|
|
Both studenty (thanks to two major campuses - Concordia and McGill) and business-oriented, Downtown Montreal is actually a rather sparse neighborhood for good dining, but it has its pockets of
activity - for example, Peel Street above St-Catherine
and Crescent Street.
For consistently good bistro food, try
L'Entrecôte St-Jean on rue Peel.
Just one block south, more expensive and business-oriented,
Café Trattoria Ferreira serves upscale Portuguese food. Our contributors find most restaurants on rue Crescent
to be rather mediocre and touristtrappy.
The situation is better when you want a snack or when you're lunching.
Café-wise, we recommend Nocochi or
Vasco de Gama. For good sandwiches,
Holt Renfrew Café with its
Poilâne bakery bread (yes, delivered from
Paris daily) is an
excellent choice.
The following are the restaurants in Downtown Montreal that we profiled:
- Café des Beaux Arts
1380 rue Sherbrooke Ouest (Downtown Montreal), (514) 843-3233
Café des Beaux Arts is not your typical museum restaurant
- with a bona fide chef (Richard Bastien), quality food and attractive
decor it qualifies as a dining destination onto its own.
70 seats in the main room and a 55-seat private dining
room.
- Café Myriad
1432 Rue Mackay (Downtown Montreal), (514) 939-1717
Opened in November 2008 by a prominent Montreal barista Anthony Benda.
Myriad is a tiny café that was immediately colonized by students of nearby
Concordia univerisity. Expertly brewed coffee, friendly ambience.
- Café Trattoria Ferreira
1446 rue Peel (Downtown Montreal), (514) 848-0988
An upscale Portuguese restaurant with a focus on seafood.
The clientele seems to consist
primarily of business folks who appreciate fine Portuguese cuisine.
Single diners can enjoy the food at the bar.
- Holt Renfrew Café
1300 rue Sherbrooke Ouest (Downtown Montreal), (514) 282-3749
Hungry shoppers enjoying the famous sandwiches in a minimalist décor.
- L'Entrecôte St-Jean
2022 rue Peel (Downtown Montreal), (514) 281-6492
L'Entrecôte St-Jean's menu may be short (essentially containing
just one main dish - its signature steak)
but the execution is flawless and the restaurant's success
is a proof that the strategy worked. "Aucune surprise" indeed.
- Nocochi
2156 rue Mackay (Downtown Montreal), (514) 989-7514
Nocochi specializes in light breakfast/lunch fare and offers
something unique in addition to its relatively typical menu
of omelettes, sandwiches and salads: the cookies. These
tiny multi-coloured Persian treats can be bought "to go" (by the
box) or consumed on the spot. The cookies, the food, the coffee
(Illy), as well as Nocochi's clean
and airy light-toned
interior design attract an appropriately mixed crowd: museum goers,
old ladies chatting after shopping, visiting Europeans and Concordia
students.
- Vasco de Gama
1472 Peel Street (Downtown Montreal), (514) 286-2688
A cozy, centrally-located café serving pastries, high-end sandwiches
and salads.
|
