Canada's 100 Best Restaurants List 2024 - Montréal Is Home to the Best Restaurant in the Country for the Fourth Year

Tourisme Montréal is excited to share that the city once again stands out in Canada's 100 Best Restaurants, being home to nearly 30% of the best restaurants in the country and maintaining its position as a leader with Mon Lapin at the top of the list.

"There simply isn't anywhere else in the world one would wish to have a restaurant; Montreal is magical! It's thanks to the discerning and curious clientele that the culinary scene here is so rich. The Montreal joie de vivre is unique and contagious! We couldn't be prouder of our city!" exclaims Vanya Filipovic, co-owner of Mon Lapin, who also won the Best Sommelier Team award alongside her colleague and co-owner, sommelier Alex Landry.

Since the creation of this list 10 years ago, the city has kept an incomparable reputation for gastronomy, celebrating this year its fourth recognition as number 1 in Canada. This performance testifies to the exceptional quality of the local gastronomic scene and confirms the undisputed reputation of Montréal as the gastronomic capital of the country.

The restaurants Beba, Monarque, Montréal Plaza and Toqué! are also honored in the top 20. Opened recently, Sabayon and Casavant also managed to earn a place among the list. Internationally renowned Montreal chef Paul Toussaint, owner of Kamuy restaurant, wins the American Express Award for Community Leadership.

"What pride to see Montréal shine so much in the field of gastronomy! This recognition reinforces our commitment to promoting our vibrant and diverse tables," says Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal.

Montréal restaurants in the top 100:

1 - Mon Lapin

63 - Bar St-Denis

8 - Beba

68 - Pichai

11 - Monarque

69 - Bouillon Bilk

13 - Montréal Plaza

72 - Alma

19 - Toqué !

73 - Mastard

21 - Cabaret l'Enfer

79 - Sabayon

41 - Joe Beef

80 - Le Vin Papillon

50 - Salle Climatisée

83 - Foxy

51 - Au Pied de Cochon

84 - Gia Vin et Grill

53 - L'Express

87 - Casavant

54 - Otto

93 - Liverpool House

55 - Paloma

96 - Hoogan et Beaufort

56 - Nora Gray

98 - Le Mousso

61 - Lawrence

100 - Park

Montréal Celebrates Gastronomy

The best restaurateurs from everywhere in the province will gather in the city on May 27 for the Gala des Lauriers de la Gastronomie Québécoise. With 17 categories to celebrate, the evening will highlight the richness and diversity of Quebec's culinary scene. The talent and dedication of chefs, restaurateurs and all those who contribute to making local gastronomy a real tourist attraction will also be honored during the ceremony. Once again, this year, Tourisme Montréal is committed to gastronomic excellence and will award a prize in the gourmet tourism category. This award recognizes the crucial role of local cuisine in the overall visitor experience.

The Taste of Place Summit in Montréal

Montréal has been selected to host the second edition of the Taste of Place Summit, an annual conference on culinary tourism and agritourism in Canada. The event will be held from May 26 to 28 at the Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec. Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal will take the stage to explain the key role the organization plays in highlighting the growing importance of gastronomy in the tourism industry. He will also explore the links between local cuisine, cultural identity, and tourist attraction.

About Tourisme Montréal

Tourisme Montréal is a 100-year-old private, non-profit organization that works to position Montréal as an international-calibre leisure and business travel destination. To this end, the organization is piloting innovative hospitality strategies with a two-fold objective: ensuring that visitors enjoy a memorable experience and maximizing tourism economic spin-offs in a sustainable way with long-term impacts for the city. Uniting nearly 1,000 businesses and organizations working directly or indirectly in tourism, Tourisme Montréal plays a leading role in the management and development of Montréal's tourism business, and makes recommendations on issues surrounding the city's economic, urban and cultural development. For more information, go to www.mtl.org.

Tourisme Montréal Invites Tourists To Experience The City As A Giant Playground

MONTRÉAL - This summer, Montréal promises to be a more exciting playground than ever before thanks to several new tourist attractions, which include the Lune Rouge PY1 Pyramid in the Old Port, the new facilities at the southern tip of Sainte-Hélène Island and the revamped paddocks at the Gilles-Villeneuve Circuit. Pop-up villages operated by La Pépinière will also contribute to the city's signature vibe. With all this and more, Montréal will have endless fun on the agenda for visitors and locals alike. This summer, connect with your sense of childlike wonder in the city that says "Never Grow Up!"*

That's the theme that Tourisme Montréal chose for its official summer tourism season kick-off event this morning at the Palais des congrès. More than 450 people representing the organization's members and partners participated in the event, which showcased approximately 100 tourist attractions.

