Where to eat fresh catches of the best seafood in Montreal (30 Places)
Montréal is a city of seafood lovers. From smoked salmon sandwiches and creamy seafood cocktails to oyster po’ boys and succulent lobster bakes, this city has a variety of ways to enjoy a fresh catch of the day.
For the best fresh seafood in Montreal, I present to you my top 30 spots. I’ve compiled a list of 30 places in the city that have the freshest catch of the day.
My picks include fish markets, restaurants, and some hidden gems. I’ve added a photo of each place, including a short description, along with a few recommendations on where to go and what to order.
Best seafood in Montreal
1. Le Filet
Le Filet is the best seafood restaurant in the group that comprises Le Club Chasse et Pêche, Le Serpent, and Il Miglio.
Preparation for the day’s catch might begin with oysters, tuna tartare, and grilled octopus, all of which can be garnished with a variety of herbs and spices.
2. Jun I
Simply prepared fish and seafood, delicately laid atop sushi rice made in accordance with the standards of art: This is Jun I. With the omakase menu, you’ll get to sample a wide variety of fish.
In addition to being a municipal landmark, this Laurier Street institution serves up some of the city’s best sushi.
3. Marcus
Seafood at the Four Seasons hotel in downtown Montreal is served up perfectly by Marcus, the chef of the hotel’s restaurant.
In terms of seafood, this restaurant’s cuisine keeps it fresher than most others in the fine dining industry with dishes like Marcus Samuelsson’s pasta Picadilly and those from new executive chefs like Montreal’s own Jason Morris.
You may get anything from oysters to seafood towers to Japanese-inspired cuisine at this restaurant. When dining in the city’s downtown area, this is a good place to start.
4. Parasol
Parasol is an alleyway pop-up in the Mile End that is open annually throughout the summer around the back of Beau Temps (another fantastic Mile End eatery).
All the trappings of an old-fashioned roadside restaurant, but with a modern twist: a selection of fine wines to sip on. Don’t miss the lobster rolls and a delicious fish filet sandwich that you’ll never forget.
5. Ferreira Cafe
Authentic Portuguese cuisine, including several seafood delicacies, is served at this downtown restaurant owned by the Ferreira group.
Critics’ favorites include roasted sardine filets and fish soup, while newcomers’ favorites are raw oysters served Portuguese way (with So Jorge gratiné in a tomato and chorizo sauce) and their fresh seafood casserole.
Visit them after 10 p.m. to receive a cheap taste of their fish and seafood bouillabaisse on their late-night menus.
6. Joséphine
Josephine is the place to go if you’re looking for a lively place to commemorate an event or just have some fun for an evening—and where seafood and fish are a requirement.
The lobster tagliatelle is wonderful (ask for additional lobster! ), and the chef’s inspirations when he gets his hands on new arrivals are some of the city’s best. The terrasse is one of our favorite places to be in the warm months.
7. Montréal Plaza
This La Petite-Patrie restaurant in the Saint-Hubert Plaza is renowned for its quirkiness and a unique selection of shared meals. The kitchen’s seafood creations are no exception to the inventive cuisine.
From miso-butter gratins of whelk and Chinatown razor clams to smoked sturgeon cream and smoked salmon confit, this menu is full of imaginative, fun, daring, and colorful dishes.
8. Jatoba
For those looking for a chic and fashionable seafood restaurant in the city center, this is the place.
This is a terrific place to impress your coworkers, thanks to the restaurant’s attention to detail in meals like salmon, cod, and dumplings, as well as its inventive drink menu.
After launching in 2014, the restaurant and its chef Olivier Vigneault have gained widespread recognition and a regular following among the city’s wealthy residents.
9. Chez Delmo
Since 1934, this Old Montreal fish restaurant has been serving up basic, fresh seafood. Chez Delmo is one of the few restaurants in Montreal that still serves Dover sole meunière, deboned right in front of you.
We recommend the classic tomato cream as an appetizer, a dish that hasn’t changed since day one.
