Damas Best of MTL 2020 Food & Drink

Shish taouk takeout from Damas

Best of MTL, Food & Drink

Best of MTL 2020: Food & Drink in Montreal

by CultMTL

The top restaurants, top chefs, top dishes and top food shopping spots in the city, according to our readers.

Best of MTL 2020: Food & Drink in Montreal

As usual our Food Editor Clayton Sandhu has written about your restaurant picks (here), taking a slightly different approach this year: more Resto Rights than the usual Resto Wrongs. Normally we wouldn’t even include “cooking at home” in the Best Food Trend category, but right now it’s more than a trend — it’s the new normal. That said, we can all support our favourite restaurants as the pandemic shutdown continues by ordering in, at least once in a while, and/or by donating to crowd-funding campaigns and charitable organizations like Montreal Restaurant Workers Relief Fund and Rally for Restaurants. New to this section this year are Best Hotel Bar/Restaurant, which was topped by Four Seasons hotspot Marcus, and Best Afternoon Tea, which went to the ever-popular Mile End tearoom Cardinal. We cannot wait to eat out again. We ♥ Montreal restaurants.

Best Chef

Chanthy Yen Best of MTL 2020 Food & Drink Montreal
“I feel completely humbled to be considered one of Montreal’s Best Chefs.  I am so grateful that people took the time and effort to submit their votes. Truly, thank you, everyone, I am happy to know that my work and my ideas are being appreciated! Each of these chefs worked [tirelessly] to get to where they are and you can see their passion come through in their food. To the chefs who ranked in the top 10 and those who haven’t, we recognize you and we thank you for all the hard work you put into the craft. There isn’t just one model for making food and being passionate about it, so congratulations to you all.”—Chanthy Yen, Best Chef #2 (Best of MTL 2020: Food & Drink in Montreal)
  1. Danny Smiles
  2. Chanthy Yen
  3. Chuck Hughes
  4. Dino “Babydoll” Luciano
  5. Sean Murray Smith
  6. JP Miron
  7. Antonin Mousso-Rivard
  8. Emma Cardarelli
  9. Antonio Park
  10. Martin Picard

Best New Restaurant 

Beba Best of MTL 2020 Food & Drink Montreal
“The restaurant industry is so much work, it’s very nerve-racking to go on your own, especially when there are no big backers. It’s just me and my brother, in this case, so it’s been very fruitful and it’s allowed us to become comfortable in our own space. [Winning Best New Restaurant] is a wonderful surprise, honestly. In these times, something like this really makes our year.”—Ari Schor of Beba, Best New Restaurant #1 (Best of MTL 2020: Food & Drink in Montreal)
  1. Beba
  2. Mano Cornuto
  3. Wolf & Workman
  4. TimeOut Market
  5. Parliament Pub & Parlour
  6. Umami Ramen
  7. Moccione
  8. Elena
  9. Marcus
  10. Radis

Best New Food Trends

  1. Veganism
  2. Poke bowls
  3. Food halls
  4. Cooking at home
  5. Ramen
  6. Delivery
  7. Eat local
  8. Korean
  9. Pizza
  10. Isolation bread

Best Pub Grub

  1. Burgundy Lion
  2. Ye Olde Orchard
  3. McKibbins
  4. Bishop and Bagg
  5. Brutopia
  6. Cunningham’s
  7. Next Door
  8. Vices et Versa
  9. Bowhead
  10. Parliament Pub & Parlour

Best Hotel Bar or Restaurant

  1. Marcus (Four Seasons)
  2. Palm Court/Maison Boulud (Ritz Carlton)
  3. Bar George (Mount Stephen)
  4. Bartizen (W)
  5. Maiolo (Le Meridien)
  6. Nacarat (Fairmount Queen Elizabeth)

