are still the main attractions here despite the reduced takeout menu, but don’t miss the Da Pan Ji (literally, big chicken plate), a tomato-laced bone-in stew.