Mon Lapin Voted Best Restaurant in Canada

Mon Lapin restaurant took top honours at the unveiling of the annual Canada’s 100 Best list on Monday night in Toronto.

The darling restaurant on Saint-Zotique Street in Montreal jumped from 6th to 1st place, ahead of Toronto’s Alo and Published On Main, from Vancouver, which ranked first last year. This is the third time that a Quebec restaurant has taken the top spot: Montreal’s Toqué! took the top spot in the first two editions of the ranking, in 2015 and 2016.

Some 34 Quebec restaurants are among the nominees this year, compared to 30 in Ontario. Beba in Verdun, another of our favourites, took 8th place. Pichai and Monarque, described as “the best brasserie in Canada”, took 15th and 16th place respectively.

Massimo Piedimonte‘s Cabaret l’Enfer, ranked #2 in the list of best new restaurants (behind Matty Matheson’s Prime Seafood Palace), is now in 39th place. Sommelier Véronique Dalle, of Foxy restaurant, was named Best Sommelier in Canada.

The regulars

It is no surprise that many of the regulars have made it onto the list again – Montreal Plaza (#21), Joe Beef (#24), Le Mousso (#41), Toqué! (#45), Nora Gray (#53), L’Express (#56), Bouillon Bilk (#58), Vin Papillon (#68), ARVI (#78), etc. Moccione, absent from the last editions since we were still waiting for its reopening, is back in force in 28th place. We also note some new entries, such as Parcelles (#80), in the Eastern Townships, Place Carmin (#83) and Salle Climatisée (#30). Okeya Kyujiro‘s unique omakase experience narrowly ranks at #99, just ahead of Park.

The best bars

On the bar side, several Quebec establishments also stood out, including Cloakroom and Atwater Cocktail Club, which took 2nd and 3rd place on the podium. Le Sans Soleil, the hidden bar of the restaurant Fleurs & Cadeaux, was added to the list this year. In Quebec City, the “j’s” have the edge: jjacques and Justine take the 28th and 50th place.

Here are all the nominees from Quebec:

Best restaurants

  • 1. Mon Lapin
  • 8. Beba
  • 15. Pichai
  • 16. Monarque
  • 21. Montreal Plaza
  • 24. Joe Beef
  • 28. Moccione
  • 30. Salle Climatisée
  • 36. Gia Vin & Grill
  • 39. Cabaret l’Enfer
  • 41. Le Mousso
  • 45. Toqué!
  • 48. Paloma
  • 50. Île Flottante
  • 53. Nora Gray
  • 55. Mastard
  • 56. L’Express
  • 58. Bouillon Bilk
  • 60. La Cabane D’à Côté
  • 61. Chez Saint-Pierre
  • 67. Auberge Willow Inn
  • 68. Vin Papillon
  • 70. Public House
  • 72. Bistro Otto
  • 78. Arvi
  • 80. Parcelles
  • 81. Jun I
  • 83. Place Carmin
  • 86. Tinc Set
  • 87. Milos
  • 90. Taniere3
  • 93. Le Serpent
  • 94. Okeya Kyujiro
  • 99. Park

Best bars

  • 2. Cloakroom
  • 3. Atwater Cocktail Club
  • 9. Milky Way
  • 15. The Coldroom
  • 19. El Pequeño
  • 28. Jjacques
  • 34. Sans Soleil
  • 43. Le Majestique
  • 48. Isle de Garde
  • 50. Justine

A huge congratulations to all!


Photography by Alison Slattery

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