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Montreal Gazette
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Montreal Gazette
Map: Find all the Michelin star restaurants in Montreal
Entertainment And Life By Montreal has officially joined the ranks of Michelin-rated cities. For the first time, the 2025 Michelin Guide has awarded stars and distinctions to restaurants across the province of Quebec, including Montreal. Two other Canadian cities, Toronto and Vancouver, were added to the guide in recent years. Here's the breakdown for Montreal in Year One. The number of restaurants awarded were: Zero received two stars Three received one star 44 were given 'recommended' restaurant status Seven received the Bib Gourmand A Bib Gourmand is given for good quality, good value cooking. A 'recommended' restaurant means good cooking. A restaurant can also receive a green star for 'leading the industry in terms of sustainable practices while providing culinary excellence,' but none were awarded in Montreal. Montrealers factored into the guide's Special Awards: Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award went to Véronique Dalle of Foxy, and the Michelin Sommelier Award went to Vanya Filipovic of Mon Lapin. Quebec City actually outranked Montreal with four one-star restaurants and one two-star restaurant compared to Montreal's three. Click here for more information on how restaurants are judged in the Michelin Guide. Curious to know more about the life of a Michelin Guide inspector? Read more here. Looking to dine at a Montreal restaurant with either one Michelin star, a recommendation or a Bib Gourmand? Our map will show you the address, type of cuisine and price range, from budget/moderate spend to high-end/spare no expense. You can also filter between one star, the Bib Gourmand and 'recommended' categories.
Hamilton Spectator
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
No. 1 in Canada: Niagara restaurant wins coveted top spot on country's top-100 list
Daniel Hadida and Eric Robertson didn't open Restaurant Pearl Morissette with the intention of becoming the best restaurant in the country. Or at least, not exactly. When they opened the doors to their Jordan Station dining room in 2017, the idea of being named the best restaurant in Canada and earning Michelin stars felt more like a distant ambition than a concrete goal — a necessary motivator in a challenging business often considered novel. And though they did not sit around talking about it every day, 'it would be false to say that there isn't that hope.' 'We want to really push ourselves and we want to be really creative, and we want to be a better partner for the community that we work with,' said Hadida. 'It's an outcome — it's not a purpose, but it's a useful thing to push against.' Nevertheless, it became a goal achieved. After several years bouncing around the top 10 of the best restaurants in Canada list, Restaurant Pearl Morissette earned the coveted No. 1 spot on the Canada's 100 Best restaurants in 2025. St. Catharines Fat Rabbit also earned a spot on the list at No. 97. 1. Restaurant Pearl Morissette — Jordan Station, ON 2. Mon Lapin — Montreal, QC 3. Alo — Toronto, ON 4. Edulis — Toronto, ON 5. 20 Victoria — Toronto, ON 6. Eight — Calgary, AB 7. Beba — Montreal, QC 8. Quetzal — Toronto, ON 9. Published on Main — Vancouver, BC 10. AnnaLena — Vancouver, BC The announcement was made at Canada's Best 100 magazine event Monday evening — an annual celebration honouring Canada's best newcomers, iconic establishments and celebrating the diversity and vibrancy of Canada's culinary scene. In an interview ahead of the ceremony, Hadida and Robertson said they don't fully understand the significance of an honour like this, but for them, 'the morale that comes from it is really the best part.' 'Especially because we're rurally located. We're in the middle of a very small, little town that is literally a one-street town, so that's definitely a cool thing,' said Hadida. 'I just felt quite excited and proud of, and for, the team as a whole.' The top 100 list is decided by 160 judges and the support for Restaurant Pearl Morissette was 'overwhelming,' said Jacob Richler, editor-in-chief and publisher of Canada's 100 Best. Since the day it opened, the restaurant has always been good, but Richler said it has only got better upon each visit. It has now reached a point where the quality of every ingredient on the plate is 'superb' and the experience feels more relaxed. 'They're just doing delicious, wonderful things and people responded to that.' 'They're doing a brilliant job. They're super passionate about what they do. I couldn't be more pleased also to have a place that so emphatically puts its little part of Canada on the plate so recognizably,' said Richler. 