10. Park
Seafood-heavy dishes like sushi and omakase are on the menu at Antonio Park’s premium restaurant in Westmount, which draws on Park’s Korean upbringing and his expertise in Japanese sushi methods.
This restaurant imports catches suspended with ikejime and cuts the fish to order, ensuring that the fish is as fresh as possible. The chef and his kitchen are acclaimed both locally and globally because of their attention to detail.
11. Okeya Kyujiro
Not only do you get to sample some of the best fish and seafood around but you can also watch the chef at work at this first theatrical omakase restaurant that opens in 2020.
At least a dozen different species will be served throughout the course of the 20-course meal, which is made up of seasonal Japanese ingredients. The one and a half hour lunch also includes a tea ceremony and dessert.
12. Ikanos
During lunch and supper, diners at this Old Montreal restaurant can choose from a refined selection of fish dishes.
There are several options for grilled seafood, including a variety of shrimp, scallops, lobster, and octopus, as well as an arctic char and fava bean meal.
During the summer, diners can dine on the restaurant’s magnificent patio, which overlooks the old city’s lively streets, if there is room on the popular seating choice.
13. Estiatorio Milos
Milos, a Greek and Mediterranean restaurant in the Mile End neighborhood of New York City, is often ranked among the best in the country.
The Milos Special, the restaurant’s trademark dish, is a stack of thin fried slices of zucchini and eggplant, topped with tzatziki and fried saganaki cheese, and it doesn’t feature any fish at all.
14. Makro
This hip Little Burgundy eatery has only been up for a short time, but it’s already made a name for itself in the city. Octopus, lobster, cod, and mackerel are just some of the seafood options on the menu.
Everything from fish burgers and salads to raw bar platters and risotto can be found here. King Crab’s speakeasy is lined with velour and mirrors, and there’s wood-fired pizza by the slice for those who are still hungry after a lunch here.
15. Jellyfish Crudo + Charbon
With floor-to-ceiling windows and glass chandeliers illuminating every angle, Jellyfish serves a unique menu of seafood dishes with Asian and European inspirations in New York City.
There is a shrimp ceviche, a salmon crudo, and an octopus tempura on the menu, which are all standouts.
You may bring your vegetarian friends with you if you’re a seafood lover, because there are some tasty vegetarian options like charcoal-grilled beets and heirloom carrots.
16. Ryu
Located in Mile End, Downtown Montreal, Westmount, Laval, and the Pierre-Elliot Trudeau International Airport, this tiny sushi franchise is known for its lightning-fast service and impeccable sushi.
Since the menus vary from place to location rather than being a cookie cutter franchise, individuals wishing to get the most out of their money should check for each location’s unique specials and combinations.
17. Le Fricot
Quebecois foods like poutine râpée (potato dumplings stuffed with pig) and fricot stew were unexpectedly absent in Montreal before the Little Burgundy location debuted in April 2019.
Aside from the fact that it’s located next door to the Drinkerie Ste-Cunégonde, we’re betting that this restaurant will soon become one of Montreal’s most popular spots for lobster rolls accompanied by popcorn shrimp.
18. Brit & Chips
With the help of Little Burgundy’s Burgundy Lion and Mile End’s Bishop & Bagg, this family-friendly fish and chips restaurant perfectly encapsulates the British fast food meal.
There is something for everyone here, from the classic fried-fish and-fries combo to the delicious Scotch eggs and popcorn shrimp. A smoked tofu substitute is available to combine with french fries at the eatery, which is also vegetarian-friendly.
19. Porto Mar
As one of Montreal’s more down-to-earth Portuguese eateries, Porto Mar is housed in a charming stone structure in Old Montreal.
Fresh seafood, such as shrimp, whelks, and sardines, may be found on the menu, as well as steak and calf liver. Surf or turf?
Either way, you’ll get a great meal at this restaurant, since both fish and meat options are well regarded by its customers. As a plus, the staff here is quite pleasant and helpful.
20. Lucille’s Oyster Dive
Since launching in 2009, this restaurant has become one of the most popular in its neighborhood of NDG, if not the entire city, for oysters.
