Merci la Vie: one of the best tables in the Laurentians

Ten years ago, Merci la vie built its first nest in Prévost. Since then, the bakery has moved to Piedmont to grow and take even better care of its regulars. Today, Merci la vie is far more than the little bakery it was in 2015: it has become a genuine Laurentians destination, a place where you always eat well and where the bread is truly out of the ordinary.

Before the Bread, a Love Story

Above all, Merci la vie is a love story. Before turning to bread, Johanne Martineau was a public speaker and relationship coach, and Albert Elbilia was an art director. It was life’s ups and downs that led the warm-hearted couple to open Merci la vie. The success has never let up since, and what more is there to say than a simple merci la vie.

Standing Tall Through It All

Soon after they opened, the Prévost location grew too small for everything they were doing. Short on space, the couple ended up working out of an outdoor trailer just to keep up with demand that kept climbing. The move, only a few kilometres north, gave Johanne and Albert the space to host properly and to push their culinary ideas further. The new spot is full of light, warmth and softness. It is pared back and uncluttered, the kind of place that makes you want to slow down, recharge and enjoy the small pleasures life has to offer.

In 2023, the building suffered a serious sewer backup that caused major damage. Faced with the scale of it, the duo decided to close its doors a few months later. When the news broke, the community was stunned at the thought of losing their favourite spot and rallied to save Merci la vie together. Thanks to a GoFundMe and the collective effort of locals, Merci la vie pulled through and came back stronger than ever.

Feeding the Body and the Soul

By day, the house runs 200 to 300 covers: a counter of breads, pastries and coffee to go, a huge open kitchen, and brunches that land every single time, from the well-known pancakes in ever-changing flavours to the Desayuno Español and the lunchtime pitas. Bread remains at the centre of it all and still accounts for half of revenue. There is no added starter and no poolish here; they let nature do the work, with fermentations running anywhere from 72 hours to 10 days.

Johanne sums it up: “Here, the key word is love: love in the plates, how we prepare them, how we present them, but also where the products come from. It’s important to recognize what the land gives us and to get back to basics.”

The Food Albert Cooks at Home

In 2026, Merci la vie officially opened for dinner too. The evening menu is Albert’s creation, and its starting point is disarmingly simple: what do you cook for yourself when you get home at night? The answer sits in a plate of runny eggs, fried in olive oil and dusted with Greek spices imported from Athens (wild thyme flower buds, oregano), which you mop up with house bread. Same spirit for the 100% cashew hummus with salsa verde, pralined pistachios and sumac, a dish born from a pastry leftover that nearly every table now orders.

The menu leans into sharing, with a selection of small starters, meats and fish meant to land in the middle of the table. True to the brunch spirit, it keeps exploring flavours from around the world, pairing local products with Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Asian influences, basically whatever Albert and the team feel like cooking.

At night, the whole atmosphere shifts: candles and string lights everywhere, different music, unhurried service. Nothing is made ahead; there is no pre-cooked mise en place, and everything goes out à la minute. That is why reservations are capped at 58 covers. The result is a gentle pace, designed for lingering two hours over a bottle of wine, whether as a couple in an intimate corner or with the whole family. On warm days, the terrace under the big maple, strung with fairy lights, takes on a Tuscan feel.

The wine list wanders from Québec, with Pinard et Filles among others, all the way to old Italian estates. For apéro, regulars go for the spritz or the mimosa built on the house lemonades, which is well worth drinking far beyond brunch.

Spoom la vie, the Ice Cream Shop Next Door

Right next door, Johanne and Albert opened the Spoom la vie ice cream shop, serving 100% natural, house-made ice cream built on coconut, chickpea and fruit: no dairy, no refined sugar, and clear of the most common allergens. Cyclists on the P’tit Train du Nord are especially well looked after, with new high-end bike racks that hold your ride by the saddle, a tidy path, parasols and benches to enjoy your cone before rolling on.

Merci la vie, indeed, for this little Laurentians treasure.

Written by Jean-Philippe Tastet
Photography by Alison Slattery

Updated on July 08, 2026

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