Great Addresses in the Quartier des Spectacles: Our suggestions
The Quartier des Spectacles is one of Montreal’s most important cultural landmarks. In summer and winter, this area of the city hosts various events and festivals that attract crowds from here and abroad.
Inaugurated in 2003, this urban area has become a hub in the city for the arts, entertainment and gastronomy. It includes major cultural institutions such as Place des Arts, the Musée d’Art Contemporain, and the Maison Symphonique, as well as an impressive number of free outdoor cultural activities. The area is also perfectly situated for discovering great gourmet restaurants in the heart of downtown Montreal!
The festival season is in full swing and many readers are looking for good places to eat before or after a show, for a quick snack or drink, or simply for a dinner downtown. Tastet has prepared a list of places to eat and drink in and around the Quartier des Spectacles!
Reflecting the diversity of restaurants found downtown, the addresses on this list are varied. You will find bars, delicious and affordable restaurants, as well as more chic addresses. Whether you want to get away from the frenzy of the crowds during the festivals while not getting too far or simply want to eat close to the festivities, you’ll find suggestions of addresses for all occasions!
Without further ado, here is our list of great addresses to try in and around the Quartier des Spectacles.
Enjoy and bon appétit!
Special mention for Le Central, which opened in 2019 and offers a foodcourt formula. Located on the corner of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Saint-Catherine Street (just a stone’s throw from Place des Arts!), Le Central boasts 25 different restaurants. There is something for everyone!
Omma
Omma means “mother” in Korean; that’s the feeling you get when you enter this comfortable and welcoming place. After the success of its first opening on Bernard Street West, the owners have opened a second establishment in the Quartier des spectacles. With the same winning formula and delectable dishes, Omma is a cozy, family-friendly restaurant where you can eat good comfort food. Chef Mi Kyum Kim and her team prepare traditional Korean dishes as well as some of the chef’s creations. Our favourites are the bibimbap, the Korean hot pot and the spicy salmon. The affordable prices, courteous service and the unique offer in the neighbourhood characterize this restaurant; we love this place!
Montréal
Bouillon Bilk
Bouillon Bilk is one of the best restaurants in Montreal. Opened in March 2011, this restaurant on St-Laurent Boulevard has been impressing since its opening. With its minimalist decor, the restaurant offers Québécois cuisine that is off the beaten path. The menu offers an exceptional taste experience. A menu based on a protein – guinea fowl, cod, venison, etc. – and its accompaniments. The dishes are always delicate and complex. They change often, but the chef’s proposals are always very creative and inventive. The establishment also distinguishes itself by the high quality and professionalism of its service. The wine selection is also superb.
Montréal
Bar Pamplemousse
Bar Pamplemousse is a friendly bar that offers a very good selection of craft beers on tap in the Quartier des spectacles. A project of the team behind Tiradito, Club Pelicano and Kabinet, this casual bar offers something unique in the area that will satisfy all beer lovers. The space is cozy and colourful, while the atmosphere is friendly and inviting. The place also offers a few dishes that go well with the excellent beers of the house, all at very affordable prices.
Montréal
Cadet
In a former army surplus store, the restaurant Cadet on St-Laurent Boulevard welcomes you from Wednesday to Sunday until 11pm. Like its big brother, Bouillon Bilk, the decor at Cadet is very clean and elegant. The menu features excellent small delicacies to share until late at night, and the entire menu is divided into four categories: vegetables, fish, meat and desserts. To drink, there is a superb wine list, some beers and a cocktail list, mainly with well executed classics. As one of the addresses open on Mondays, we come to Cadet’s for its festive atmosphere, its superb dishes and the excellent service!
Montréal
Biiru
Biiru is a Japanese bistro downtown that offers good food in an original and warm space. The restaurant makes excellent and well-executed items such as sashimi, dumplings and yakitoris. The house salads are also very good. During the summer season, the place has a nice terrace—ideal for a little break from the frenzy of Sainte-Catherine Street. For an original lunch or dinner, Biiru is a great address to discover downtown, whether it is to eat well, good and cheap, or to drink a very good cocktail from the mixologist Lawrence Picard, a stone’s throw from the Quartier des Spectacles!
Montréal
Moleskine
Moleskine is the sibling address of the famous Pullman wine bar. The restaurant’s decor is surprising, with its open kitchen, its impressive wood-burning oven, its pencils hanging from the ceiling and its menus where you can scribble. Here you can enjoy a simple and well-made cuisine, focused on take out and open for lunch and dinner. You can enjoy good pizzas and some snacks, salads, sandwiches, juices, sodas, teas and coffees. A little set back from the Quartier des Spectacles, the address charms with its atmosphere which is at once family friendly and chic, convivial and comfortable. A must-try!
Montréal
Pullman
Pullman is one of Montreal’s first wine bars! A new concept just a few years ago, Pullman has made a big splash with its large selection of wines, mostly from private imports, and its very fine dishes to share. Here, all the people who work in service are sommeliers! With a dynamic wine list that changes regularly, Pullman offers between 300 and 400 types of wine; something for everyone. We drink great wines as well as more affordable and fun wines under the good advice of expert sommeliers.
Montréal
Café Parvis
Café Parvis has become a staple downtown. The magnificent space, adorned with plants, is worth the detour alone. Cleverly designed by Zébulon Perron, the space is bright during the day and perfectly subdued in the evening. In this fabulous space, you can enjoy very good pizzas, salads of all kinds (in various sizes), and more. We love Café Parvis day and night for its elegant and warm atmosphere, as well as for its delicious and accessible menu.