Best Cheap Eats 

  1. Nilufar
  2. Boustan
  3. Patati Patata
  4. Green Spot
  5. AA
  6. Entrepôt
  7. Bocadillo
  8. Dépanneur le Pick-Up
  9. Vua Banh Mi
  10. McDonald’s

Best Pricey Eats

  1. Joe Beef
  2. Damas
  3. Montréal Plaza
  4. Île Flottante
  5. Le Bremner
  6. Beba
  7. Le Mousso
  8. Europea
  9. LOV
  10. Vin Papillon

Best Late Night Eats

  1. La Banquise
  2. Boustan
  3. Chez Claudette
  4. AA
  5. Nouveau Palais
  6. Patati Patata
  7. L’Express
  8. A&W
  9. Chez Mein
  10. Bocadillo

Best Breakfast / Brunch

  1. Vieux Vélo
  2. Arthurs Nosh Bar
  3. L’Avenue
  4. L’Oeufrier
  5. Cosmos
  6. Allô mon coco
  7. Bagel Etc.
  8. Green Spot
  9. Fabergé
  10. Larry’s

Best Afternoon Tea

  1. Cardinal Tea Room
  2. Burgundy Lion
  3. Ritz Carlton
  4. Gryphon d’Or
  5. Camellia Sinensis
  6. Salon Rosie-Lanoi
  7. URSA
  8. La brume dans mes lunettes
  9. Cha Noir
  10. Café Aunja

Best Delivery Service

  1. Uber Eats
  2. Foodora (RIP)
  3. Skip the Dishes
  4. Golo
  5. Door Dash
  6. À la Carte Express
  7. Chef on Call

Best Food Truck

  1. Grumman 78
  2. Winneburger
  3. Le Cheese
  4. Mi Corazon
  5. La Panthère Verte
  6. Mandy’s
  7. Lucille’s

Best African

  1. Le Nil Bleu
  2. Queen Sheeba
  3. East Africa
  4. La Khaima
  5. Maquis Yasolo

Best Caribbean 

  1. Lloydie’s
  2. Agrikol
  3. Boom J’s
  4. Caribbean Food Factory
  5. Jardin du Cari
  6. Caraïbe Delite
  7. Méli-Mélo
  8. Caribbean Curry House
  9. Seasoned Dreams
  10. Local Legend

Best Chinese 

  1. Hong Mere
  2. Maison VIP
  3. Aunt Dai’s
  4. PM
  5. Kam Fung
  6. Kam Shing
  7. Mon Nan
  8. Soba
  9. Gia Ba
  10. Beijing

Best Russian / Eastern European

  1. Euro Deli Batory
  2. Stash Café
  3. Café Baba Yaga
  4. La Caverne Russe
  5. Budapest Roma
  6. Nevski

Best French

  1. L’Express
  2. Leméac
  3. Quartier Général
  4. Taverne on the Square
  5. Monarque

Best Greek

  1. Milos
  2. Marven’s
  3. Marathon Souvlaki
  4. Arahova
  5. Villa du Souvlaki
  6. Jardin de Panos
  7. Tripolis
  8. Panama
  9. Phillinos
  10. Mythos

Best Indian

  1. Bombay Mahal
  2. Star of India
  3. Pushap
  4. Thali
  5. Chand Palace
  6. Atma
  7. Palais d’Ajit
  8. Punjab Palace
  9. Le Super Qualité
  10. India Beau Village

Best Italian

Pasta Casareccia Best of MTL 2020 Food & Drink Montreal
“Montreal is a unique city, especially when it comes to food. I’ve been working in the restaurant business since I was a kid so I’ve seen places come and go, I’ve seen all the fads, I’ve seen all the places that cater to the trends. From the beginning, we were on this path to be the most authentic possible. In 1985 we were one of the first to make high-quality pasta in Montreal. We sort of educated the people and now people know what good food is.”—Mauro Petraccone of Pasta Casareccia, Best Italian #2 (Photo by Melanie Dubé) (Best of MTL 2020: Food & Drink in Montreal)
  1. Elena
  2. Pasta Casareccia
  3. Gema
  4. Impasto
  5. Bottega
  6. Nora Gray
  7. Radis
  8. Pizzeria Napoletana
  9. Mano Cornuto
  10. Moccione

