Fantastic new exhibition at the McCord Stewart Museum: On the menu — Montreal: A Restaurant Story
Since November 26, the McCord Stewart Museum has unveiled an exhibition entirely devoted to what makes Montreal’s heart beat: its restaurants! With On the menu — Montreal: A Restaurant Story, the museum presents the first major exhibition to clearly and vividly tell the story of how Montréal’s culinary scene became one of the most dynamic in North America. The exhibition is exceptionally well put together and shines a spotlight on the people and establishments that have shaped the city and its gastronomy.
For more than 100 years, the McCord Stewart Museum has documented Montréal’s evolution. This time, it turns its attention to a pillar of our collective identity that is often underestimated: the table. And it does so with a resolutely modern, immersive, and intelligent approach.
The exhibition highlights the inventiveness, diversity, and creativity of Montréal’s restaurant scene from the 1960s to today. It reminds us that Montréal isn’t just a city where people eat well — it’s a city where culture itself passes through restaurants.
In 2025, with nearly 5,000 active restaurants — one third of all restaurants in Québec — Montréal confirms its status as a true food capital: a city where restaurants are not merely an economic sector, but a shared language, a cultural engine, and a powerful symbol of identity.
An innovative exhibition that tells the story of a city through its tables
The exhibition brings together vintage menus, archives, photographs, audio testimonies, iconic objects, and creative scenography. Visitors revisit legendary institutions that have disappeared, restaurants that transformed entire neighbourhoods, immigrant cuisines that reshaped local habits, and gastronomic experiences that put Montréal on the map.
It also explores how modest eateries, family-run diners, and institutions like St-Hubert helped shape everyday life. The exhibition shows that behind every address — starred, beloved, innovative, or nostalgic — lie human, social, and cultural stories that explain Montréal’s evolution. This resonates directly with Tastet’s mission over the past 12 years.
A reflection on the role of the restaurant: more than just a place to eat
The museum reminds us that restaurants are places of encounter, social spaces, cultural markers, and witnesses to the evolution of our lifestyles. They tell the story of our family celebrations, friendships, first dates, and social shifts — from the rise of food delivery, to taverns opening their doors to women, to immigrant cuisines becoming pillars of the local food scene.
Voices that illuminate our culinary history
The exhibition is supported by several key figures from the culinary world, including renowned food critic Lesley Chesterman, who serves as the project’s spokesperson. Their contributions offer multiple perspectives on Montréal’s restaurant culture: tradition, innovation, diversity, transmission, and the future. Lesley dreamed up this project nearly a decade ago and was, of course, present at the opening to see it finally come to life.
This exhibition is an important one for Montréal. The city is defined in large part by its table; our culinary scene has never been so rich, inventive, or influential. It was time for a museum to tell — rigorously and accessibly — how this story was built, and why it continues to make Montréal shine on the world stage.
An essential exhibition for understanding how Montréal became — and remains — one of the great gastronomic capitals of the continent. A must-see.
Practical information
Admission: $22
Members: Free
Dates: Until October 18, 2026
Tickets: https://billets.musee-mccord-stewart.ca
Written by Jean-Philippe Tastet
Photography by Laura Dimitiru
