When this five-year project came to life at the end of 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 more modern dining area.

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, ricotta pancakes, and stuffed pastas with aplomb.

Portuguese cuisine hits a high point at chef Helena Loureiro’s eponymous restaurant — sup on caldo verde or grilled shrimp with piri-piri sauce, and then dig into the requisite grilled meats and fish for the mains. —Tim Forster

Busy by day or night, this brasserie has been a longstanding favourite in Old Montreal. Its chef Simon Laplante offers a menu that combines French classics with nouvelle cuisine — including artsy takes on tartare, chicken liver pâté, and French onion soup — in addition to an extensive list of wines and cocktails.

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.

Two 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.

Barroco Group’s first — and only namesake — restaurant is undeniably its most rustic, offering up French and Spanish flavours with old-world charm. Its dimly lit location in an Old Montreal bicentennial building only adds to its allure.

From Kevin Demers, the owner of nearby cocktail destinations Coldroom and El Pequeño comes this English-inspired pub and parlour nestled in Place d’Youville. Chef Chanthy Yen, of popular pandemic pop-up Touk, helms the kitchen, churning out oysters, chicken liver pâté, and Matane shrimp rolls on brioche buns draped in whipped yogurt and pickled lemon. And, as with anything Demers gets his hands on, the beverage offering is spectacular.

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, 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 from the amenable Pierre Jullien.

Chef Constant Mentzas’ restaurant is a hot spot for refined Greek and Mediterranean delicacies. Classic grilled seafood dishes figure prominently alongside inventive seasonal garnishes like spinach mousse. The table d’hôte menus come highly recommended for both price and quality.

From the same team that brought us Burgundy Lion and Bishop & Bagg, this pub draws playful inspiration from the taverns of London in its carefully crafted décor and pub fare. Look for a wide range of hearty plates with U.K. influences, including a full English breakfast and a Howard Scotch egg, and a range of dishes made with locally-sourced ingredients. In the area, but want to try something else? The group also runs fish-and-chips haunt Brit & Chips over on McGill.

Sure, it has got “crêpe” in its name, but many who flock to Chez Suzette do so for its ultra cheesy, perfectly caramelized French onion soup. It also serves fondues (cheese, chocolate, or “Chinese,” i.e., hot pot), and yes, its paper thin crêpes — either savoury or sweet — remain a fine option should you find yourself cheesed out.

Olive et 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, creatively paired burrata, or even just a well-executed Negroni.

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