'It doesn't happen very often where you go to a restaurant and you think, 'Wow this place is just hitting it out of the park right now.'' Scallop, daikon, apple, shiso Restaurant Pearl Morissette. And in a year when Canadians are looking to stay local and travel within the country's own borders, 'it's great to be able to promote not just RPM, but so many restaurants across the country that are doing a wonderful job of expressing their region in their food and in their experience,' he said. The Jordan Station restaurant now exists as an 'extremely evolved and refined version of what we initially set out do,' said Hadida. Its carte blanche menu is rooted in a holistic approach — one which embraces regenerative practices and processes, partnerships with regional purveyors and food and wine that reflects the local ecosystem and land. But in the beginning, Pearl Morisette was a winery and farm, featuring about 60 pigs, 15 cattle, ducks and chickens raised on pasture. Hadida assisted with special food events, before suggesting an on-site restaurant. Robertson came on as a partner — later joined by gardener, forager and florist Deidre Fraser — and Hadida credits him for his encouragement to be ambitious and take risks. It was those relationships which helped hone the vision for Restaurant Pearl Morissette, ultimately forming the building blocks of the Michelin-starred, fine dining tasting experience on the Niagara Greenbelt. A Nightshade Vesper cocktail at Restaurant Pearl Morissette. After Restaurant Pearl Morissette won best new restaurant, it shifted the goalposts, building out its offerings to give diners 'an unforgettable experience that hopefully they will come back to for years and years,' said Robertson. Then the pandemic hit and for an 'esoteric, niche business in a novel location with a lot of expectations,' the restaurant showed its resiliency. Hadida said it farmed and preserved ingredients, supported vulnerable communities across Niagara and eventually evolved into an outdoor dining project over three summers. It did what it had to do to stay relevant, but Robertson and Hadida wanted to return the restaurant to its roots, cut down the work day and 'really focus and refine and push the level of what we were trying to execute with the restaurant.' 'Being in that point of reckoning effectively and having to decide, OK, everything that brought us here, what do we want to carry with us and what do we want to let go of? I'm super proud of the decision we made during that time and where it's led us to now,' said Hadida. For Robertson and Hadida, Restaurant Pearl Morissette was always about highlighting distinctive ingredients of Niagara and Ontario and with their own experiences in top kitchens around the world, and never saw Canada as playing catch-up. Daniel Hadida, left, and Eric Robertson, co-chef and co-owner of Restaurant Pearl Morissette, are photographed in Jordan. 'You don't have to put France, Italy and Japan on these pedestals of great food region. They are deserved (but) we have equally great ingredients and farmers and growers here in Canada,' said Robertson. 'We really wanted to have a spot where we could showcase that … I hope that we can provide a little bit of a blueprint (for young chefs and cook) moving forward.' After learning the news their restaurant had earned the top ranking, there was a moment of celebration between Robertson and Hadida, with hugs and high-fives before getting back to work. Excitement will continue as the chefs enjoy the moment with their collective team. But Robertson said it was on the ride home that first evening when the achievement 'really sunk in.' 'We are in a place now where we're representing this style of cooking, or this level of dining and restaurant experience in Canada. And with that, there's a little bit of responsibility to uphold the level that we're working at,' he said. 'It's motivating to just continue to push.'
Montreal Gazette
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Montreal Gazette
Brownstein: Canada's 100 Best Restaurants honour is sweet music to Le Violon's Danny Smiles
