Best 21 Places to Dine Alone in Montreal – Updated 2022
From sidewalk cafés to cozy wine bars to casual bistros to quirky cafes and trendy lounges, you won’t find a bad spot to eat alone in this city.
The city of Montreal is filled with great restaurants that will tempt even the pickiest diner.
This list is divided into three categories: places where you can enjoy food alone, places where you can go out with friends or family, and those where you can sit down and enjoy some quiet time.
21 Places to Dine Alone in Montreal
1. Le Super Qualité
Address: 1211 Rue Bélanger, Montréal, QC H2S 1H7, Canada
Phone: (514) 398-0184
Website: Visit Website
The ever-changing thali at Le Super Qualité is the perfect dinner for one: veg or non-veg, the stainless steel katori bowls are loaded with wonderful selections of sambhar, minced veggies in thoran South Indian style, yogurt, and pickles encircling a mound of rice and crispy pappadum.
If a thali is too much for one person, Super Qualité’s chicken bargar or masala dosas are individually portioned, too, and just as wonderful.
2. Café San Gennaro
Address: 69 Rue Saint-Zotique E, Montréal, QC H2S 1K7, Canada
Phone: (514) 273-6868
Website: Visit Website
It’s worth stopping into San Gennaro in Little Italy to check what’s on the pizza al taglio menu at any given moment.
Breakfast pizza has a cooked egg and roasted tomato; margherita and a typical tomato pie are available later in the day (among others).
Take a seat at the counter with a view of St-Zotique while you enjoy an old-school coffee and a cannoli.
3. Le Elsdale Buvette de Quartier
Address: 2381 Rue Beaubien E, Montréal, QC H2G 1N3, Canada
Phone: (514) 725-9769
Website: Visit Website
Rosemont Café smoothly transitions from day to night operations, welcome clients to their big summertime terrasse both indoors and out.
The daily-changing seasonal menu has a variety of tasty sandwiches, pastas, handcrafted pastries, and specialty drinks created with fresh, regional ingredients.
4. Bar Henrietta
Address: 115 Av. Laurier O, Montréal, QC H2T 2N6, Canada
Phone: (514) 276-4282
Website: Visit Website
The Laurier West bistro’s large bar and broad (and delicious) small dishes menu make this a compact menu worth exploring.
Make your own treats at the conclusion of the meal, starting with manchego popcorn and working your way up to ceviche or polenta.
5. Otto Bistro
Address: 143 Avenue du Mont-Royal E, Montréal, QC H2T 1N9, Canada
Phone: (438) 383-4700
Website: Visit Website
There are just two people working at Bistro Otto on the Plateau: Chef Hiroshi and bartender Dominique.
The innovative noodle dishes, from ramen bowls (in two sizes) to uni carbonara and lobster mazemen, make this a spot to come to time and time again.
6. L’Express
Address: 3927 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC H2W 2M4, Canada
Phone: (514) 845-5333
Website: Visit Website
L’Express hits all the criteria for a classy night out on your own. Loved by Montrealers for its vintage vibe, classic French cooking, and inexpensive wine selection, slip into a corner table for a quiet supper, or sit at the bar and be part of the bustle.
7. Schwartz’s Deli
Address: 3895 Boul. Saint-Laurent, Montréal, QC H2W 1X9, Canada
Phone: (514) 842-4813
Website: Visit Website
Even if there is a queue, there is usually interesting interaction between visitors and residents. At Schwartz’s, diners are encouraged to eat side by side because the mingling (and the smoked pork) are the main attractions.
Grab some coleslaw and a cherry coke before you start daydreaming.
8. Restaurant Fleurs et Cadeaux
Address: 1002 Rue Saint-Urbain, Montréal, QC H2Z 1K6, Canada
Phone: (514) 866-4411
Website: Visit Website
This cuisine, sake, and wine bar in a former flower shop is one of Chinatown’s newest attractions, and it offers everything you need for a romantic date night for one, including beautifully prepared chirashi bowls and bento boxes.
9. Yin Ji Chang Fen
Address: 1861 Rue Sainte-Catherine O, Montréal, QC H3H 1M2, Canada
Phone: (514) 932-3621
Website: Visit Website
Yin Ji Chang Fen is a 24-hour eatery serving congee, steamed rice buns, and dim sum, as well as a look onto Sainte-Shaughnessy Catherine’s Village’s bustling street life.
The portions are plenty for one person, but you should also look into the meal specials that may be available from time to time. It’s easy to feel at home here thanks to the kind and efficient employees.
