The Best Restaurants in Saint-Henri
Looking for the best restaurants in Saint-Henri in Montreal? You’re in the right place. Set in the Sud-Ouest, between the Lachine Canal and Atwater Market, Saint-Henri has become over the years one of the city’s most food-loving neighbourhoods. The dining scene here is especially lively, carried as much by well-established institutions as by a new generation of restaurateurs.
A former working-class neighbourhood shaped by its industrial past, Saint-Henri has held on to an identity all its own. Along Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, the area’s main food artery, cafés, bakeries, wine bars, bistros, counters and restaurants follow one after the other. Its proximity to Atwater Market, the Lachine Canal and the Petite-Bourgogne and Griffintown neighbourhoods also makes it an easy destination to fold into a day in Montreal’s Sud-Ouest.
On the restaurant side, the range is especially wide. You come to Saint-Henri for excellent pizza, to discover Italian or Mexican cooking, to share a few plates over a good glass of wine, to brunch, to grab a coffee or to sit down for a more elaborate dinner. The neighbourhood is now home to several of the addresses we recommend most often in Montreal.
Special mention
Because Saint-Henri isn’t discovered through its restaurants alone, we also wanted to make room for a few food addresses that are part of the neighbourhood’s charm. For a coffee, a pastry, a doughnut or an ice cream, here are three stops we’re especially fond of.
Bernice is a charming Saint-Henri address where you’ll happily stop in for a good coffee and a pastry. The display case always makes you want to leave with a little something, between the thoroughly decadent buns and their famous carrot cake, which we’re still thinking about. A lovely food stop in the neighbourhood.
Léché Dessert has built a solid reputation on its doughnuts, generous, soft and offered in a fine range of flavours. They’re among our favourites in Montreal and easily worth the trip. A well-suited address for a sweet break with a coffee.
Dalla Rose is one of our favourite ice cream shops in the city. They make excellent house-made gelato from Quebec and Italian ingredients, with flavours both classic and more unusual. A very popular neighbourhood address, just right for ending a walk through Saint-Henri on a sweet note.
So our team presents its favourite restaurants in Saint-Henri, addresses we’ve tried and enjoyed. Whether you’re looking for somewhere to brunch, to have lunch, to have dinner or simply to discover a new table in the Sud-Ouest, here are our best addresses for eating in Saint-Henri.
Happy exploring, and bon appétit!
Restaurant Croquette
In Saint-Henri, Croquette offers a current reading of the classic diner, executed with accuracy and precision. At the helm, chef Charles Dumais turns out generous, well-controlled cooking inspired by the great standards of the genre. It all takes place in a contemporary setting, with an accessible, crowd-pleasing formula that puts the quality of the plate first.
Montréal
Greenspot
Greenspot, with its classic snack bar menu, is a true Saint-Henri institution. Set on Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, the address has drawn neighbourhood regulars and curious passersby alike for years. You come for the great classics of the Quebec canteen: hot dogs, poutines, hamburgers, pizzas and other comforting dishes served in a retro atmosphere that is all its charm.
Montréal
Figata
Figata is a warm Italian-American address in Saint-Henri, ideal when you feel like eating something comforting and generous. It’s the kind of spot where you settle in for a long dinner, around hearty plates built for pleasure and sharing. The mood is relaxed, friendly and unpretentious, as good for an evening with friends as for a date. The decor evokes a vintage New York trattoria, with its checkered tablecloths, dim lighting and dark wood furniture. A safe bet for eating well, taking your time and leaving fully satisfied.
Montréal
Arthurs Nosh Bar
At Arthurs Nosh Bar you’ll find everything you need to brunch and lunch in style. Excellent sandwiches, salads, crêpes… A fine menu for savouring comforting dishes.
Montréal
Foiegwa
Set on Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Foiegwa has become a Saint-Henri classic with its Americanized “French diner” concept. The great French bistro classics get revisited in a rich, unfussy formula, from steak frites to escargots by way of foie gras dishes. The lively atmosphere and retro decor make it as pleasant an address for dinner with friends as for a weekend brunch. A neighbourhood fixture that still has Montrealers making the trip.
Montréal
Satay Brothers
For a treat, we recommend the excellent dishes at Tuck Shop. The restaurant serves refined market cooking, where seasonal products and sometimes unexpected pairings hold pride of place.
Montréal
Restaurant Elena
One of our favourite addresses in the city, Elena serves generous, current Italian cooking. You come as much for the pizzas as for the pastas, the salads and the desserts, always very well done. The wine and spirits list rounds out the experience nicely. In the restaurant’s basement you’ll also find Club Social PS, appreciated in particular for its hoagies.
Montréal
Lloydie's St-Henri
Lloydie’s Saint-Henri brings to the neighbourhood the Caribbean flavours that built the address’s reputation. On the menu: generous, comforting cooking served in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. A fine option in Saint-Henri for discovering or coming back to the house classics.
