P’tit Bélanger: a neighbourhood buvette by Projet Pilote

P’tit Bélanger is the latest from the team behind Projet Pilote, and this time the plates are front and centre. Projet Pilote has carved out an exceptional place for itself as a bar, microdistillery and microbrewery under one roof, where you also eat very well. P’tit Bélanger, for its part, is a neighbourhood buvette built on Italian- and Canadian-inspired cooking, where you feel the intention behind every bite.

“My general inspiration is to take classics and give them a little twist,” sums up chef Heather Pfaff. The twist, here, also lies in executing those classics flawlessly. Everything is made in house from start to finish, and we have a soft spot for their pasta, made by hand on site. A smoker recently installed out back is used as much to smoke the cuts of meat of the moment as to prepare the sliced bacon you find on the Caesar salad.

Despite this shift toward the table, the service keeps that welcoming, unpretentious side we love. Sommelier Élodie Salmon confirms it. “There is an authenticity behind P’tit Bélanger, a warm and convivial side that keeps people coming back.”

A tight-knit team

For the team, there was no need to look far. Sous-chef Léon Buser-Rivet and pastry chef Aurore Padonou, like Élodie, also come from Projet Pilote, a team already bonded and well-oiled that carried itself over into a new setting. Aurore is the one behind the bread and the house’s excellent desserts.

The space that took them in was born of a friendship more than of a business plan. François Boudreau, who owns the building, was looking for a new purpose for his space and then offered it to his friend Guillaume Drapeau, already the owner of Projet Pilote, who accepted on the condition that François come on board with him. The two are now co-owners of P’tit Bélanger.

A chic setting with retro accents

The décor, signed by Maude Coudé of Renard Flare, gave the space new life and made it one of the most beautiful restaurants in Montréal right now. Between the powder pink, the blue and the mid-century lines of the furniture, you feel halfway between somewhere unapologetically chic and the living room of a grandmother with refined taste.

For the wine list, Élodie has carte blanche to build a generous and carefully sought selection. “I like to go looking for gems, for lesser-known products, for more niche appellations, or for wines with strong environmental values,” she explains. “It is always very important to me that there be an environmental conscience in the wines I choose.” On the cocktail list, you find the same idea of revisited classics, while keeping space for Projet Pilote’s hydrosols and other non-alcoholic products.

Five months after opening, P’tit Bélanger is already seeing a clientele of regulars come back. The cohesion between the front-of-house and kitchen teams is palpable, and it translates into the warm atmosphere that gives P’tit Bélanger all its charm and, above all, makes you want to return.

Written by Jean-Philippe Tastet
Photography by Alison Slattery

Updated on August 28, 2026

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