Chez Téta: A Second Address in Saint-Henri

Chez Téta, the manouché house born on Rachel Street, opened a second address on Notre-Dame West in June 2026, steps from Atwater Market and the Lachine Canal. Roomier than the original, the new kitchen finally lets the team roll out the Lebanese brunch it had been dreaming of, alongside the flatbreads that built its name.

The story starts in October 2020, when Antoun Aoun and Mélodie Roukoz — a couple in life as in business — opened the first Café Chez Téta at 227 Rachel Street East, on the Plateau. “Téta” means “grandmother” in Lebanese, and it’s the face of Antoun’s own grandmother that graces the logo. There, people come for manouchés baked in a traditional Lebanese oven and for third-wave coffee, in a made-from-scratch spirit where everything starts with raw ingredients. Nearly six years later, the formula has found a second wind across town, with a more polished touch.

Mélodie, Antoun and Wael (Antoun’s brother) describe a search that stretched close to two years, across several Montreal neighbourhoods and as far as Brossard, before the right space finally appeared. Saint-Henri felt obvious — a corner of the city the family already frequents in summer. “Water is something that draws us in,” Mélodie says, won over by the canal, the little boats and the market next door, which pulls in residents and tourists alike.

The Lebanese Brunch Rachel Street Couldn’t Serve

The bigger kitchen unlocked what had been in the original business plan all along: foul, fatté and balila now round out the manouchés and eggs, making for a proper traditional Lebanese brunch. The real draw unique to this location is the “créations de Téta,” more modern signature plates exclusive to the Saint-Henri branch. They put wild Lebanese thyme — the kind that grows in every village garden back home — front and centre, worked into the tartine de Téta, an omelette and an “explosion de zaatar” manouché. Everything is made in house: the chickpeas are soaked and cooked on site, and so are the meats, from soujouk to awarma, that confit meat preserved in its own fat according to the old Lebanese method. The beef cheeks, Waël’s idea, add a contemporary note. We loved everything about our visit — every plate landed with real depth.

An Address Built Around the Oven

The décor is stunning, signed by IVY Studio as it was on Rachel, playing burgundy velvet against plenty of wood and marble, arches, and earth-toned clay plates that call to mind sand. At the heart of the room sits an open kitchen and an oven built and imported from Lebanon. “The restaurant was built around the oven,” says Antoun Aoun, who sees it as the centrepiece and the promise of a convivial experience, “as if you were hosting people at home.” The space is bright and calming.

Behind the bar, you’ll find arak-based cocktails, orange-blossom lemonade and Lebanese wines. The address also offers catering for businesses, private corporate events and family gatherings, along with a grab-to-go fridge with an online order link (handy for grabbing something to picnic on by the canal). Worth watching: starting in fall 2026, the address promises evening service, with shareable plates straight from the oven and a fuller Lebanese wine list — and we can’t wait.

Written by Jean-Philippe Tastet
Photography by Alison Slattery

Updated on July 08, 2026

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