16 Montreal Restaurants With Strong Dessert Games

Cordon off part of your stomach for sweets at these spots

by Tim Forster and Mallory Frayn Updated Oct 30, 2019, 9:15am EDT

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by Tim Forster and Mallory Frayn Updated Oct 30, 2019, 9:15am EDT

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Dessert menus can seem to be something of an afterthought for restaurants, and sometimes it feels like it’s hard to escape pedestrian fondants and panna cottas (although some places do them well).

Fortunately, it’s not a problem everywhere. The restaurants in this map have some of the city’s best meal-ending sweets. Only restaurants feature on this map — if it’s patisseries and bakeries you’re looking for, there’s a separate guide for those.

It bears mention that, as one restaurant owner tells Eater, pastry and dessert chefs can be the ultimate luxury hire for many restaurants, and are simply out of financial reach for many smaller operations. As such, some of Montreal’s finest desserts are the realm of fine dining spots, from Toqué to Leméac, or hotel restaurants like Maison Boulud or Rosélys. But some smaller operations have excellent dessert programs too — H4C in St-Henri and dessert-focused Ratafia in Little Italy, to name just two.

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Le St-Urbain

Given that its owner (chef Marc-Andre Royal) is also behind bakery La Bête à Pain, it should come as no surprise that the desserts at his flagship restaurant in Ahuntsic are on point. Choose between options like beignets with warm caramel sauce or banana tartlet with lime and coconut.

96 Rue Fleury O, Montréal, QC H3L 1T2, Canada

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Also featured in:

Impasto

Chef and co-owner Michele Forgione's dessert have a distinctly Italian feel without crossing any lines into cliché — ricotta figures prominently.

48 Dante, Montreal, QC, Canada

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Also featured in:

Ratafia

The only restaurant on this list that almost exclusively offers dessert (plus a small selection of savoury small plates), Ratafia is a “wine bar” that pairs its beverages with high-concept sweet treats from pastry chef Valentin Rouyé. It also does a three-course dessert tasting menu for those looking to go all-out.

6778 Boul St-Laurent, Montréal, QC H2S 3C7, Canada

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Also featured in:

Lawrence

Lawrence's classic desserts (think tarts and pies) feature touches of Britain and France are evidence that simplicity can be key to a successful dessert menu, and that it's not always necessary to mix every wacky flavour available.

5201 boul. Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC, Canada

Visit Website

Summer pudding

Also featured in:

Au Pied de Cochon

Although even bigger props should go to PDC's sugar shack dessert program, it's a tiny bit outside the scope of a Montreal-centric map. But the mothership on Duluth, with mapled-up classic pouding chômeur and pies aplenty eminently holds its own.

536 Ave. Duluth Est., Montreal, QC H2L 1A9, Canada

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A post shared by John Bowman✊ (@johnbowman7) on Nov 5, 2017 at 7:37pm PST

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L'Express

Probably the most down-the-line classic desserts on this map, L'Express swings towards both French (profiteroles) and American (apple pie) with simple plates tightly made.

3927 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC H2W 2M4, Canada

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Inside L’Express restaurant, with a waiter in a suit, yellow walls, and old photos hanging on them.

Also featured in:

Leméac

Pastry chef David Courteau's extensive dessert list is loaded with classic French overtones — crème caramels and profiteroles are there, but extra notes from ginger to popcorn push it to a higher plane.

1045 Av. Laurier O, Montreal, QC H2V 2L1, Canada

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Le Club Chasse et Pêche (et al.)

Just one of award-winning pastry chef Masami Waki’s (pictured) three dessert menus across the city, Le Club Chasse et Pêche’s desserts take rural-feeling tastes of Quebec (corn, squash, apples), crafting them into hyper-modern creations. Waki also does desserts for sister restaurants Le Serpent and Le Filet, meaning they are also great options for the sweet-toothed.

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423 Saint-Claude, Montreal, QC H2Y 3B6, Canada

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Toqué

As with Toqué’s savoury menu, desserts at this fine-dining establishment lean heavily on local, Quebec ingredients and as such, change with the seasons. Expect composed plates like mascarpone and juniper cream cannolo with haskap berry gel.

900 Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montreal, QC H2Z 2B2, Canada

Visit Website

A milk chocolat ganache, with pistachio sponge cake, oil powder, raspberry gel and crisps

Also featured in:

Monarque

This ornate space in Old Montreal comes from the owners of Outrement’s Leméac. The dessert menu from Lisa Yu is fairly extensive, featuring updated takes on classic sweets like Paris Brest and rum baba.

