The Best 10 Outstanding Pivots and Pop-Ups From Beloved Montreal Restaurants
Montreal is one of the world’s most innovative cities, and we’ve always been fascinated by the city’s ability to find and develop new ventures.
This year, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the iconic Montreal restaurant, Le Gourmet.
We got to thinking: what would happen if we took some of our favourite restaurants from the past and brought them back? Here are our top ten beloved Montreal restaurants that we think are worth trying for yourself.
10 Outstanding Pivots and Pop-Ups From Beloved Montreal Restaurants
1. Moccione
Address: 380 Rue Villeray, Montréal, QC H2R 1G9, Canada
Phone: (514) 270-4441
Website: Visit Website
Moccione, a local hangout with three menus (one for sunny days on the terrasse, one for takeaway, and a second supermarket menu featuring in-house and carefully picked outsourced basics), maintains its cozy vibe throughout COVID.
Try an appetizer of chef Luca Cianciulli’s fresh arancini or fried fish, and then continue the meal at home with Moccione’s pasta and sauces, as well as the locals’ preferred cheeses and olive oil, and, of course, their much-beloved tiramisu.
2. miamiamiam
Address: 1290 Rue Beaubien E, Montréal, QC H2S 1P9, Canada
Phone: (514) 379-6969
Website: Visit Website
The latest miamiamiam food endeavor from vinvinvin follows the same name scheme as its predecessors.
Vegan dandan noodles, mapo tofu, and oyster mushrooms with Sichuan peppercorns are just a few of the vegetarian dishes that make up Chef Marina De Figueiredo’s interpretation on traditional Sichuan cuisine.
The comprehensive wine and beer selection at this Petite Patrie wine bar is complimented by the cuisine options, which were inspired by the owner’s longtime collaboration and friendship with local Chinese chef Anita Yue Ming Feng (both alumni of Candide).
3. Casgrain BBQ
Address: 150 Rue Saint-Zotique E, Montréal, QC H2S 1K9, Canada
Phone: (514) 379-4550
Website: Visit Website
As Casgrain BBQ, Vin Mon Lapin offers quick takeout options such sourdough fried chicken, stuffed wings, chicken pot pies, ice cream sandwiches, and carrot cake.
The meal and wine list at Les Vins Dame-Jeanne, the brainchild of Filipovic’s sommelier initiative, were given the typical creative spin by business and life partners Marc-Olivier Frappier and Vanya Filipovic.
If you wish to enjoy some of chef Jessica Noel’s excellent cuisine while the weather permits, you may do so on a terrace outfitted with heaters.
4. Larrys+
Address: 9 Fairmount Ave E, Montreal, QC H2T 1C7, Canada
Phone: (514) 503-1070
Website: Visit Website
The residences of Lawrence and Larry have switched places. In the smaller Fairmont building, Lawrence is now offering seven-course prix fixe meals, while the bigger Mile End favorite Larrys has been redesigned as a takeaway and delivery spot.
Despite the continued popularity of small meals, burgers are now regularly available seven days a week. Is the Larrys breakfast sandwich on your mind?
They also provide a wide variety of other dishes, from albacore ceviche to a whole rhubarb, cardamon, and pistachio tart, all of which can be ordered online and picked up or delivered to your door.
5. Tinc Set
Address: 1231 Avenue Lajoie, Outremont, QC H2V 1P2, Canada
Phone: (514) 543-1363
Website: Visit Website
Lindsay Brennan and Juan Lopez Luna, proprietors of the Alma wine bar, desired to provide their customers with a place to eat inexpensive, straightforward fare.
They changed directions in an alley behind their old eatery in Outremont after a pandemic.
Catalans who order “tinc set,” which means “I’m thirsty,” will find that the region’s affordable wines are the perfect accompaniment to the regional specialty of roasted chicken served with a variety of side dishes.
6. L’Express
Address: 3927 R. Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC H2W 2M4, Canada
Phone: (514) 845-5333
Website: Visit Website
Since the start of the lockdown, L’Express has been running a new, more efficient takeout operation with no human touch, and it has been so effective that it will continue.
Now that they are serving food indoors again, you can have a slice of lemon pie and a duck confit with a jar of their own cornichons. Wine is available for pickup (by appointment) three days a week.
7. Trifecta
Address: 219 Avenue du Mont-Royal O, Montréal, QC H2T 2T2, Canada
Phone: (514) 360-6060
Website: Visit Website
The sophisticated foods served at Trifecta have a prestigious heritage, thanks to the efforts of the restaurants’ acclaimed chefs.
You may make expert-level tuna tartare platters, wagyu beef with miso, and maple syrup pecan squares with the help of online instructions and precut supplies.
Pre-orders placed on Thursdays can be picked up on Fridays.
8. Touk
Address: 351 Place d’Youville, Montréal, QC H2Y 2B7, Canada
Phone: (514) 842-9945
Website: Visit Website
Ghost restaurant Touk, an ode to Cambodian street food, has opened in Old Montreal’s Parliament Pub thanks to chef Chanthy Yen’s interest in her family’s culinary legacy and her love of Cambodian cuisine.
Yen’s favorite fried chicken dish, Khey FC, is reimagined here with pickled watermelon and tamarind ketchup, with steamed milk buns stuffed with peanuts and cucumbers and dragon rolls.
The Touk menu also has Coldroom cocktail mixer bundles.
9. Elena
Address: 5090 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, QC H4C 1T1, Canada
Phone: (514) 379-4883
Website: Visit Website
The scenario over the past few months has translated into entirely takeaway service, which Elena has traditionally done in the rear through their Club Social bar.
Neither Kale nor thin-crust pizzas are the only healthy options. You can have a César! salad, hoagies, wine, and coffee at the neighboring Pizza Parc.
The restaurant is also expanding its merchandising department, where customers can purchase items such as a fanny pack, cable for hanging glasses, and cookbooks to use in their own kitchens, with all earnings going to the Montreal Restaurant Workers Relief Fund.
10. Restaurant Beba
Address: 3900 Rue Éthel, Verdun, QC H4G 1S4, Canada
Phone: (514) 750-7087
Website: Visit Website
Restaurant owned by Ari and Pablo Schor, brothers, had been open for less than a year when the epidemic struck, but they were unfazed and quickly adapted by offering just takeaway.
To complement the seasonal salads, hearty braised meat mains, and sweet flan for dessert, the menu has a variety of empanadas, Argentinian-style, filled with everything from duck to smoked beef.
Check out Ari’s creative modeling of Beba’s handmade chimichurri, jalapeo salsa, and lambwich on the restaurant’s entertaining Instagram feed.
Conclusion
The food industry has been hit hard by the effects of globalization, increasing competition, and the shift from eating out to cooking at home.
What’s more, new technologies and new trends mean the dining environment is constantly changing. This post aims to list 10 outstanding pivots and pop-ups from beloved Montreal restaurants and use to adapt to these challenges.
