I’m genuinely impressed by your Best of MTL food picks this year

The Best of MTL is here!

Holy hell, Montreal — is it really possible that I’m writing my seventh annual Resto Wrongs column with so few notes? From time to time, and especially when I read the Best of MTL results, I feel like I experience our restaurant scene in some sort of alternate reality compared to so many of you, but this year, we’re seeing eye-to-eye on a lot of things.

Let’s start with the two biggest-ticket items: Best New Restaurant and Best Chef. On this, we’re basically 100% aligned. The two best openings of the year, in my opinion, have been Le Violon and Limbo. Danny Smiles’ first true restaurant project — taking over the space formerly home to Plateau mainstay Maison Publique — is one of the most complete, refined and enjoyable dining experiences in the city. It’s had an unrelenting amount of hype since before it even opened, and I would argue it’s more than well-deserved. On that note, co-executive chef Mitch Laughren should share in Smiles’ Best Chef praise, as he’s an equal part of what makes Le Violon’s menu elite. 

Harrison Shewchuk — one of my personal favourite chefs for the past few years — also very deservingly got his flowers in the Best Chef section. His restaurant Limbo is fresh — like just, just opened fresh — but it’s already one of the most exciting and confident restaurants going. Limbo, for its part, takes over the corner storefront once occupied by Marconi. Worlds apart from its predecessor, it’s sophisticated, steeped in specific regional French cooking, and at the same time just fucking cool.

Rounding out the Top 5 Best New Restaurants are La Lune, Pasta Pooks and La Spada — all deserving of great praise. I’d also like to shout out Janice Tiefenbach (Gia, Elena), whose food is loved by many but who doesn’t get nearly enough appreciation, and Louie Deligianis (Bistro La Franquette), who is, in my opinion, one of the city’s best chefs.

Moving on: the Best French Restaurant Top 5 is nearly perfect, with L’Express and Leméac correctly positioned in the 1 and 2 spots. I’d argue that Parapluie should have placed above Casavant, but that’s splitting hairs. There are some great picks in Best Italian — Bottega especially — though Gia deserved a spot there, too. Best Japanese had a strong showing, with Kazu still holding court after all these years. Sushi Nishinokaze should rightfully be up there as well, but with such a steep price point, I understand why it didn’t garner as many votes. Best Middle Eastern is missing Heni, which at this point feels like a criminal oversight. Best Vietnamese has Ho Guom on there — you love to see it! I’d have added Pho Anh Vu, too, which is a strong competitor for Best Pho in the city despite being a Toronto import.

This is a personal grievance, but: I am so over the smash burger, which was voted Best New Food Trend. It’s nice to have a crispy patty — everyone will go on about the Maillard reaction — but a simple, freshly ground, beautifully pink tavern-style burger is undefeated in my opinion, and a rarity in the city. The whole burger section feels off to me (all smash burgers). I’d add Taverne on the Square’s burger and Franquette’s burger to the top of my list. I hear Keela and Romies both have strong offerings, too.

Speaking of Taverne on the Square, I almost couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it voted Restaurant With the Best Vibe — not because I think it’s wrong, but precisely because of how much I agree! We’re really much more alike than I previously thought. Taverne is a classic restaurant experience done to perfection. Want a romantic date spot? Check. A group dining experience for a 40th birthday? No problem. Want to hang out at the bar and watch the game? Pull up a stool. I love it there.

Now, here are my small gripes. First: Frite Alors does not have the best fries anywhere — they’re actually super mediocre. That whole category, in fact, is pretty disappointing. If you want a great fry, you’ll find solid ones at Maison Boulud (pricey, I know). I had some excellent fries at Muni in Pointe-Saint-Charles recently, and you can’t go wrong with Paul Patates.

I haven’t eaten a ton of ribs in town, but I have to believe we can do better than Bâton Rouge. And while Mandy’s might be the best pat-yourself-on-the-back Uber Eats choice, there are definitely better salads to be had in Montreal. I don’t usually opine too much on the sweet stuff, but I am obsessed with Swirl — it’s non-dairy ice cream, which should make it suck, and yet it’s possibly the best soft serve in the world, despite not making it on the list.

On the whole, this is a great compilation. In years past, I’ve felt like the work I do — trying to advise Montrealers and visitors on where to eat and drink — was somewhat undermined by the Best Of list. It’s not because I think the average Montrealer doesn’t get it. In fact, on average, I think we are some of the most tasteful and thoughtful people on earth — at least when it comes to hospitality. Historically, the voting has skewed toward the status quo. It favoured places with name ID over the ones truly lighting up the scene.

This year, though, I’m truly overjoyed to see so many of the places and things I love reflected in your tastes and opinions, too. ■

For the complete Best of MTL 2025 readers poll results, please click here.

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For more on the food and drink scene in Montreal, please visit the Food & Drink section.