406 Rue Saint-Jacques, Montréal, QC H2Y 1S1, Canada

Visit Website

Calva Baba

Also featured in:

Rosélys

Rosélys, in the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel, features high-end desserts from chef Jean-Marc Guillot at a surprisingly reasonable price point. Enjoy a chocolate entremet to end a meal or try out the afternoon tea, served with petits fours aplenty.

Open in Google Maps

900 Boulevard René-Lévesque O, Montréal, QC H3B 4A5, Canada

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Maison Boulud

Trust this posh outpost for New York chef Daniel Boulud in the Ritz Carlton to have a solid dessert menu. It might not be cheap, but you can always go for dessert and a nightcap if you don’t want to splurge on a full meal.

1228 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montréal, QC H3G 1H6, Canada

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Also featured in:

Ikanos

Loukamades (honey doughnuts or dumplings) are the dessert star at this upscale Old Montreal Greek restaurant, but other offerings feature fun mixes of Greek and western European flavours, such as ouzo ice cream plus black chocolate and cherry mousse.

112 Rue McGill #1, Montréal, QC H2Y 2E5, Canada

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Also featured in:

The Best Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Restaurants in Montreal

Foxy

This restaurant from the Olive et Gourmando crew is known for its grill skills, but save room for desserts that manage an impressive feat of being both homestyle and high end at the same time — hey there, choco-mint ice cream terrine.

Open in Google Maps

1638 Rue Notre-Dame O, Montréal, QC H3J 1M1, Canada

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Café Bazin

Known for both its sweet and savoury options, Café Bazin has some of the best desserts in the city thanks to established pastry chef, Bertrand Bazin, who also owns the place. Go for the quiche and stay for the crème caramel.

380 Avenue Victoria, Westmount, QC H3Z 1C3, Canada

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An array of chocolate squares on a counter.

Also featured in:

H4C par Dany Bolduc

Having recently re-opened after renovations and some retooling, dessert at St. Henri’s H4C is a package deal as part of chef Dany Bolduc’s five- or nine-course tasting menus. Expect creative plates featuring local ingredients such as sea buckthorn and rhubarb.

538 Place Saint-Henri, Montréal, QC H4C 2R9, Canada

Visit Website

Also featured in:

11 Great ‘Parent-Friendly’ Restaurants in Montreal

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Le St-Urbain

96 Rue Fleury O, Montréal, QC H3L 1T2, Canada

Given that its owner (chef Marc-Andre Royal) is also behind bakery La Bête à Pain, it should come as no surprise that the desserts at his flagship restaurant in Ahuntsic are on point. Choose between options like beignets with warm caramel sauce or banana tartlet with lime and coconut.

96 Rue Fleury O, Montréal, QC H3L 1T2, Canada

Visit Website

Impasto

48 Dante, Montreal, QC, Canada

Chef and co-owner Michele Forgione's dessert have a distinctly Italian feel without crossing any lines into cliché — ricotta figures prominently.

48 Dante, Montreal, QC, Canada

Visit Website

Ratafia

6778 Boul St-Laurent, Montréal, QC H2S 3C7, Canada

The only restaurant on this list that almost exclusively offers dessert (plus a small selection of savoury small plates), Ratafia is a “wine bar” that pairs its beverages with high-concept sweet treats from pastry chef Valentin Rouyé. It also does a three-course dessert tasting menu for those looking to go all-out.

6778 Boul St-Laurent, Montréal, QC H2S 3C7, Canada

Visit Website

Lawrence

5201 boul. Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC, Canada

Lawrence's classic desserts (think tarts and pies) feature touches of Britain and France are evidence that simplicity can be key to a successful dessert menu, and that it's not always necessary to mix every wacky flavour available.

5201 boul. Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC, Canada

Visit Website

Summer pudding

Au Pied de Cochon

536 Ave. Duluth Est., Montreal, QC H2L 1A9, Canada

Although even bigger props should go to PDC's sugar shack dessert program, it's a tiny bit outside the scope of a Montreal-centric map. But the mothership on Duluth, with mapled-up classic pouding chômeur and pies aplenty eminently holds its own.

536 Ave. Duluth Est., Montreal, QC H2L 1A9, Canada

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John Bowman✊ (@johnbowman7) on Nov 5, 2017 at 7:37pm PST

L'Express

3927 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC H2W 2M4, Canada

Probably the most down-the-line classic desserts on this map, L'Express swings towards both French (profiteroles) and American (apple pie) with simple plates tightly made.

