When this project came to life in 2018, critics and diners alike welcomed its sleek design, stellar service, and classically French vibe with open arms. Inspired by New York’s acclaimed Gramercy Tavern, the restaurant features both a casual brasserie section and a finer dining area, with menus creatively fine-tuned for each.

With former Olive & Gourmando chef Michael Tozzi at the helm, we knew this spot would be great from the moment it came onto the scene in 2019. The chic, luminous space specializes in lunch and brunch, serving everything from buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches, to ricotta pancakes, and stuffed pastas with aplomb.

Portuguese cuisine hits a high point in Montreal at chef Helena Loureiro’s eponymous restaurant — feast on caldo verde soup or grilled shrimp with squid, and then dig into the requisite grilled meats or fish and seafood plates for the mains.

When it comes to restaurants that embrace Canadian identity through their menu, L’Orignal tops the list, going beyond decorative kitsch and plaid fabric in the booths. Game meats are a pride and joy here — and while the menu changes frequently, deer, bison, and rabbit are a safe bet on any given night.

Cité du Multimedia’s condo tower-lined strip of William Street is home to a number of compelling food options, including this bright and airy all-day spot. Mélisse’s menu is Mediterranean-leaning, short, but satisfying, offering up tartines with salmon gravlax or ricotta pancakes with pistachios for weekend brunch, and daily crudo and pasta options, plus crispy falafels and chicken skewers for weekday lunch and dinner.

Easily the most affordable and casual bet on this list, Dispensa is a popular pick among the area’s lunchtime crowd for its pared-down menu of classic panini. They’re all delicious, but the chicken cutlet and eggplant parmigiana options — with some added rapini — are especially perfetto. Complete the meal with an iced espresso and Italian sweet.

Dyan Solomon and Éric Girard’s essential Montreal restaurant draws line-ups out the door on Saint-Paul West almost without fail. Diners either pop in for a flaky pastry and coffee to go, or nestle down for a sweet ricotta breakfast plate or come lunch, pick from an array of delicious, seasonal soups, salads, or sandwiches.

Three years since its opening in the historic quarter, Bloom Sushi has already made itself well-known as one of the best vegan sushi spots in town. The menu appears at first glance like that of any traditional Japanese restaurant (think: maki, nigiri, tempura), but its ingredients make it stand out from the rest. Also on offer are a range of sake- and kombucha-based cocktails.

Founding chef Jason Morris may have a new vocation at Four Season’s restaurant Marcus, but his successor Yoann Van Den Berg carries the torch with his own spin on forward-looking fine dining. The menu changes regularly, but diners can always expect a carefully orchestrated stream of small, seasonal dishes.

Celebrity chef Chuck Hughes and chef de cuisine Chris Merrick run the ship at this seafoody spot, dishing out oysters, Nordic shrimp, razor clams, and octopus, plus a decadent range of desserts. And with the recent demise of Hughes’s other restaurant in the area, Le Bremner, a table at Le Garde-Manger is poised to become even more in-demand.

More than a decade old, chef Graziella Batista’s restaurant is commonly regarded as one of the finest for Italian fare in the city. Its elegance is paired with a menu that’s inspired by seasons, regions, and trips abroad — with wine selections from sommelier and co-owner Pierre Jullien.

Built out of a reclaimed barn, Gibbys is one of the finest steakhouses the city has to offer. It was a sad day for restaurateurs and chefs alike when its founder Gilbert Rosenberg passed away 2018, but the restaurant’s legacy of serving choice steaks (and accommodating vegetarians) lives on.

Montreal barbecue enthusiasts head to pitmaster John Lattuca’s Old Montreal haunt for juicy brisket done Texas-style. Also on offer: tangy pulled pork, Memphis-style smoked chicken, and big, pepper-encrusted beef ribs, plus sandwiches, poutines, and macaroni and cheese. It operates as a limited-batch joint, meaning once the meat of the day is out — you’ll have to try again tomorrow.

Olive & Gourmando’s Dyan Solomon and Eric Girard brought us low-key Italian eatery Caffè Un Po’ Di Piu in 2018, and it continues to stand out from the pack. Located right along the Old Port promenade, it’s one of the best places in the neighbourhood to stop for a bite of homemade pasta, burrata with roasted brussel sprouts, hazelnuts and brown butter, or even just an exceptionally well-executed Negroni.

Hubert Marsolais and Claude Pelletier’s original restaurant has been the training ground for many of Montreal’s most reputable chefs, and while Chasse et Pêche has since grandfathered a number of inventive places to eat (see: Le Serpent, Le Filet), this one remains both a testament to hunting and fishing, and an indelible Montreal classic.