Best Japanese

  1. Kazu
  2. Jun I
  3. Noren
  4. Nozy
  5. Otto Yakitori
  6. Imadake
  7. Ichigo Ichi
  8. Yokato Yokabai
  9. Sushi Momo
  10. Tsukuyomi

Best Korean

  1. GaNaDaRa
  2. Mon Ami
  3. Omma
  4. Chez Bong
  5. Seoul Chako
  6. Hwang Kum
  7. Maison Seoul
  8. Luna
  9. Petit Séoul

Best Latin-American

  1. Arepera du Plateau
  2. Bocadillo
  3. La Chilenita
  4. El Chalateco
  5. Los Planes
  6. La Carreta
  7. Sabor Lation
  8. Tiradito

Best Mexican

  1. El Rey del Taco
  2. Tacos Frida
  3. La Capital Tacos
  4. Escondite
  5. Ta Chido
  6. El Sabor de México
  7. 3 Amigos
  8. Taco Trunp
  9. Tacos Victor

Best Middle Eastern

Damas
“What makes Damas a special restaurant is that it refuses to offer a merely ‘regional’ or a merely ‘ethnic’ dining experience — terms that still carry a Eurocentric weight and the latent racism that comes with it. Damas does, of course, offer a cuisine from a very specific time, place and tradition. But it does so with uncompromising ingredients, technique, and with a decor, service, and wine list to match. The chef-owner Fuad challenged the North American stereotype that Middle Eastern food = cheap kebabs, a vision that resulted in a singular restaurant revealing the sophistication and beauty of Syrian cuisine. An extravagant tasting menu with a wine pairing no longer belongs to European or a-territorial ‘chef-driven’ restaurants alone, and the city’s food scene is richer, more diverse and representative for it.”—Daniel Gillis, sommelier at Damas, Best Middle Eastern #1, Best Pricey Eats #2 (Best of MTL 2020: Food & Drink in Montreal)
  1. Damas
  2. Boustan
  3. Alep / Le Petit Alep
  4. Sumac
  5. Omnivore
  6. KazaMaza
  7. Khyber Pass
  8. Nilufar
  9. Daou
  10. Falafel St-Jacques

Best Spanish

  1. Tapeo
  2. La Sala Rosa
  3. Iberica
  4. Club Espagnol
  5. Alma

Best Thai

  1. Épicerie Pumpui
  2. Bangkok
  3. Thai Express
  4. Thaïlande
  5. Chu Chai
  6. Mae Sri
  7. Pamika
  8. Pick Thai
  9. Thammada
  10. Satay Brothers

Best Portuguese

  1. Romados
  2. Ma Poule Mouillée
  3. Chez Doval
  4. Piri Piri
  5. Jano
  6. Ferreira Café
  7. Coco Rico
  8. Campo

Best Vietnamese

  1. Pho Tay Ho
  2. Pho Bang New York
  3. Pho Lien
  4. Tran Cantine Vietnamienne
  5. Le Red Tiger
  6. Pho Bac No. 97
  7. Lyla
  8. Ha
  9. Chez Lien
  10. Hoai Huong

Best Bagel

  1. St-Viateur
  2. Fairmount
  3. Bagel St-Lo
  4. Ville-Émard Bagels
  5. Beaubien Bagels
  6. R.E.A.L. Bagel
  7. Bagels on Greene
  8. MTL Bagel

Best Chicken

  1. Chalet BBQ
  2. Romados
  3. Ma Poule Mouillée
  4. Côte-Saint-Luc BBQ
  5. St-Hubert
  6. Coq de l’Est
  7. Coco Rico
  8. Serrano BBQ

