Where to Eat Lunch on a Monday: A few suggestions
If there’s one time slot where it’s hard to arrange a business lunch or a lunch with friends, it’s Monday at noon. It seems that almost every restaurant in Montreal takes a break on Monday at lunchtime. While everyone needs a day off, we understand your frustration in finding a place to get good food early in the week.
Instead of searching the internet and trying to find a restaurant, we decided to save you some time! Although the pool of restaurants open on Monday noon is not very large, there are more than you might think. So we’ve put together a little list of restaurants for your Monday lunch! You’ll find everything: delicatessens, wine bars, diners, cafés, and more.
If you are looking for an evening address, you can consult our list of restaurants open on Monday nights. Happy discovery!
Caffe un po di piu
Caffe Un Po Di Piu opened its doors in Montreal’s Old Port in the summer of 2018. Here, you can enjoy fresh, original, and very delicious Italian cuisine, all set in a beautifully manicured space. On the menu are delicious small plates to share, some seasonal salads, burrata, focaccia, market vegetables, charcuterie, beautiful meat dishes, and pizzas. The menu changes a little with the seasons, but there is a common thread that respects the tastes of the customers. The plates are fresh and original; we loved the burrata and the winter salad. Don’t forget to save room for the desserts.
Montréal
Épicerie Pumpui
L’Épicerie Pumpui is a small resto-counter that opened in November 2017 on St-Zotique Street and offers a great menu with flavours from Thailand! The menu offered at Épicerie Pumpui offers mostly Thai dishes, but with influences from Southeast Asian cuisines. The items change a little each day, the base being always curries; served in soups, noodles, stir-fries, and more. Prices range from $3 to $35. The dishes are comforting, offer authentic tastes and are very tasty! To drink, there are different juices, sodas, Thai teas and coffees (very unique), and in summer they have an iced tea made with condensed milk.
Montréal
BarBara Vin
BarBara is a beautiful address that opened on Notre-Dame Street West in January 2020. The menu is signed by David Pellizari with a special emphasis on fresh pasta and other small Italian delicacies. During the day, they have focaccia, zeppoli, bombolini and other dishes to savour on the go that make us hungry just talking about them. The house has a wine cellar full of products selected by Catherine Draws; small producers from here and elsewhere whose products can be enjoyed without thirst.
Montréal
Mano Cornuto
An Italian café-restaurant in Griffintown, Mano Cornuto has been very popular since it opened! Everyone here seems to know each other, and the atmosphere is very welcoming. Every day, the house prepares its own focaccias. These oven-baked flatbreads are offered with your choice of spread (truffle honey, fig or apricot jam) and ricotta cheese. The rest of the menu is designed to showcase excellent local and Italian products. There are a few fresh pasta dishes, colourful salads, two generous sandwiches (one of which is vegetarian), good pastries and plates of salami or crudo. For dessert, the kitchen offers a delicious doughnut that is a nice ending to any meal.
Montréal
Pho Lien
Pho Lien is a famous restaurant in Côte-Des-Neiges: bustling from opening to closing, it offers one of the best pho soups in Montreal! When we come here, it’s not to admire the decor, but most certainly to savour their very good Vietnamese menu! Ms. Lien is the one who developed the recipes for the establishment. There are six starters, including some salads, excellent imperial rolls and spring rolls with peanut sauce. The specialty of the house, however, is the phở soup. Phở soup, or Tonkinese soup, is the national dish of Vietnam that is most commonly eaten for breakfast, but can be enjoyed at any time of the day.
Montréal
Venice MTL
Venice MTL is a small restaurant with about 60 seats that opened its doors in Old Montreal. The concept of Venice MTL was to offer a place open during the day, in Old Montreal and downtown, offering healthy dishes, but especially very affordable. We’re talking salads, tartines, soups, tacos, pizzas, poke bowls, and desserts. Gluten-free, vegetarian and lactose-free options are scattered throughout the menu, and everything is as the place says: beautiful, good and cheap. They may not be reinventing anything, but what they do is done well.
Montréal
Pizzéria NO.900
With executive chef Mirko D’Agata at the helm, Pizzeria No.900 is a great place to stop for lunch or dinner. The pizzaiolos prepare quality pizzas, topped with fresh ingredients! In the summer, we particularly like the location on Bernard Avenue in Outremont. With a glass of wine or a spritz on their terrace, it’s a perfect option for a quick lunch.
Montréal
Monarque
Monarque is one of Montreal’s indispensable restaurants, as well as one of the most beautiful in the city. Here, they invite their clientele to savour delicious French-inspired gourmet cuisine. On the menu of the brasserie, you will find dishes that vary slightly according to the season so that freshness is always at the table. Fish and seafood bouillabaisse, Cornish chicken, sweetbreads, taleggio veal meatballs and house-aged Prince Edward Island beef are among the delicious items on the menu. The dining room menu features a four-course offering that will change several times throughout the year. The dishes are often carefully crafted classics with a focus on market cuisine.
Montréal
Helena
Located in Old Montreal, Helena is the restaurant of the Portuguese-born chef Helena Loureiro. In this elegant restaurant on McGill Street, one savours a cuisine with Portuguese influences that is both classic and modern. The menu includes hot and cold tapas (Pasteis de bacalhau, Mexilhão à portuguesa, Vieiras U, Chouriço assado, etc.) and, for the pièce de résistance, meat and fish dishes (Ensopado de borrego, Salada de polvo, Filetes de Sardi, etc.). The house also offers a nice wine list of private Portuguese imports.
