Ratafia: A Standout Wine Bar in Little Italy

On Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Ratafia owes its reputation to its plated desserts, where each sweet creation is built like a dish in its own right, with its textures, contrasts and seasonal ingredients. What people tend to forget is that Sandra Forcier and Jared Tuck’s wine bar gives savoury fare just as much room.

From Sweet to Savoury, at the Pace of the Market

First opened in 2019 with desserts at its core, Ratafia has seen its savoury offering grow until it holds its own against the sweet side. This market-driven cuisine highlights small producers, and the menu shifts with whatever comes through the kitchen door. Chef Guillaume Lepage, who arrived in 2026 after stints at Molière, Hoogan et Beaufort and Auberge sur mer, has built a menu that puts seafood front and centre. His Lac Saint-Pierre sturgeon, cut and smoked in house, has become one of his signature dishes. Alongside brown butter croutons and kohlrabi, corn appears in two forms: grilled, then as a light mousse crowning the plate.

Through the seasons, you might also come across a raw Îles-de-la-Madeleine scallop with kombu and apple, or house-made pici with tomato butter and stracciatella from Fromagerie Fuoco. To go with a glass, small snacks in the spirit of upscale bar food round out the menu, like duck heart yakitori with haskap or pommes dauphines with Louis d’Or cheese. The kitchen also adapts dishes on request for vegetarians and vegans, a flexibility we applaud and still see too rarely.

Ratafia: Dessert Still Takes Centre Stage

Sweets remain the house signature. The medovik, a layered honey cake, comes topped with a sour cream and chamomile chantilly and a piece of honeycomb, while the tomato and black tea dessert takes a bold turn with its tomato “caramel.” To stretch out the moment, some forty dessert wines are offered by the glass.

Wines for Every Taste

Built by Jared Tuck, the wine list counts more than 200 labels. It also benefits from the eye of Cécile Vimbert, former head sommelier at Mousso, who has returned to Ratafia. “Jared likes clean, precise wines, Cécile is all about natural wine: there’s something for everyone,” the team sums up. Food and wine pairings are also on offer. At the bar, seven signature cocktails sit alongside the classics, backed by an impressive spirits collection.

Ratafia: A Hushed Room with Golden Accents

The decor fully commits to gold: a dimly lit space, touches of tomato red, black and cream, banquettes and a large 16-seat central bar. In the candlelight, the music comes through clearly. In the warmer months, a covered balcony and a street-side terrace join the dining room, which seats about forty.

The service is relaxed and invites discovery, and the house puts together a special menu to mark every major holiday. “We love a theme!” says the team.

We love this Little Italy wine bar for its generous offering, where savoury and sweet share the spotlight, for its small-producer ingredients and for its warm welcome. We keep coming back, whether for a date or a night out with friends, always saving a little room for dessert.

Written by Jean-Philippe Tastet
Photography by Alison Slattery

Updated on October 26, 2026

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