Best Burger

  1. Uniburger
  2. Notre-Boeuf-de-Grâce
  3. Nouveau Palais
  4. Burger de Ville
  5. Chez Tousignant
  6. Five Guys
  7. A&W
  8. Dilallo Burger
  9. Burger Bar
  10. Picks

Best Donuts

  1. Léché Desserts
  2. Krispy Kreme
  3. Mr Puffs
  4. Trou de Beigne
  5. Tim Hortons 
  6. Crémy
  7. Dough Nats
  8. Wawel

Best Dumplings

  1. Qing Hua
  2. Har Bin
  3. Sammi & Soupe Dumpling
  4. Mademoiselle Dumpling
  5. Mei Wei
  6. Noodle Dumpling
  7. A1
  8. Mai Xiang Yuan
  9. Dumpling Hut
  10. Yum Yum Soup Dumplings

Best Falafel

  1. Falafel Yoni
  2. La Panthère Verte
  3. Falafel Saint-Jacques
  4. Nilufar
  5. Boustan
  6. Sumac
  7. Amir
  8. Omnivore
  9. Falafel Plus
  10. Adonis

Best Fish and Chips

  1. Brit & Chips
  2. Comptoir 21
  3. Burgundy Lion 
  4. Ad Hoc
  5. Parliament Pub & Parlour

Best Fries

  1. Frites Alors
  2. Patati Patata
  3. McDonald’s
  4. Lafleur
  5. La Belle Province
  6. Nouveau Palais
  7. Burgundy Lion
  8. Chez Claudette
  9. Montreal Pool Room 
  10. Green Spot 

Best Hot Dog

  1. Lafleur
  2. La Belle Province
  3. Montreal Pool Room
  4. Dirty Dogs
  5. Decarie Hot Dog
  6. Green Spot
  7. Chez Tousignant
  8. AA
  9. Orange Julep

Best Pad Thai

  1. Pumpui
  2. Thai Express
  3. Bangkok
  4. Tampopo
  5. Pamika
  6. Chez Ann

Best Pizza

  1. Adamo
  2. Elena
  3. No. 900
  4. Pizza Bouquet
  5. Gema
  6. Bottega
  7. Magpie
  8. Il Foccolaio
  9. Pizzeria Napoletana
  10. Fugazzi

Best Poutine

  1. La Banquise
  2. Poutineville
  3. Patati Patata
  4. Chez Claudette
  5. La Belle Province
  6. AA
  7. Ma poule mouillée
  8. Green Spot
  9. Frites Alors!
  10. Nouveau Système Beaubien

Best Ribs

  1. Blackstrap BBQ
  2. Bâton Rouge
  3. Bar B Barn
  4. Le Boucan
  5. Rubs

Best Sandwich

  1. Clarke Café
  2. Dépanneur le Pick-Up
  3. Santropol
  4. Schwartz’s
  5. Aux Vivres
  6. Joe’s Panini
  7. Panthère Verte
  8. Bocadillo
  9. Capitaine Sandwich
  10. Vua

Best Shish Taouk

  1. Boustan
  2. Amir
  3. Omnivore
  4. Sumac
  5. Basha

Best Smoked Meat

  1. Schwartz’s
  2. The Main
  3. Smoke Meat Pete
  4. Snowdon Deli
  5. Lester’s
  6. Dunn’s
  7. Le roi du smoked meat
  8. Jarry Smoked Meat

Best Steak

  1. Moishes
  2. The Keg
  3. Gibbys
  4. Joe Beef
  5. L’Express
  6. 40 West
  7. Bâton Rouge

Best Sushi 

  1. Sushi Momo
  2. Park
  3. Jun I
  4. Le Kioko
  5. Saint Sushi
  6. Tri Express
  7. Maiko
  8. Sushi Bae
  9. Mikado
  10. Soba