10. Kumamoto Ramen
Address: 1812 Rue Sainte-Catherine O, Montréal, QC H3H 1M1, Canada
Phone: (514) 935-0777
Website: Visit Website
Each table in Kumamoto’s long dining hall has walls on either side, creating an intimate connection between the diner and their bowl, inspired by the anonymity of Ichiran “flavour concentration booth” restaurants.
You may place your order without speaking to a waitress, and when your food arrives, the blinds will be drawn so you can eat in peace.
11. Monarque
Address: 406 Rue Saint-Jacques, Montréal, QC H2Y 1S1, Canada
Phone: (514) 875-3896
Website: Visit Website
A dining room with swanky banquettes and a table d’hôte menu is available in addition to the brasserie’s à la carte menu and a more casual (though no less sophisticated) atmosphere. Choose one and be ready to be spoiled.
12. Club Social P.S.
Address: 5090 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, QC H4C 1T1, Canada
Phone: (514) 379-4883
Website: Visit Website
There are 10 chairs facing the center bar at Club Social P.S. behind Elena in Saint-Henri, which makes it easy to strike up a conversation with your neighbor.
You can always ask for a seat at the bar if there is no room in the back; the menu is the same as the main dining room. In the summer, the several levels of seats and fairy lights make this a very pleasant (and communal) spot.
13. Falafel Yoni
Address: 4549 Rue Wellington, Verdun, QC H4G 1W8, Canada
Phone: (514) 424-5473
Website: Visit Website
In Verdun and on the St-Viateur strip between Parc and St-Laurent, there’s Falafel Yoni, where crispy vegan orbs abound.
Pita bread, salad, on a platter or even simply on their own. Za’atar fries are an excellent accompaniment. Though the sabich sandwich is the real stuff, it’s packed with eggplant and a generous splash of their amba mango sauce.
14. Foxy
Foxy is a sleek, intimately lit restaurant with bar stools that have just the right amount of backrest to make you want to stay a bit longer.
Olive et Gourmando is the brainchild of the team behind Foxy. At this Griffintown hotspot, chef Leigh Roper prepares everything over an open flame, including the puffy flatbread and the wood-oven roasted coquelet.
15. Brasserie Harricana
Thanks to its table-height bar and comfy seats, Brasserie Harricana is the ideal venue for creatures of comfort wishing to dine solitary.
Order from the enormous beer and cider selection (there are over 20 choices on tap) and couple your decision with upgraded comfort food mainstays like all-dressed hot dogs cooked with local maple and beer sausage wrapped in bacon.
16. Le St-Urbain
Away from the bustle of downtown, Le St-Urbain is great for lone eaters in search of tranquility and a delicious meal packed with local market goods.
Skilled chef and co-owner Marc-André Royal painstakingly crafts meals like porchetta with smoked tuna cream, created utilizing its house smoker.
17. Nora Gray
One of the city’s most secluded dining rooms, Nora Gray is adorned with sleek wood paneling, leather banquettes, and soft lighting.
Chef and co-owner Emma Cardarelli’s thoughtful Italian cuisine includes a roasted pork chop with fennel, squid ink linguine with clams, and her ‘nduja, all of which can be sampled at the bar, where the staff is happy to show you around.
A visit to Griffintown isn’t complete without checking out Ryan Gray’s large all-natural wine range.
18. Pumpui
In Pumpui’s minimalist interior, two window-facing counters provide the perfect vantage point from which to enjoy spicy chicken wings and shrimp pad thai while people-watching.
At this Little Italy café and market, you’ll get authentic Thai food prepared fresh daily (chef Jesse Murdoch lived in Thailand and continues to visit every year to perfect his recipes).
19. Larrys
In the Mile End neighborhood, Larrys is a great location to interact with the art and IT groups during the lunch rush.
Small plates from Chef Marc Cohen’s menu let lone diners sample a variety of flavors without breaking the bank. Toasted with ‘nduja and white anchovies, the lentils have been marinated.
20. Maison Publique
From the bar at Maison Publique, you can watch chef Derek Dammann prepare meals like baked Lac Barron oysters and smoked lamb shoulder in the open kitchen.
Excellent Canadian food is served in an English pub atmosphere with quirky decor (imagine taxidermy deer heads wearing Montréal Expos helmet).
21. Le Vin Papillon
Settle in to Le Vin Papillon, one of the several Joe Beef eateries, for a glass of natural wine, and your server will be happy to share a tale about it with you.
There’s always something new on the chalkboard, so don’t be afraid to ask about the seasonal specials (think shaved ham with brown butter).
Conclusion
The best places to dine alone in Montreal are all independent restaurants that serve affordable, fresh food.
I chose 21 places because that number was a nice round number and that it would give me a good variety of different cuisines. If you’re looking to eat alone, or just want to see some cool places to go, check out my list.
