This was my second visit to L'Avenue Mont-Royal. This place is already in my "Top 10" Collection;…read moreif I were actually ranking those places, L'Avenue would certainly move up in the standings after visit #2. That was due in part to some new breakfast options since last time, which I'll file under "Ridiculously decadent and delicious." This time, for me, that was their "Indecisive" breakfast option including the Dubai Chocolate French Toast. Since my last visit, I've also switched from coffee to tea, and my order included English Breakfast. I was wondering why it took so long to arrive, my thought was, "It's just hot water and a tea bag." Bzzzt, wrong! I was actually brought a heavy duty porcelain teapot with the English Breakfast leaves steeping, and they did not deliver it until it was ready. Well done!! For me, no trip to Montreal is complete without a visit to at least one L'Avenue restaurant (yes there are more!)

The food was delicious The service was fast…read moreThe waiters were kind Ambiance (noise) was balanced and clean! Nothing else to add!

Dining at Bar George was one of the highlights of our quick 24-hour layover in Montreal. We stayed…read moreat Le Mount Stephen Hotel without doing much research on dining options, assuming we'd just find something nearby. But before even checking in, we had to walk through Bar George ~ and instantly knew we wanted to eat there. We were lucky enough to grab a last-minute reservation, and Julien took a good care of us throughout the evening. His recommendation of the Beef Wellington was spot on (it's already one of our favorite dishes), but this was hands down the best we've ever had. I ordered the lobster risotto, which was excellent with just the right amount of spice. My son had the 10 oz striploin steak with homemade fries (chips), and it was absolutely delicious. I also loved the Canadian touch of coarse salt on the steak, plus the option to choose between Béarnaise or peppercorn sauce. Julien also mentioned their pastry chef placed second in a NY competition, and the desserts absolutely lived up to that reputation. We tried the pineapple and coconut pavlova and the "lick me hazelnut" ~ both beautifully presented and incredibly delicious. We also ordered iced coffee and a latte, and noticed something interesting: this was the second place where we found Canadian coffee to be smooth and mild ~ such a nice change from the often bitter, over-roasted American coffee. Yes, dinner was a bit steep ($300+), but it was worth every penny. Between the rich history, stunning design, outstanding service, and unique cuisine, I would highly recommend Bar George. I would absolutely love to come back!!

The inside of the restaurant architecture that mimic an old nostalgia classic British…read morecraftsmanship. Overall, I really enjoyed the food, ambience, and service here was impeccable. Ordered the Beef Wellington with several other dishes which were very good. The drink was excellent! I visit this place every time that I am in the area visiting! Again, the architecture of the building is timeless and beautiful!

Another place rec by store owner. Cute place and lucky to have scored a table for 2 for lunch…read more Some items sell Out. Farm to Table place that serves brunch too. Pastries in case. I had an amazing whipped feta,tomatoes and corn salad with crusty bread that was so fresh and tomatoes tasted like they were just picked. Friend had bowl of homemade granola and fresh fruit.

The atmosphere: cute and charming The service: good for how…read morebusy it was The food: excellent

Finding a popular brunch spot is mandatory when exploring any new city, and Montreal was no…read moreexception. We learned from the Two Gay Expats on YouTube that this was the place to try based on the charismatic chef Michael Tozzi and his renowned ricotta pancakes. Jamie W and I got here late on a weekday morning. Sure enough there was a queue. Dame fortune must've smiled upon us because we moved to the head of the line as a party of two. Even though the threat of rain hung over us, we were seated in the front parklet and quite happily since the dining room inside looked packed. We started with a couple of C$6.25 Iced Maple Lattes because it felt like the Canadian thing to do. They provided a welcome caramel-like sweetness to our refreshment (Photo 9). Jamie was more conscientious about his entree and ordered the C$26.99 Crunchy Sesame Chicken Salad, quite a mound of delights: romaine, cabbage, carrot, celery, shredded chicken breast, cashews, cilantro, fried wontons, and sesame chicken (Photo 8). Both the textures and flavors meshed really well together. Of course you can guess what I ordered, the C$27 Ricotta Pancakes with brown butter maple sauce, lemon cream, and Quebec strawberries (Photo 10). Light and nicely aerated, the fluffy ricotta pancakes absorbed all the complimentary flavors really well. Dandy was indeed dandy. FOOD - 5 stars...brunch fare done right, especially those pancakes AMBIANCE - 4 stars... crowded but not overwhelming SERVICE - 4.5 stars...nicely attentive TOTAL - 5 stars...genuinely dandy RELATED - Exploring Montreal? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/FfyEuBuqJB

Great service for a super busy place. Once you arrive until when you leave there service is…read morethoughtful and pleasant. I order the pancakes with strawberries- the right amount of sweetness and texture. I also had the iced tea which was a cool summer day refreshing. To finish it off, I had their chocolate chip and pecan cookie. This plan has a long queue, but sets expectations and is gracious when chatting with people. I wish I had time to try more things on the menu. A lovely vibe.