Best Taco

  1. Tacos Frida
  2. La Capital Tacos
  3. El Rey Del Taco
  4. Escondite
  5. Grumman 78
  6. Tacos Tijuana
  7. Victor
  8. Taco Trunp
  9. Ice House
  10. Impactaco

Best Ramen

  1. Kinton Ramen
  2. Yokato Yokabai
  3. Tsukuyomi
  4. Umami Ramen
  5. Ichifuku
  6. Ramen Ya
  7. Misoya
  8. Ichigo Ichie
  9. Kazu
  10. Ramen 9000

Best Vegetarian

  1. Aux Vivres
  2. LOV
  3. Lola Rosa
  4. La Panthère Verte
  5. Sushi Momo
  6. Hello 123
  7. Copper Branch
  8. Yuan
  9. Umami Ramen
  10. Nilufar

(Best of MTL 2020: Food & Drink in Montreal)

Best Craft/Microbrew Beer

  1. Dieu du Ciel
  2. Brutopia
  3. 4 Origines
  4. Messorem Bracitorium
  5. Isle de Garde
  6. St. Ambroise
  7. Espace Public
  8. Harricana
  9. Benelux
  10. Reservoir

Best Bakery

  1. Guillaume
  2. Automne
  3. Hof Kelsten
  4. Arhoma
  5. Sweet Lee’s
  6. Les co’pains d’abord
  7. Mamie Clafoutis
  8. Première Moisson
  9. Kouing-Amann
  10. Le pain dans les voiles

Best Café (Place)

  1. Olimpico
  2. Dispatch
  3. Myriade
  4. Saint-Henri
  5. Melk
  6. Lili & Oli
  7. Névé
  8. Shaika
  9. Caffè Italia
  10. Cordova

Best Coffee (Beverage)

  1. Dispatch
  2. Olimpico
  3. Myriade
  4. Saint-Henri
  5. Melk
  6. Cordova
  7. Caffè Italia
  8. Pista
  9. Nevé
  10. Pikolo

Best Teahouse

  1. Cardinal Tea Room
  2. Camellia Sinensis
  3. Cha Noir
  4. Gryphon d’Or
  5. Rosie-Lanoi

Best Fromagerie

  1. Hamel
  2. Atwater
  3. Copette & Co.
  4. Bleu et persillé
  5. Qui lait cru?
  6. La Vieille Europe

Best Ice Cream

  1. Kem Coba
  2. Dalla Rose
  3. Ca Lem
  4. La Diperie
  5. Ripples
  6. Bilboquet
  7. Wild Willy’s
  8. Dairy Queen
  9. Havre aux glaces
  10. Les givrés

Best Chocolate / Sweets

  1. Juliette et chocolat
  2. Chloé
  3. Chocolats favoris
  4. Geneviève Grandbois
  5. Lecavalier Petrone
  6. Léonidas

Best Butcher

  1. Boucherie Lawrence
  2. Chez Vito
  3. Pascal le Boucher
  4. Zinman
  5. Maître Boucher
  6. Grinder 8
  7. Viandal 6
  8. Boucherie Beau-Bien
  9. Boucherie du Marché (JT)
  10. Boucherie Champfeury

Best Vegetable / Fruit Store

  1. Marché Jean-Talon
  2. Fruiterie Mile-End
  3. PA
  4. Sami Fruits
  5. Adonis
  6. Atwater Market
  7. Fruiterie Plateau
  8. Eden
  9. Valmont
  10. Vert Pomme

Best Organic Produce Store

  1. PA Nature
  2. Rachelle-Béry
  3. Tau
  4. Branche d’Olivier
  5. Lufa Farms
  6. Chez Robin
  7. Fruiterie Mile-End

Best Fishmonger

  1. La Mer
  2. Falero
  3. Shamrock
  4. Waldman’s
  5. Poissonnerie Atwater

Best of MTL 2020: Food & Drink in Montreal