Montréal
India Rosa
India Rosa is a restaurant that seamlessly blends Indian flavours with Montreal summers. The dishes are well-executed, and the portions are generous and perfect for sharing. Like any good Indian restaurant, the butter chicken is absolutely delicious. We also like the lamb Madras, a classic that does not disappoint. The menu also includes a few Naan pizzas that remind us of Sandhu, the Indo-Italian fusion restaurant, one of the owners’ other restaurants.
Montréal
Chand Palace
Open since 2011, Chand Palace is a tiny, modest Indian restaurant that offers tasty Thalis and other Indian specialties at affordable prices. Like many Indian restaurants in the neighbourhood, the decor at Chand Palace is rather simple. However, we come here to enjoy their delectable food; it’s also one of our favourite places to eat delicious food at low prices! Chand Palace’s authentic Indian cuisine is sure to satisfy.
Montréal
Bête à Pain
Located on Fleury Street West, Bête à Pain Ahuntsic is the first address of the scrumptious bakeries of the same name (Bête à Pain Griffintown and Bête à Pain Laval) and one of the best bakeries in Montreal. Part bakery, part café, part counter, and part restaurant, the simple address has a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that makes you want to stay a little longer than necessary; a thought that is obviously common since the place is always busy!
Montréal
Olive et Gourmando
Olive et Gourmando is a café located in the heart of Old Montreal. The place offers brunch, lunch, and delicious pastries. Our favourite item on the menu is the Poached eggs on your face panini. Other must-tries include the Cubana sandwich, French toast and the decadent homemade brownie!
Montréal
Le Darling
Darling is a café-bar-restaurant located in the former famous bar Les Bobards. The place has been completely redesigned – only the placement of the main bar around the column remains. Located on Saint-Laurent, Darling offers an excellent lunch. In the kitchen, chef Alejandro Vega prepares delicious plates to share. We particularly like the unique decor of the address, and we appreciate the fact that the place is both a superb café and a place to work during the day, as well as the perfect place to end the day with a few drinks and tasty bites with friends.
Montréal
Arthurs Nosh Bar
This charming little restaurant on Notre-Dame Street West has it all: beautiful decor, attentive service and a relaxed atmosphere. The menu will change with the seasons, so you can expect heartier dishes in the winter and lighter ones in the summer. The entire menu at Arthurs Nosh Bar is exceptionally good: fresh and creative, all while honouring Jewish cuisine.
Montréal
Greenspot
The Greenspot is a diner in Saint-Henri where you can enjoy great snack food in a retro and friendly atmosphere. Here, you can find some of the best poutines, burgers, hot dogs, and milkshakes in Montreal. What more could you ask for when you’re craving classic Quebec diner food!
Montréal
Patati Patata
Patati Patata is an unpretentious friterie de luxe that has been serving up delicious casse-croûte classics for over 20 years! The concept of Patati Patata is very simple: a pataterie that serves snack bar classics at low prices. We come here to enjoy a good burger or a good poutine in a relaxed, simple and warm atmosphere. You can also visit their second location in the Jean-Talon Market.
Montréal
Café Vasco de Gama
Café Vasco de Gama is a friendly sandwich shop located in the heart of downtown Montreal. On the menu you will find classics and daily specials. The classic sandwiches—which we particularly recommend—include the duck and fig, the pulled lamb, the vegetarian and chèvre, and our favourite: the tuna burger. It’s the perfect place for lunch with colleagues.
Montréal
L’Express
L’Express is a Montreal institution, a staple, and one of the best French restaurants in town! It is thanks to chef Chapoulie that we owe today’s menu. If you come, you must try the bone marrow, the chicken liver mousse, the tartare, the veal liver, the veal kidneys, the ravioli or the steak-frites.
Montréal
Arte & Farina
Arte & Farina quickly became known for its divine Italian pastries and delicious Roman pizzas. The Italian bakery in the village takes you on a journey to Italy for a meal. At lunchtime, fresh pasta and cooked dishes are added to the slate. The gnocchi di ricotta—fluffy little clouds served with tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella—are always on the menu, as are the tagliatelle al ragù. Everything is delicious!
Montréal
Omnivore
Omnivore is a Middle Eastern “healthy fast food” restaurant with a delectable menu. In a warm atmosphere, the place offers quick and tasty dishes. The restaurant is ideal for both vegetarians and lovers of grilled meat. In the summer, you can take everything to go and enjoy your lunch in the park across the street. They also have a second location on Saint-Denis Street.
Montréal
Hélico
Hélico is a charming little café that opened its doors in 2018 in Hochelaga. The address is a neighbourhood favourite and worth a visit for all of their delicacies—we consider it one of the best cafés in town where you can also eat well! Here, they offer a short menu—from David Ollu—of simple, tasty and fresh dishes for lunch and brunch. The food offering follows the seasons and market products: there is one of the best breakfast sandwiches in the city, some refreshing salads, cold soups and other tasty dishes!
Montréal
Gentile Pizza Parlour
Gentile Pizza Parlour is a New York style pizzeria located in Westmount. Zébulon Perron designed the magnificent space. In the kitchen, Daniel Krystal, with his 12 years of experience, under the direction of Nelson Maceira, presents a delicious menu. In addition to the pizzeria, Gentile also owns two of the city’s institutional cafés: one on Park Avenue, the other located next door to the new pizzeria. The café is also open on Mondays!
Westmount