By OK, so Vanya Filipovic and Marc-Olivier Frappier's much-loved, much-lauded Little Italy eatery and wine bar Mon Lapin hasn't pulled off a three-peat as the No. 1 dining spot in the land on the 11th annual Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list. But after finishing first the last two years, rest assured that the married couple and their team will also find much solace and satisfaction finishing second, behind this year's No. 1 selection, Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Jordan Station, in Ontario's Niagara region. More good news: Montreal cuisine does have a first-place finisher on the list of Canada's Best New Restaurants for 2025, put out by the same judges as the top 100 restos list. That would be Le Violon, the latest endeavour of chef Danny Smiles, who was indeed all smiles after learning of this honour. Le Violon, situated in the former home of Derek Dammann's Maison Publique on Marquette St., serves up a tantalizing mélange of French plus Italian and Lebanese fare — reflecting the chef's roots — and other enticing international flavourings. Le Violon also ended up No. 11 in the top 100 grouping. Our city did particularly well once again here, placing 25 restos on this list. After Mon Lapin, Beba, chef Ari Schor's tiny Verdun Argentine gem, landed seventh — one spot better than where it finished in both 2023 and 2024. Monarque (17), Montréal Plaza (20), Cabaret l'Enfer (22), Alma (24) and Pichai (25) were also among the top 25 spots on the list. Further down were such familiar heavyweights on the scene as Joe Beef (46), L'Express (61), Toqué! (67), Au Pied de Cochon (76), Nora Gray (90) and Damas (91). Perhaps surprising to some was the omission of such hot spots as Liverpool House, Le Club Chasse et Pêche, Milos and Maison Boulud. It's worth noting that Juliette Plaza, the baby sibling of Charles-Antoine Crête and Cheryl Johnson's dyna-charged Montréal Plaza, finished seventh on the new-eatery list and 77th in the top 100. Located just next door to the latter on St-Hubert St., Juliette Plaza serves an intriguing mélange of French and Asian offerings. Jacob Richler, the ex-Montrealer and former National Post restaurant critic, is the mastermind editor behind the list. He oversees a mini-army of 160 judges — 10 more than employed last year — whose taste buds span the country to put together this wide-ranging selection. Richler, like so many others in this city, continues to be blown away by the uniqueness and creativity, not to mention the lack of pretentiousness, of Mon Lapin. Not surprisingly, he also marvels at the approach of No. 1, the Michelin one-star Pearl Morissette, also a bakery, a winery and a farm, which continues to captivate diners with its diverse menu featuring Canadian-sourced ingredients. But Richler has been particularly knocked out by Le Violon. 'I can't say enough about Le Violon. … The way Danny Smiles transformed that Maison Publique room from bare bones to what it is now is remarkable,' Richler says. 'The menu is outstanding, and the food is super impressive.' Le Violon may be new, having opened last June 17, but executive chef/owner Smiles, né Daniele Francis, is hardly a newbie in the biz. About to turn 40 next week, Smiles — who took on his current surname to reflect the omnipresent grin on his mug — has been toiling in restaurant kitchens since he was 15. A former runner-up on Top Chef Canada, Smiles first achieved fame with the groundbreaking Old Montreal fine-dining spot Le Bremner with his buddy/mentor and former chef partner Chuck Hughes. After leaving Bremner a little over five years ago, Smiles launched Mise en Place, a hearty and well-received meal service, during the initial stages of the COVID period. He would later move on to become the exec chef of Hudson's venerable Willow Inn, before coming back to town to start up Le Violon. Along the way, Smiles achieved notoriety in the rock kingdom, having cooked for the likes of Nick Cave and Radiohead. But while acknowledged as one of this country's more renowned celeb chefs — like Hughes — Smiles is about as earthy and chill as they come in the kitchen. Both Le Bremner — where he was a partner — and Willow Inn have appeared in mid-level rankings in previous 100 best resto lists, but Le Violon's placing on the two 2025 lists has left Smiles both surprised and a little overwhelmed. 'We put so much work into this place, and opening up my first solo restaurant from scratch was something really special,' Smiles says. 'For the past year, this was living in the heads of all of us involved in putting Le Violon together.' Taking over a place Smiles had held dear — the former Maison Publique, helmed by local culinary legend Dammann, not to mention international star chef Jamie Oliver — was also something of a challenge. 'It's kind of surreal. Maison Publique was such a terrific place for me, one of my favourite restaurants in the city and my little hideout in the Plateau,' he marvels. 'But it was necessary to transform the place, because when you're going up against such wonderful chefs like Derek and Jamie, you really have to step it up. 