"Don't just visit Montréal, experience it!" said Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal. "Montréal is known for its contagious energy, open-minded people and incredible creativity. With diverse neighbourhoods and a rich and varied tourist offer, Montréal is an unconventional place where the unexpected awaits around every corner. We encourage all Montréalers to come out and rediscover the place they call home. And if you see tourists, don't forget to say bonjour and give them some tips on your favourite spots in the city."  

Tourisme Montréal's new "Never Grow Up" (Lâchez votre fou in French) campaign is used to promote the destination in international markets. It draws its inspiration from the way Montréalers describe the hometown: a giant playground where anything is possible. This campaign will be rolled out in the organization's priority markets.

This year, Tourisme Montréal expects leisure and business travel volumes to increase by 2.4%. All indicators suggest that the city will be bustling this summer. Nearly 100 conventions and events are scheduled, including the General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics and the Canadian Track and Field Championships. Ticket sales for the Grand Prix du Canada are also going strong.

At the summer season kick-off event, Tourisme Montréal also took a moment to highlight the beginning of its centennial year. For the past 100 years, the organization has worked tirelessly with its members and partners to promote Montréal as a leisure and business travel destination. To do so, Tourisme Montréal develops innovative campaigns targeting local and external markets, in addition to developing initiatives that help define the city as a giant playground. Several events will take place throughout the year to celebrate Tourisme Montréal's 100th anniversary.

About Tourisme MontréalEstablished in 1919, Tourisme Montréal is a private, non-profit organization that works to position Montréal as an international-calibre leisure and business travel destination. The organization leads innovative tourist welcome strategies with a twofold objective: ensuring that visitors enjoy a quality experience and maximizing the economic benefits of tourism. Uniting more than 900 tourism professionals, Tourisme Montréal plays a leading role in the management and development of Montréal's tourism business, and makes recommendations on issues surrounding the city's economic, urban and cultural development. This year, Tourisme Montréal is celebrating its 100th anniversary. For more information, visit www.mtl.org.

*The "Never Grow Up" campaign is used for international markets. In French, it is called Lâchez votre fou.

SOURCE Tourisme Montréal

World's Largest Public Art Festival Kicks Off This Week In Montréal

On the heels of a triumphant opening in 2014, with 116,000 visitors on its first night alone, Art Souterrain is set to launch its seventh edition during Montréal's Nuit Blanche on February 28th, 2015. A 6km long art exhibition tour, in the world's largest underground city, is yours to discover for free until March 15th. This year's theme: Security in our society: What remains of our personal freedoms?

This prevalent and pertinant issue will be tackled by 65 local, national and international artists who will respond, through their work, to contemporary concerns about the balance between the growing need for security versus individual freedoms.

Twelve locations in downtown Montréal will host the artworks across four different routes. Art Souterrain also recognizes Israel, via the curator Carmit Blumenshon, who in collaboration with the General consulate of Israel, has chosen a selection of artists to present.
A number of noteworthy American artists have been chosen for our 7th edition. Amongst them are New Yorkers Graham Caldwell with his sculpture, Compound Eyes, Eric Foreman with his performance Auto Surveillance, as well as Chris Kaczmarek, Clement Valla, and Openendedgroup. Chicago is also well-represented this year with Pat Badani, Mahwish Chrishty, Kate McQuillen and Leo Salvaggio.

During the festival, we invite you to participate in over 30 activities, most notably, visits to the private collections of prestigious firms such as McCarthy-Tetrault, Fasken-Martineau and Ivanhoe-Cambridge. Numerous guided visits will also introduce the public to this remarkable exhibition in Montreal's underground city.

Furthermore, both French and English audio guides will be downloadable for free on iTunes.

Art Souterrain, a non-profit organization founded in 2009, showcases each year international contemporary art institutions, artists, and the architectural and cultural heritage of downtown Montreal's underground city. As a unique contemporary art festival in North America, Art Souterrain aims to make art accessible to a wider audience by taking it out of its traditional exhibition spaces.

