Lunching with Kids: Our favourite spots
Going out for lunch with your parents is special—it makes you feel grown-up! Whether it’s March Break, a day when you’re working from home, or simply a day off, the family will rarely say no to a lunch outing. Despite the challenge of finding a family-friendly lunch spot, there’s something truly exciting about browsing a menu and confidently choosing exactly what you want to eat. That’s the joy of a great lunch!
So we’ve prepared a few lists of our favourite family-friendly lunch spots, perfect for family lunches. Whether you want to get together for a good meal or just want a change from the classic recipes at home, the list below includes our favourite spots where families and children are well received. You’ll find counters for quick service and dining rooms that make you want to order a glass of wine to accompany the moment!
Note that this list is not exhaustive, but simply includes some of our current favourites in Montreal.
You can also check out our list of favourite addresses to go brunching with your kids, and our list of places to go to dinner with your kids.
Bon appétit!
Le Butterblume
Butterblume’s cuisine is refined without being pretentious. The dishes are delicate, with a pleasantly surprising subtlety. This is fresh, seasonal cooking at its best. There’s also a boutique section where you can grab a coffee to go along with a pastry. The space is stroller-friendly too, a welcome bonus when you want to bring your little one out to the restaurant!
Montréal
McKiernan Rôtisserie
McKiernan Luncheonette, located on St. Patrick Street near Monk Boulevard, offers upscale comfort food. The lunch menu includes salads, soups (some of the best in town, in our opinion), a ham and butter sandwich, vegetable pie, pasta, roast chicken, and more. In addition, the huge dining room with its large tables is ideal for families; there is also plenty of room for toddlers to stretch their legs. McKiernan Luncheonette is truly a superb establishment in Montreal for a good lunch!
Montréal
Mitch Deli
It’s hard not to be charmed by the friendly chef-owner Maxime Gagné and his energetic team. Kids will love the colorful décor filled with vintage toys just as much as the playful, flavorful menu: popcorn chicken, house-made julienne chips, potato salad, ribs, and one of the best fried chicken sandwiches in town.
Montréal
Cantine Emilia (Villeray)
Cantine Emilia is a small gourmet address nestled in Villeray that serves delicious Portuguese specialties. It’s a nice, warm and family-friendly place. On the menu, the restaurant definitely does not skip the famous Portuguese chicken. This one is offered with nods to Quebec specialties. For dessert, those with a sweet tooth will be delighted with the natas. For refreshments, the restaurant offers a wide range of Portuguese juices and sodas. To be enjoyed on site or at home!
Montréal
L'Express
L’Express is a Montreal institution, and one of the best French restaurants in town! The restaurant is a classic with remarkably consistent culinary offering. The decor and timeless feel of L’Express has also contributed to its success over the years. The fully open room offers a unique atmosphere and the service is very warm. L’Express is currently undergoing renovations and will reopen on September 11.
Montréal
Greenspot
Greenspot is the place to go to enjoy some of the best poutines, burgers and hot dogs in the city. The address also makes very good milkshakes that will surely please the kids! This retro deli in Saint-Henri welcomes you in a very family-friendly atmosphere for all hungers, big and small.
Montréal
SUPERNAT
Supernat’s culinary offerings include a half-dozen sandos — those famous Japanese sandwiches on Hokkaidō bread. They also serve excellent coffee. A good little address in Hochelaga for a lunch with Asian flavours!
Montréal
Helico
Helico is another charming address in Hochelaga, and one that’s on our list of the best cafés in Montreal with good food! The place offers a short menu of local, seasonal, simple, tasty and fresh lunch dishes: you’ll find one of the best breakfast sandwiches in town, some refreshing salads, cold soups, and other delicious dishes!
Montréal
Satay Brothers
Satay Brothers is a fun and lively place where you can enjoy dishes that will make you forget all about winter. The establishment is also on our list of the best cheap eats in the city. Everything is convivial here: the service, the dishes and the tables. We love it!
Montréal
Ma Poule Mouillée
Ma Poule Mouillée is one of the Plateau Mont-Royal’s busiest Portuguese chicken destinations. At the corner of Rachel and Boyer, it also has some of the best poutine in town. Although it’s often very busy, the wait is well worth it.
Montreal
La Maison de Mademoiselle Dumpling
La maison de Mademoiselle Dumpling is a tiny little restaurant on Plaza St-Hubert that offers some of the best dumplings in Montreal! All the recipes come from chef and owner Dan Yu’s mother. One of our favourites is the Szechuan style dumplings with crushed cucumber salad. A delight!
Montréal
Café Parvis
Café Parvis is one of our favourite addresses downtown. While many come for a casual business lunch or to work in the afternoon, the place is just as welcoming for small families. The menu here is fresh and the house offering is mainly centered around light pizzas (some of the best in town).
Montréal
Morso Pizzeria (St-Zotique)
While Morso is a small counter, you can also sit down and have a bite to eat in-house. There are about ten tasty pizzas that change according to seasonal products. We like this pizzeria for its relaxed and family atmosphere, as well as for its very affordable quality/price ratio!