'A great restaurant is a place where you leave your days of work and go in and get transported by the service, the food, the music, the ambience. That was what Maison Publique was and that's what we wanted to achieve with Le Violon. That's what was behind all the renovations we did and all the beautiful paintings and all the food and wine ideas we were able to put together with my partners.' So what differentiates Le Violon's cuisine from previous Smiles operations? 'I think we're more mature right now. We're more confident with the food we're putting on plates. I also think we are more aware of the ingredients we're bringing in by working with some amazing local suppliers. We are very ingredient-driven. Without being labelled fusion, we bring together French, Lebanese and Italian along with even British and Irish. We really want to bring everything together.' Apart from his culinary skills, Smiles, married and the father of two, also has plenty of heart and gives back to the community. Having been touched by the turmoil of his sister-in-law's cancer, he has been involved with the Cedars Cancer Centre's Jackie Aziz AYA Program, providing free meals to adolescents and young adults. In February, Smiles hosted a group of 50 for lunch at Le Violon and has more events planned. 'The door is always open for those fighting cancer,' notes Smiles, whose sister-in-law is now in remission. 'I will always have the time to eat, have coffee and talk with those I've met going through cancer. That's really the whole point of having a restaurant. It's great to be selected one of the best restaurants in the country, but it is also as important for a restaurant to have a sense of community. 'To be quite honest, I have a beautiful team and I haven't been this happy in a long time with everything we're doing.' Canada's 100 Best Restaurants 2025 1. Restaurant Pearl Morissette (Jordan Station, Ont.) 2. Mon Lapin (Montreal) 3. Alo (Toronto) 4. Edulis (Toronto) 5. 20 Victoria (Toronto) 6. Eight (Calgary) 7. Beba (Montreal) 8. Quetzal (Toronto) 9. Published on Main (Vancouver) 10. AnnaLena (Vancouver) 11. Le Violon (Montreal) 12. St. Lawrence (Vancouver) 13. Tanière3 (Quebec City) 14. Hexagon (Oakville, Ont.) 15. Langdon Hall (Cambridge, Ont.) 16. Sushi Masaki Saito (Toronto) 17. Monarque (Montreal) 18. Kissa Tanto (Vancouver) 19. The Pine (Collingwood, Ont.) 20. Montréal Plaza (Montreal) 21. Bar Kismet (Halifax) 22. Cabaret l'Enfer (Montreal) 23. Änkôr (Canmore, Alta.) 24. Alma (Outremont) 25. Pichai (Montreal) 26. Baan Lao (Richmond, B.C.) 27. Bar St-Denis (Montreal) 28. Le Crocodile by Rob Feenie (Vancouver) 29. Aburi Hana (Toronto) 30. Nupo (Calgary) 31. Casavant (Montreal) 32. Botanist (Vancouver) 33. Wild Blue (Whistler) 34. Deer + Almond (Winnipeg) 35. Parapluie (Montreal) 36. Pluvio (Ucluelet, B.C.) 37. L'Abattoir (Vancouver) 38. La Cabane d'à Côté (St-Benoît de Mirabel, Que.) 39. Marilena (Victoria, B.C.) 40. Mastard (Montreal) 41. Atelier (Ottawa) 42. Dreyfus (Toronto) 43. Sushi Yugen (Toronto) 44. Salle Climatisée (Montreal) 45. Bernhardt's (Toronto) 46. Joe Beef (Montreal) 47. River Café (Calgary) 48. Sabayon (Montreal) 49. Arlo (Ottawa) 50. Canoe (Toronto) 51. LSL (Toronto) 52. Linny's (Toronto) 53. Actinolite (Toronto) 54. Bar Isabel (Toronto) 55. Boulevard (Vancouver) 56. DOPO (Calgary) 57. Bar Prima (Toronto) 58. Casa Paco (Toronto) 59. DaNico (Toronto) 60. Bacchus (Vancouver) 61. L'Express (Montreal) 62. Shoushin (Toronto) 63. DaiLo (Toronto) 64. Gia Vin et Grill (Montreal) 65. Yujiro (Winnipeg) 66. Hawksworth (Vancouver) 67. Toqué! (Montreal) 68. Takja BBQ (Toronto) 69. Lake Inez (Toronto) 70. Don Alfonso 1890 (Toronto) 71. Mystic (Halifax) 72. Osteria Giulia (Toronto) 73. Famiglia Baldassarre (Toronto) 74. Shokunin (Calgary) 75. Alma (Toronto) 76. Au Pied de Cochon (Montreal) 77. Juliette Plaza (Montreal) 78. Portage (St. John's, N.L.) 79. Parcelles (Austin, Que.) 80. Prime Seafood Palace (Toronto) 81. Mhel (Toronto) 82. Burdock & Co. (Vancouver) 83. Heni (Montreal) 84. The Gate (Flesherton, Ont.) 85. Otto (Kitano Shokudo) (Montreal) 86. Nola (Winnipeg) 87. Elisa (Vancouver) 88. Riviera (Ottawa) 89. The Fish Man (Richmond, B.C.) 90. Nora Gray (Montreal) 91. Damas (Montreal) 92. Naagan by Zach Keeshig (Owen Sound, Ont.) 93. Barberian's (Toronto) 94. Maenam (Vancouver) 95. Perch (Ottawa) 96. Giulietta (Toronto) 97. Fat Rabbit (St. Catharines, Ont.) 98. Melba (Quebec City) 99. ELEM (Vancouver) 100. Claire Jacques (Montreal) Canada's Best New Restaurants 2025 Rank / Restaurant / Opening Date 1. Le Violon (Montreal) June 2024 2. LSL (Toronto) May 2024 3. Linny's (Toronto) September 2024 4. DOPO (Calgary) November 2024 5. Takja BBQ (Toronto) April 2024 6. Mystic (Halifax) September 2024 7. Juliette Plaza (Montreal) February 2024 8. The Gate (Flesherton, Ont.) December 2023 9. Naagan by Zach Keeshig (Owen Sound, Ont.) November 2024 10. ELEM (Vancouver) November 2024
