On the heels of Le Petit Vibe’s Côte-des-Neiges exodus, members of that restaurant crew — namely, Ryan Oabel and Eric Lazaro Magno — have just debuted a highly anticipated new project out in Westmount. Tadhana is a two-storey affair, proposing a creative tapas-style take on traditional Filipino dishes, including beef cheek sisig, octopus kilawen, crispy pancit, and arroz caldo (rice porridge) with bone marrow. Its bottom floor houses a 25-seat speakeasy, where drinks lean tropical, with rum bases, mango and lychee juices, and coconut milk woven throughout.

Though perhaps more grocer than restaurant, this new Victoria Avenue pasta shop carries over some serious culinary pedigree. Opened by Kira German and Will Weston, two Montreal fine dining alums who’ve held stints at Griffintown mainstay Nora Gray and the Joe Beef Group, respectively, Paradiso specializes in all manner of pasta (hand-rolled, extruded, and stuffed), plus the necessary saucy accoutrements. Come lunchtime, they’re cooking up a daily pasta dish for takeout — think bucatini with tuna, potatoes, and capers; rigatoni with rapini and spicy sausage, or some hearty mafalde with meatballs.

French bistro classics get reimagined with local seasonal ingredients at this cozy Verdun newcomer, opened in March. The kitchen, helmed by a Bouillon Bilk alum, is churning out dishes like poireaux vinaigrette made with a cranberry emulsion; linguini dressed with dashi butter, shiitake mushrooms, and hazelnuts; and beef tartare with coffee-flavoured mayonnaise and watermelon radishes, served alongside crisp lavash crackers.

Verdun’s Wellington Promenade has a brand-new no-frills diner — and it’s already generating plenty of buzz. For breakfast, think thick-cut bacon, house-made lox, and fluffy pancake stacks served in mismatched dishware atop formica tabletops. Come lunch, chef-owner Nick Gaudette is slinging burgers, smoked meat, and fried chicken.

St-Henri denizens were forced to bid adieu to Hello 123 last winter, but Conceria has landed in its place, taking on the mantle of serving vegan food in the area. Here, the focus is on Italian cuisine, with dishes including wild mushroom arancini, tofu “ricotta” ravioli, and Aperol-glazed carrot. Billed as a wine bar, its list leans natural and low-intervention options, with a focus on small Italian producers.

Old Montreal’s latest arrival is an oyster-shucking, pizza-making wine bar from the team behind neighbouring Jellyfish Crudo + Charbon. Expect chef Mathieu Masson-Duceppe to be serving up veggie-loaded sharing plates and Roman al taglio pizza, both classically and creatively topped, and straight out of the wood-fire oven inherited with the space (a former outpost of La Pizzaiolle). For oysters, they come raw and cooked, and in one case, made Carbonara style, with béchamel sauce, bacon, and green onions.

Another one for the Italian food lovers out there, Bella is serving up the classics, including some of the greatest hits in antipasti (fried calamari, burrata, meatballs, and so on), a hefty offering of fresh pastas, plus a couple protein and pizza options. The venture comes from the folks behind neighbouring Bello Deli and cocktail expert Kevin Demers (Cold Room and El Pequeño), who brings innovation on that front — with spritzes, negronis and espresso martinis served on tap.

When Montreal’s leading Syrian restaurant opens a complementary takeout counter, it’s sure to get noticed. Nestled into a space across the street from Damas, street food counter Folfol offers up many of its progenitor’s classics, plus some promising new sandwich options: Think cheeseburgers spiced with sujok, or falafels, roasted lamb shoulder, and chicken shawarma wrapped in saj, an unleavened Syrian flatbread. Note: There’s no seating on-site.

Vietnamese and French influences converge at Terrasse Carla, the latest from the Lucky Belly hospitality group (Le Red Tiger, Tiramisu, Le Blossom, etc.) and chef Chanthy Yen. Find dishes like gingery salmon tartare with taro and shrimp chips; mussels in a white wine and coconut cream sauce; and “pho-tine,” which sees the Québécois favourite doused in pho broth-based gravy. Perched on the sixth floor of Chinatown’s new Hampton Inn by Hilton, it’s also a great place to grab a cocktail and relish the Old Montreal view.