3927 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC H2W 2M4, Canada

Visit Website

Inside L’Express restaurant, with a waiter in a suit, yellow walls, and old photos hanging on them.

Leméac

1045 Av. Laurier O, Montreal, QC H2V 2L1, Canada

Pastry chef David Courteau's extensive dessert list is loaded with classic French overtones — crème caramels and profiteroles are there, but extra notes from ginger to popcorn push it to a higher plane.

1045 Av. Laurier O, Montreal, QC H2V 2L1, Canada

Visit Website

Le Club Chasse et Pêche (et al.)

423 Saint-Claude, Montreal, QC H2Y 3B6, Canada

Just one of award-winning pastry chef Masami Waki’s (pictured) three dessert menus across the city, Le Club Chasse et Pêche’s desserts take rural-feeling tastes of Quebec (corn, squash, apples), crafting them into hyper-modern creations. Waki also does desserts for sister restaurants Le Serpent and Le Filet, meaning they are also great options for the sweet-toothed.

Open in Google Maps

423 Saint-Claude, Montreal, QC H2Y 3B6, Canada

Visit Website

Toqué

900 Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montreal, QC H2Z 2B2, Canada

As with Toqué’s savoury menu, desserts at this fine-dining establishment lean heavily on local, Quebec ingredients and as such, change with the seasons. Expect composed plates like mascarpone and juniper cream cannolo with haskap berry gel.

900 Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montreal, QC H2Z 2B2, Canada

Visit Website

A milk chocolat ganache, with pistachio sponge cake, oil powder, raspberry gel and crisps

Monarque

406 Rue Saint-Jacques, Montréal, QC H2Y 1S1, Canada

This ornate space in Old Montreal comes from the owners of Outrement’s Leméac. The dessert menu from Lisa Yu is fairly extensive, featuring updated takes on classic sweets like Paris Brest and rum baba.

406 Rue Saint-Jacques, Montréal, QC H2Y 1S1, Canada

Visit Website

Calva Baba

Rosélys

900 Boulevard René-Lévesque O, Montréal, QC H3B 4A5, Canada

Rosélys, in the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel, features high-end desserts from chef Jean-Marc Guillot at a surprisingly reasonable price point. Enjoy a chocolate entremet to end a meal or try out the afternoon tea, served with petits fours aplenty.

Open in Google Maps

900 Boulevard René-Lévesque O, Montréal, QC H3B 4A5, Canada

Visit Website

Maison Boulud

1228 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montréal, QC H3G 1H6, Canada

Trust this posh outpost for New York chef Daniel Boulud in the Ritz Carlton to have a solid dessert menu. It might not be cheap, but you can always go for dessert and a nightcap if you don’t want to splurge on a full meal.

1228 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montréal, QC H3G 1H6, Canada

Visit Website

Ikanos

112 Rue McGill #1, Montréal, QC H2Y 2E5, Canada

Loukamades (honey doughnuts or dumplings) are the dessert star at this upscale Old Montreal Greek restaurant, but other offerings feature fun mixes of Greek and western European flavours, such as ouzo ice cream plus black chocolate and cherry mousse.

112 Rue McGill #1, Montréal, QC H2Y 2E5, Canada

Visit Website

Foxy

1638 Rue Notre-Dame O, Montréal, QC H3J 1M1, Canada

This restaurant from the Olive et Gourmando crew is known for its grill skills, but save room for desserts that manage an impressive feat of being both homestyle and high end at the same time — hey there, choco-mint ice cream terrine.

Open in Google Maps

1638 Rue Notre-Dame O, Montréal, QC H3J 1M1, Canada

Visit Website

Café Bazin

380 Avenue Victoria, Westmount, QC H3Z 1C3, Canada

Known for both its sweet and savoury options, Café Bazin has some of the best desserts in the city thanks to established pastry chef, Bertrand Bazin, who also owns the place. Go for the quiche and stay for the crème caramel.

380 Avenue Victoria, Westmount, QC H3Z 1C3, Canada

Visit Website

An array of chocolate squares on a counter.

H4C par Dany Bolduc

538 Place Saint-Henri, Montréal, QC H4C 2R9, Canada

Having recently re-opened after renovations and some retooling, dessert at St. Henri’s H4C is a package deal as part of chef Dany Bolduc’s five- or nine-course tasting menus. Expect creative plates featuring local ingredients such as sea buckthorn and rhubarb.

538 Place Saint-Henri, Montréal, QC H4C 2R9, Canada

Visit Website