Montréal
Tacos Victor
Tacos Victor is a small restaurant that offers some of the best tacos in Montreal! The space is simple and fulfills its function as a small neighbourhood restaurant. The portions are generous, the tacos are tasty and the atmosphere is warm. A nice Mexican-flavoured escapade in St-Henri that your little ones will definitely enjoy.
Montréal
Gibeau Orange Julep
If you haven’t brought your kids here yet, now is the time to go! Orange Julep is known for its famous juice and gatherings of vintage car collectors. It’s also one of the best casse-croûtes in the province. All the dishes are worth trying. However, we must emphasize the quality of the hot dogs and hamburgers, which are a big hit with young and old alike.
Montréal
Cafe Gentile Westmount
The very first Café Gentile opened in 1959, in the heart of Ahuntsic-Cartierville. In November 2016, Café Gentile Westmount continues the long history of the café on Sainte-Catherine Street. Here you can enjoy delicious Italian coffee and memorable Italian sandwiches. Right next door, Gentile Pizza Parlour will delight young and old alike!
Westmount
Time Out Market Montréal
Located in the heart of the liveliest section of St. Catherine Street, Time Out Market offers several different kiosks and a great alternative for groups (or families) looking to satisfy everyone’s varied tastes. Perfect for taking a break in the middle of a day downtown!
Montréal
LE CENTRAL
Le Central is the first food hall in the city. Located in the heart of the city, at the intersection of Sainte-Catherine Street and Saint-Laurent Boulevard, Le Central honours the culinary offerings found on the Main. You can enjoy Portuguese chicken, Neapolitan and Roman pizzas, burgers, healthy bowls, tacos, vegetarian and vegan dishes, fried chicken, comforting ramen, ice cream, and more. Each kiosk has a story to tell (and to taste). Happy discoveries!
Montréal
Loumi
Loumi is the ideal place to enjoy gourmet halloumi dishes prepared skilfully and with care. The menu is simple and unpretentious, with ingredients from traditional Mediterranean cuisine brought up to date. We particularly like the decadent chicken burger with brioche bun, grilled chicken, coleslaw, spicy homemade mayo and, of course, halloumi. A superb snack-bar-style address filled with freshness!
Montréal
Ketiw Comptoir Cambodgien
Ketiw is a Cambodian counter and small grocery store that offers delicious Asian dishes. Their signature dish? Khuy teaw Phnom Penh. Unlike phô and ramen, the broth is traditionally served separately from the dish, and the noodles are pre-seasoned. They also serve num pang, Cambodian sandwiches. Although they resemble the popular bánh mì, the difference is that the cucumbers are pickled and the daikon is replaced by green papaya.
Montréal
Millmans
A small spot in Verdun, Millmans is a warm, friendly, family-style snack bar. Their menu is filled with unbeatable morning and midday classics: breakfast plates, breakfast sandwiches with a runny egg and a generous slice of smoked bacon, gravlax bagels, and fluffy pancakes. Kids can have fun coloring placemats illustrated by the Fine & Dry studio while waiting for their meal. We’re completely smitten with this place!
Montréal
OSMO X MARUSAN Café-Terrasse
By day, Osmo X Marusan is a specialty coffee shop serving simple yet highly effective Japanese cuisine. Ebi curry, Japanese sandos (egg tartare and ramen egg sandwich, pork cutlet sandwich)… Café Osmo has recently undergone quite a transformation. A team of passionate people came together to give a second life to this space, easily recognizable for its brutalist architectural style.
Montréal
Nita Tout Garni
In a beautifully designed space built from the ground up to be as welcoming as possible, Nita tout garni serves some of the best sandwiches in town! Breakfast sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, pork roast or beef roast sandwiches — everything is homemade and absolutely delicious, including the bread. On the beverage side, the house-made lemonades are just as delightful, and the drip coffee is worth the trip. One last detail — which is much more than that — they also offer a fine selection of privately imported bottles, perfect to enjoy on site or to bring home (or to the home of future friends).
Montréal
Mui Mui Montréal
Recently opened in Parc-Extension, this Asian restaurant on Jean-Talon West offers fusion cuisine by a former chef from Orange Rouge. Mui Mui’s menu is designed for sharing — think dishes like burnt beet salad with mint leaves, goat cheese, black vinegar dressing, and spicy oil, grilled chicken, and a wide variety of reimagined dumplings.
Montréal
Bistro Nolah
Bistro Nolah, located in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, offers cuisine inspired by New Orleans. Despite the challenges of diversity and the pandemic, chef Richard Taitt — trained by masters of Creole and Cajun cooking — continues to serve authentic, comforting dishes that transport guests straight to Louisiana.
Dollard-des-Ormeaux
Ramen Nakamichi
Ramen Nakamichi is an absolutely charming ramen restaurant. The ramen here is delicious, with refined broths and top-quality ingredients. That’s why it’s on our list of the best ramen in Montreal! We also love the efficient, generous service that keeps us coming back. Another bonus: the restaurant is open every day of the week, for both lunch and dinner.
Montréal