Montréal
BarBara
First and foremost, BarBara is a friendly wine bar where you come to drink good bottles at accessible prices. The address rounds out its formula with a dispensa — small grocery in Italian — plus a coffee counter that gets going first thing in the morning. A versatile address where you can just as easily drop in for a coffee as sit down over a glass and a few bites.
Montréal
Gia Vin & Grill
Gia is part of the Elena family and puts the flavours of Abruzzo front and centre. You come for grilled dishes prepared in the tradition of that Italian region, to pair with a fine selection of wines. A warm address that expresses the team’s love of Italian cooking in its own way.
Montréal
Les Crazy Chickens
On the menu at Crazy Chicken, fried chicken takes centre stage, served in a generous, indulgent formula. You come for comforting plates, made to satisfy a craving for properly crispy chicken.
Montréal
Tejano Cantina Sud Ouest
What we like best about Tejano BBQ Burrito is obviously the burritos! And we also really like that the place offers quality fast food at an affordable price. It’s a comforting little counter where it’s good to eat (a lot of) burritos.
Montréal
EVA's - St. Henri
Eva’s is one of Montreal’s very good brunch addresses. You’ll find rich, creative cooking served in a lively atmosphere in the heart of Saint-Henri. A great option for a brunch with friends in the neighbourhood.
Montréal
Tacos Frida
Tacos Frida has been a safe bet in Saint-Henri for a good while now for savouring excellent Mexican tacos. The little neighbourhood restaurant even drew Russell Crowe during a stop in Montreal, a visit that got plenty of attention. An unpretentious address that keeps winning over fans of Mexican cooking.
Montréal
TRAN Cantine Vietnamienne
Vietnamese cooking is well represented in Saint-Henri, notably by the Tran canteen. Don’t go by the modest prices of the dishes: everything here is spot on.
Montréal
Pizza Toni - Saint Henri
Pizza Toni, on Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, serves the same excellent New York-style pizza as the original Mile End address, in a slightly roomier space with a bigger dining room. A go-to destination for pizza lovers in the Sud-Ouest!
Montréal
Chez Téta
The second address from Café Chez Téta, this one sits on Rue Notre-Dame, in the heart of Saint-Henri, a few steps from Atwater Market and the Lachine Canal. You’ll find the house-made Lebanese cooking that built the address’s reputation, from manouchés to brunch classics, prepared in an open kitchen around an oven imported from Lebanon. The menu, fuller than at the first address, also includes a few exclusive signature creations. It’s all savoured in a superb, light-filled space, as pleasant for a family or friends brunch as for a group outing. In fine weather, you’ll happily take it all to go before heading off to picnic by the canal.
Montréal
La Spada
La Spada is an elegant Italian address in Saint-Henri driven by food photographer Scott Usheroff, alias Craving Curator, and chef Steve Marcone, known in particular for Bistro Amerigo. In a chic, eclectic and theatrical setting, the address serves cooking inspired by the great Roman classics. The plates are generous, comforting and executed with a great deal of accuracy, in a spirit that celebrates Italian cooking without trying to reinvent it. A very fine address for a lively dinner in Saint-Henri, as much for what’s on the plate as for the singular atmosphere of the room.
Montréal
9 Tail Fox
9 Tail Fox is a South Korean restaurant in Montreal serving precise, generous cooking full of character. The address revisits certain classics with a contemporary approach, while keeping honest, deeply comforting flavours. On the plate, every detail is controlled, without ever falling into a formula that is too rigid or showy. The joyful, relaxed atmosphere rounds the experience out beautifully and makes it as pleasant an address for dinner with friends as for discovering a more current side of Korean cooking. A table that fully earns its place among the city’s best Korean restaurants.
Montréal
Pas de probleme cafe
Pas de problème is a family café in Saint-Henri that pays tribute to Jamaican culture through comforting cooking, a community spirit and a laid-back atmosphere. You’ll savour house-made dishes like smokehouse jerk chicken, Jamaican patties and Blue Mountain coffee. No Wi-Fi here: you go to unplug, relax and enjoy the moment.
Montréal
Regashi
Driven by chef Thierry-Tri Du-Boisclair, Regashi directly reflects his path and the influences that shaped his cooking. The restaurant’s name evokes the idea of heritage, while the izakaya spirit recalls those convivial places where you come to drink, eat and share. On Avenue Atwater, in Saint-Henri, the restaurant offers a personal, current reading of Japanese cooking.
Montréal
Piklìz
Opened in 2019 by brothers Akim and Abdel Acacia, Piklìz showcases the emblematic flavours of Haitian cooking in a friendly, accessible formula. The house works with fresh, quality products, with a menu that revisits several classics while respecting their character. The cocktail list rounds out the experience nicely and helps make the address a safe bet in the neighbourhood.
Montreal
Tacos Victor
Tacos Victor is a well-known Saint-Henri taqueria where you come for generous tacos with traditional Mexican flavours. Al pastor, chorizo, beef tongue and even seafood turn up on the menu, along with the famous house touch: a few fries right inside the tacos. The atmosphere is relaxed and lively, just right for an unpretentious meal in the neighbourhood.
Montréal