Nice hotel in a nice location! It's about a mile up hill of Old Port so it's away from busyness,…read morebut close enough to walk to everything. Also very close to a subway station. Room was clean and spacious.

Great location on Sherbrooke near St. Laurent. Modern hotel with clean well equipped rooms…read more Restaurant and bar in the lobby. Accommodating staff. Easy walk to Place des Arts, Place Ville Marie, old Montreal, etc. Good choice if you're planning to enjoy the city. Definitely would stay here again.

OMG the breakfast here is sooooooo good!!! We've been eating breakfast here every day we've been in…read moreMontreal. I love that there are gluten free items on the menu. And the smoothies are delicious! If you get the poutine be warned, the portion size is MASSIVE. You won't be able to finish all of it. My husband said he died and went to heaven after he ate it. It was that good.

I enjoyed my breakfast here. Servers were polite, though it took a while to get their attention…read more Crowd seemed to lean heavily towards out of towners, but it was cycling week so that may not be normal. Lots of comfort food options around eggs, poutine, and other dishes. Coffee was above-average

Great food, we sat on the patio and it was lovely. Good atmosphere…read more Service was friendly and fast. I recommend the Mexican crepe, it was delicious.

I've been here twice: once after a seemingly endless and frigid night in a Montreal hospital (upon…read morelanding), and once last night with 4 hungry, picky, loud kids. My kids. This place deserves a review and it deserves positive recognition. They are versatile in their offerings, and healthy but not overdoing it. The decor looks grunge and vintage and opulent, but those salads come out looking top class. The wait staff are empathic and attentive to a variety of needs. Nobody seems mad about working there. I would assume many were customers first and then realized that this would be a chill place to eat. With my progeny, I almost made the mistake of eating in the Old Port. I mean, maybe chocolate crepes for dinner would have been more consumed than the healthier cheese and chicken alternatives at Chez Jose, but the relaxing vibe, and wholesomeness of it all, made me so relieved that I didn't settle for a tourist trap. The bread, with butter, is really yummy. It's white bread basically but it's so good. And the orange soup was outstanding.

The St Barth's avocado benny was fabulous! There was no…read moresign so you have to lol for it. On the corner.

Food: 4.5/5 Service: 3/5…read moreAmbiance: 4.5/5 Food was fantastic, full of flavor, balanced, good portions. Ambiance was a beautiful, peaceful, warm breakfast atmosphere. Service was kind but extremely slow, not in the cultural leisure meal way, but in the it'll take you 30-45 min to get seated, potentially understaffed kind of way. Great food though and worth the wait!

The most perfect brunch spot to visit whenever you're in Montreal. This is by far one of my…read morefavourite spots for brunch. I went a long time ago, back in 2021, and I was so happy to have gone again since they relocated to Old Montreal. The exterior is this new building, but inside, it feels like you're in an old building with rustic textures and colours. The ambiance is so lovely and it truly is the best place for delicious brunch items and taking cute pictures too! My friends and I visited on a Saturday morning without reservations, but we went relatively earlier. We were seated right away for a table of 4 and were served teas and coffee. I ordered the Bone Marrow & Duck Confit which consisted of a country-style bread, duck poached egg, bone marrow, confict duck leg, manchego shavings, herb salted crumble and green peas. It's a massive dish and honestly everything tasted amazing all together. The bone marrow was perfectly cooked and the duck poached egg meld everything together. They also give you another bowl so you can put the marrow once you're done eating it. The bread was needed to soak up every part of this delicious dish. Other items ordered was the Foie Gras (Chef's specialty) which had brioche bread, duck poached egg, caramelized onion compote and crispy proscuitto chips. The chips were a wonderful item to pair with the seared foie gras. The foie gras was perfectly cooked. The Rustic is another fan favourite which had brioche bread, duck poached egg, sautéed mushrooms. pulled pork, potatoes and argula sprouts. it is such a beautiful dish - nice colours, many ingredients and placed well on the plate; not to mention it was so good too! The last item was the Croque Monsieur which has country-style bread, maple-glaed Gaspor acon, confit tomatoes, cheddar, duck sunny side-up egg on an endive salad. You can't pick it up and munch on it, so you know how big this must have been! Even cut into pieces, it requires some maneuvering to munch on it. Great place for brunch. Awesome service too. I would highly recommend this spot if you're looking for a brunch spot!