Oysters from both coasts of Canada are always available at their raw bar, which changes frequently based on what’s in season. Besides oysters, Lucille’s offers a variety of seafood meals, including surf n’ turf and calamari.
21. Mythos Ouzeri Estiatorio
Authentic Greek cuisine, live music, and a busy environment abound at this popular Mile End hangout.
You’ll find octopus and calamari meals on their menu, as well as fried feta cheese and loukoumades on the side (Greek honey donuts).
Mythos proudly boasts a large amount of music to complement dining out here, so this is also where you go for good times as well as your food.
22. Comptoir 21
Comptoir 21 is a tiny fish n’ chips restaurant in Verdun, Quebec, that serves excellent fried meals in a diner-style atmosphere decorated with nautical-themed decor.
Everything you could desire in a crisp-yet-airy crust around a generous portion of white fish. Also on the menu are burgers, poutines, and hot dogs for those who like to eat on the ground.
23. La Boîte aux Huîtres
Even though it occupies a little nook in Little Italy’s busy Jean-Talon market, this unassuming eatery is well-known among the neighborhood’s residents for serving up some of the city’s freshest oysters at fair pricing.
Their menu includes a wide variety of dishes from across the world, including those from the East and West coasts of Canada, as well as the United States and Europe.
On a Tuesday, the greatest time to visit is when oysters are offered for a dollar each.
24. SolyMar
SolyMar, a two-story Peruvian restaurant in La Petite-Patrie, Quebec, serving genuine Peruvian food.
Choose from a wide variety of seafood delicacies, including calamari, fish and shrimp nuggets, and chowder, but don’t miss out on their meals with hints of South American influence, such ceviche and Chilean chorillana.
25. Boca Iberica
Address: 12 rue Rachel O, Montreal, QC
Phone: (514) 507-9996
Website: Visit Website
There are a lot of tapas on the menu, and the tapas showcase the seafood of the Iberian Peninsula. Try the octopus salad, the mackerel tartare, the cod croquettes, or the scallops with saffron and sambuca infusions for starters.
26. La Sirène de la Mer
Address: 114 Avenue Dresden, Mont-Royal, QC H3P 2B6, Canada
Phone: (514) 345-0345
Website: Visit Website
At this family-run TMR eatery, you’ll get Mediterranean-style seafood dishes like grilled octopus, fried calamari, mussels in white wine, and barbecued fish that are consistently superb and fresh. In an adjacent building, they also run a seafood market.
27. Restaurant Keung Kee
Address: 70 Rue de la Gauchetière O, Montréal, QC H2Z 1C1, Canada
Phone: (514) 393-1668
For a seafood-heavy meal, this Chinese restaurant in Chinatown has a wide variety of dishes to choose from: baked lobster, steamed king crab, squid in salt and pepper and steamed king clams on the half-shell with glass noodles.
It’s best to place your purchase in advance because popular items tend to sell out quickly.
28. Poissonnerie & Restaurant Rayan
Address: 6080 Chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges, Montréal, QC H3S 1Z7, Canada
Phone: (514) 735-6866
Website: Visit Website
Come to this Côte-des-Neiges treasure expecting the freshest fish and shellfish the city has to offer; don’t expect ambience.
Customers order at the fish counter at the back of the restaurant and sit down at the front of the restaurant, where they are given a table number. Grilled octopus is a must-have dish.
29. Au Pied de Cochon
Address: 536, av. Duluth E. Montréal, QC H2L 1A9
Martin Picard’s popular pig and seafood restaurant is anything from subtle, with its gigantic quantities of fun and rich, casually-prepared cuisine.
30. Vieux-Port Steakhouse
Address: 39, rue St-Paul E. Montréal, QC H2Y 1G2
An excellent choice in Montreal’s Old Port for French cuisine, steaks, and seafood.
Conclusion
For all the people who love to have fresh seafood, but don’t want to go into the hustle and bustle of shopping for seafood, you can take advantage of the huge variety of restaurants which have the freshest seafood available, and at very affordable prices.
A lot of the best seafood restaurants in Montreal also have great wine and dessert menus as well.