Montréal
Bar Furco
In a decor reminiscent of Berlin, Furco offers a “bar where you can eat well” formula. With a decor by Zébulon Perron, the establishment is often crowded with hip people of all kinds and professionals, especially on Thursday nights. The menu is simple and very good, savouring delicious comfort food, fresh and ideal to enjoy with a nice drink in hand. The place can be noisy, but is still charming if you want a festive date. We love the warm, welcoming service, and the fact that the kitchen closes at midnight – perfect for an after-show meal!
Montréal
Jatoba
Jatoba opened in late 2014 and offers a delectable Asian menu in an absolutely gorgeous space. For those with a pretty fat wallet, the place will charm your guest or impress the gallery, guaranteed! The Jatoba experience is mainly lived with the memorable seafood platter, the chef’s specialty. Small and large dishes from the rest of the menu are easily shared and are great for celebrating. There are also some equally exquisite dishes at more reasonable prices. Delicious dishes, delicious cocktails, courteous service and a superb terrace during the summer make the experience at Jatoba a pleasant one.
Montréal
Gokudo
Gokudo is a great new Japanese cocktail bar downtown. The bar is from the same owners as Escondite, Habanera, Biiru and Koa Lua. The front is indicated by a simple Chinese lantern and a facade of thin strips of wood. Once you enter, you come to the small restaurant section which is called Ryōshi. It is only when you pass the black curtain in the middle of the small restaurant that you enter the Japanese cocktail bar Gokudo. To drink, we find delectable Japanese cocktails and to eat, the bar offers small and delicious Japanese bites! On the walls, bookcases full of Asian items are illuminated in a white light, offering a contrast to reinforce the mysterious side of the place. We meet in this hidden bar for a pleasantly zen experience, which is best enjoyed one-on-one!
Montréal
Escondite
Just a stone’s throw from the old fur trade neighbourhood, Escondite is a small but friendly Mexican restaurant. The restaurant offers a selection of delicious and original tacos, as well as small plates of specialties. The braised tongue and the cod are the two most popular tacos. You must also try their churros! They offer a great selection of tequila and mezcal, as well as a fun cocktail menu. The atmosphere of the restaurant is lively, and the place is always full. A festive and affordable address to keep in mind when downtown.
Montréal
Lola Rosa
Lola Rosa is a friendly and unpretentious restaurant that has recently opened on St. Catherine Street West, after great success on Avenue du Parc, William and Milton Streets. Lola Rosa offers good vegetarian meals; salads, quesadillas, hempburgers, burritos, poutine, curries, chilis, lasagnas, soups and other yummy vegetarian dishes. The menu offers a lot of choice – including vegan options. A charming address to discover!
Montréal
Café Pista
Whether you’re looking for an excellent coffee, or a place to dine in a festive atmosphere, look no further than Café Pista. Just a few steps away from the Saint-Laurent metro station, this café transforms itself into a bar on Thursdays and Fridays as of 5pm to liven up your evenings! It is in a warm and unique atmosphere that the Pista dims its lights to become the buvette Vin Public. While during the day you can enjoy pastries, salads, and sandwiches, in the evenings you’ll find fish, tartare, vegetable dishes, cheeses, charcuterie platters, and more, on the menu. In other words, simple but thoughtful dishes for those who want to extend their happy hour or who want to grab a bite before a show. We also invite you to take a look at their extensive wine list.
Montréal
Kamúy
After announcing his departure from the restaurant Agrikol, Chef Paul Toussaint is back with a vengeance with a project in which he is, this time, chef AND owner! Located in one of those unusual capsules on the Place des Festivals where Taverne F used to be, Kamúy is a sun-drenched halo that radiates Caribbean culture throughout the city. On the menu, you can enjoy delicious fusion cuisine where all the flavours of the Caribbean are highlighted. Beautiful gastronomic discoveries to be had, guaranteed!
Montreal
Le Molière par Mousso
The menu at Le Molière is extensive – chicken liver mousse, tomato Provençale, artichokes with vinaigrette, lobster thermidor, beef tartare, rabbit kidney vol-au-vent, Vichy vegetables, pea salad with lettuce, and much more. The kitchen is also equipped with a magnificent rotisserie where poultry and other meats are turned on the spit. In short, there is something for everyone.
Montréal
Montréal Pool Room
Opened over a century ago, the Montreal Pool Room exudes nostalgia as much as it does frying oil. An iconic greasy spoon as we like them, but especially as our parents liked them. Since 1912, the restaurant sold only one thing: steamies (steamed hot dogs). Today, you can order fries and poutines, hamburgers, onion rings and pogos. Of course, the famous “steamie” – one of the best in town – generously topped with cabbage, is always popular. An ideal menu for night owls or for those who are hungry at all hours. To enjoy it all, take a seat at one of the few tables or at the long counter that runs almost the entire length of the restaurant.
Montréal
L'idéal bar & contenus
Opened in November 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, L’idéal bar & contenu, as its name suggests, is an inclusive and hybrid space, part wine bar, part club and part creative studio. In the kitchen, chef Julia Giraud is behind the menu, which varies from succulent little snacks (homemade pickles, artichoke and ricotta spread, pan-fried radish) to sharing platters and more gourmet plates. On the bar side, Florence Gagnon describes the offer as “a classic bar from the 1990s”. You don’t feel embarrassed to order a humble gin and tonic or a round of shots, but you can also be tempted by one of the house cocktails.
Montréal
Pho Thanh Long
Pho Thanh Long is a Vietnamese restaurant located on Sainte-Catherine street at the corner of de Bullion. The restaurant often goes unnoticed, but it counts many locals and UQAM students among its regulars. The place specializes in Vietnamese cuisine, notably the famous Tonkin soup, or pho – emblematic dish of Vietnam. The address makes one of the best pho soups in Montreal.
Montréal
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