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Experience Fall & Winter In Montréal With 50% Off Hotel Deals

North America’s best-kept secret invites you to enjoy food, festivals and 50% off hotel deals

Montréal’s mouthwatering cuisine, charming joie de vivre and spectacular fall and winter seasons make it a must for any traveler looking for a dash of difference on their next getaway. Whether travelling with family, deciding spur-of-the-moment with your sweetheart or taking a friends-only vacation, our city offers an amazing array of must-dos and must-sees.

Make the most of your Thanksgiving weekend or plan a pre-or-post Christmas visit and discover the cache of treasures in the city’s many vibrant neighbourhoods. From dining to shopping to partying to relaxing, Montréal welcomes you to share its wealth of secrets!
Museum exhibitions – a feast for the eyes and mind

Impressionism to Expressionism 1900-1914 at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts runs until January 25, 2015. Behold over 100 paintings as well as drawings and prints by French and German masters of the time, including Cézanne to Picasso, Heckel to Nolde and many more.

La Biennale de Montréal (BNLMTL) takes place from October 22, 2014 to January 4, 2015, at the Musée d’art contemporain. With the theme L’avenir (looking forward), this international contemporary art exhibition invites visitors to ponder the present and probe the future of the visual arts world.

The Greeks – Agamemnon to Alexander the Great will be at the Pointe-à-Callière Museum from December 12, 2014, to April 26, 2015. Wander this world premiere exhibition, the largest and most comprehensive ever presented in North America, and time travel through 5,000 years of Greek history and culture. Drawn from the collections of an astounding 22 Greek museums!

Luxurious spa treatments

Soothe out kinks and knots out during a serene spa visit and get ready to take on those Christmas parties completely rejuvenated! Montréal has many chic temples of wellbeing that will leave you feeling like a new person. Add all this well-deserved R&R to your Sweet Deal Package and save while surrendering to the gentle touch of spa professionals.

One-of-a-kind Christmas shopping

In Montréal, it’s easy to find that unique gift for that unique someone. Start your shopping spree by browsing over 2,000 shops tucked below in Montréal’s “Underground City”, then work your way up to street level and explore the bounty of boutiques along bustling Sainte-Catherine Street. From objects for the home to fashion to accessories, get a peek at what talented designers from here and afar are creating.

Let’s take winter fun outdoors

Fluffy snowflakes, sparkling lights and rosy cheeks – Montréal winters are always so pretty! Don’t miss Merry Montréal from December 14, 2014, to January 5, 2015, your chance to sample gourmet food, steal kisses under the mistletoe, listen to street choirs sing or sip hot chocolate on cobblestone streets and let your holiday spirit soar. Ring in the New Year at our giant outdoor party at Place Jacques-Cartier, replete with live music, fireworks and plenty of holiday revelry.

Proving beyond a doubt that winter is infinitely cool and sexy, Igloofest invites music lovers to bundle up and shake their winter booties as DJs spin everything from house to trance to techno. From January 16 to February 8, 2015, join the crowds as they defy the chilly temperatures and hit the snowy dance floor. Eat your heart out, Old Man Winter—we’re grooving at the Quays of the Old Port!

Don’t miss these winter musts

Lights, art, food! This tantalizing trio never ceases to thrill, especially when MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE wheels out its outstanding line-up of gourmet eats, lucent beauty and performing arts. The MEL serves a seriously good nightcap too: Nuit Blanche, an unparalleled all-nighter of almost all free activities gets everyone sampling the city’s fabulous cultural scene from dusk to dawn. February 19 to March 1, 2015.

Send those pit-of-winter doldrums packing with Luminothérapie and bathe in the high-tech public art exhibitions that illuminate the Quartier des spectacles downtown. Come see how local designers, artists and architects shine the light on creativity, and immerse yourself in the fun. December 10, 2014, to February 1, 2015.

Last, but not least, Art Souterrain, is an excellent way to unearth Montréal’s thriving contemporary arts scene. Its goal is to make art more accessible to the public and it delivers in spades in a bright, weathertight location: our 33-km-long Underground City! February 28 to March 15, 2015.

Reserve a Sweet Deal package

Book a Sweet Deal package and get 50% off your second night, plus a coupon booklet worth $450 when you check in to your hotel. Sweet—just like our Montréal winters!

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