Le Passé Composé was hands down my favorite meal of the trip. I came in on a Saturday without a…read morereservation and was very lucky they had bar seating available. The bar is first come, first served, so if you forget to book ahead, it's definitely worth trying your luck. You can still order anything from the full menu. The modern, upscale interior sets the tone for a fancy brunch experience that feels both elegant and welcoming. Foie gras for breakfast? Absolutely yes. They also have a full bar for anyone who wants something pretty to sip on while enjoying their meal. The servers were bilingual in French and English, and they were kind, attentive, and made the whole experience smooth from start to finish. My goal was to eat as much foe grais as I can on this trip so I ordered the Foie Gras Poached Eggs. OMG starting off with the bread that was on the bottom, it was so soft and fluffy. Literally melted in my mouth. The foie gras had a beautiful sear and was rich and silky, with a texture that honestly reminded me of ice cream. There was also a touch of sweetness in the sauce that cut through the richness in the best way. Every bite was perfectly balanced. I was super impressed and will absolutely try to visit again the next time I'm in Montreal.

Saturday morning in Montreal began with something called an Adventure Walk. "Adventure" is…read moreapparently human terminology for making a small Italian Greyhound exercise extensively before brunch. By the time we finished with our walk, I had earned a meal. Or so I thought. Next stop: Maman in Griffintown. Mom already knew Maman because apparently they have one back home on the Upper East Side. Yet somehow, despite living on the Upper East Side myself, I have never been taken there. Interesting. We will address this upon our return to New York. The Griffintown location has a really nice outdoor seating area running alongside the building, with blue café tables, big wooden pergolas and planters. Under normal circumstances, this would have been perfect for me. Unfortunately, it was raining. The staff very kindly told Mom and Dad that I could come inside as long as I remained in my carrier. Terms accepted. After an entire morning of adventuring, I had absolutely no objection to being carried around like important cargo. Mom ordered eggs Benedict and an iced latte. Dad went with scrambled eggs, bacon and toast plus a Diet Coke. I stayed tucked inside my carrier and monitored the bacon situation. Very closely. No further comment at this time. The humans declared brunch a success, and I appreciated having a warm, dry place to recover after my morning excursion instead of sitting outside contemplating my life choices in the rain. Dogba's verdict: 3 paws out of 5. Rainy-day hospitality: very appreciated Dogba welcome: kind and accommodating Carrier accommodations: cozy Outdoor patio: saving this for a sunnier day Mom's eggs Benedict: big success Iced latte: Mom approved Dad's bacon: closely monitored Classic Dad breakfast: successfully demolished Post-adventure recovery: excellent Dogba brunch supervision: impeccable Would I return? Absolutely. In fact, I've recently learned that Maman has a location in my own neighborhood in New York City. Mom has some explaining to do. See you on the Upper East Side, Maman. I know where you live now.

we managed to squeeze in one more brunch on our last day, making our way to maman in griffintown…read more walking in felt like stepping into a little rustic farmhouse tucked into the city, exposed brick, weathered wood, whitewashed furniture, vintage blue and white plates, hanging greenery and a beautiful tree like arrangement covered in delicate blooms. every corner had a story, with little details that made the space feel warm, inviting and effortlessly charming. we were a party of three and arrived around 11:00 am. before the food arrived, i couldn't resist trying one more fun drink before leaving montreal, the peach pie iced matcha latte with vanilla cloud. it was such a pretty seasonal creation, with fruity peach notes layered with creamy matcha and topped with a soft vanilla cloud. refreshing, a little indulgent and the perfect drink to sip while settling into our final brunch of the trip. for my meal, i ordered the eggs ratatouille, stewed eggplant, squash, peppers and tomatoes topped with two over easy eggs, herbed feta and served with toasted country bread. the dish was colourful, comforting and full of fresh flavours. the slow cooked vegetables gave it a homey feel, while the runny yolks and herbed feta added just the right amount of richness. it felt like the perfect brunch after days of exploring, satisfying and flavourful, but still light enough to leave me feeling good. the toasted country bread was perfect for scooping up every last bit of the vegetable mixture and egg yolk. but what made this brunch special wasn't just the food or the beautiful setting. it was the chance to slow down and take in everything we had experienced over the whirlwind trip, the neighbourhood walks, incredible meals, rainy adventures, festival memories and all the unexpected little discoveries along the way. we sat, chatted and laughed, replaying our favourite moments and realizing just how much we had packed into a few short days. our server was friendly and never rushed us, allowing us to enjoy those final conversations before heading home. there was something cinematic about that last morning, sunlight filtering through the windows, flowers blooming indoors, plates arriving at the table, and three friends taking a quiet moment to appreciate the adventure before it came to an end. a beautiful space, a memorable meal, great company and one final chapter to close out our montreal adventure. au revoir montreal...until we meet again.