The 411 The old port has a variety of brunch options, many of which are quite nice. You can find brunch buffets, nice sit down places, some small, and others large. The menus are quite varied and although you will not find many classic style places, you know the eggs and bacon ones simply put, doesn’t really fit. Then comes along the Gros Jambon, which is a lovely little gem in the old port. The menu itself is not a classic bacon and eggs menu, but rather has a twist, it’s kind of like a luncheonette meets small town USA diner with the expected Montreal flair.

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The 411 – The Old Port has, over the years, brought the city a resurgence in good food. Historically known as a tourist trap, it has shaped its own identity among locals who have moved into the area drawn by new restaurants. When one looks back a couple years ago, one would not see that many fine dining spots but now things have changed for the better. There are finally new, hip and unique spots opening up and they offer food you will enjoy. So, when my friend told me that a new place opened up nearby, I was excited.

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Best Brunch Terraces 2011

With summer in full swing, winter is but a distant memory. In Montreal, when the sun comes out so do the people and they head to terraces where they can have a tasty brunch and a great view to enjoy the weather. Fortunately, Montreal offers us loads of brunch spots with terraces. We have scoured the city in search of the perfect brunch terraces and have found some you may like. The list is not exhaustive and is intended to give you a spot or two to go to in each of the respective areas. We took a look at Outremont, the Plateau, Old Montreal and NDG.

Outremont has, arguably, the most options for brunch terraces in the city. All one needs to do is walk down Bernard street and see an ocean of people all seated in a variety of terraces. The list includes spots like Café Souvenirs, Senzala and Les Enfants terribles, La Moulerie, and Bistro Le Republique. There used to be le Petit Italien but they recently stopped serving brunch. Les Enfants terribles has one of the largest terraces, while Café Souvenirs is one of my favourite on the street. The menu offering at the majority of these spots is similar with the exception of Senzala, which has a Brazilian theme and is located west of du Parc. Though they may offer similar brunch options, the taste and overall satisfaction varies from person to person. If you wish to know more, just click on each link above and read the reviews (because right now we’re only talking about the ones that look pretty). (more…)

Olive et Gourmando – A truly amazing treat

The 411

There is a spot in the Old Port where people willingly line up, no matter the weather or time of day, just to get a chance to sit down and eat the food at Olive & Gourmando. I had been once before just to grab some food to go, but never had an actual meal here. It is a place that has a loyal following and people know of it mainly by word of mouth since online resources for this places are scarce, which is cool, since it’s kind of like a little secret. So, when my friend took me here for my birthday treat, you can imagine how happy I was to finally get to check it out.

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Ristorante Otto – Fancy Brunch on McGill Street

The 411

Old Montreal has its fair share of fancier brunch places; McGill street alone is home to a good concentration of them and one that I have been curious about for some time is Otto. Situated inside the W hotel this restaurant serves up a weekday early morning breakfast starting at 7 am and going until 11:30 am, as well as a longer weekend schedule of 7 am to 2pm. I have been to Otto for dinner and enjoyed it. Otto is a fancy restaurant; the décor is exquisite; the outside terrace is vey nice and covered by umbrellas. With this rather positive dinner experience I wondered how it would convert to brunch.

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Grange Vin + Bouffe – A unique twist on Brunch

The 411

Every day there is a new place opening in the city, some make waves among various foodie circles by doing something new and unique. Once in a while, some of these places add a brunch offering to their menu. Some bring their own take on brunch, helping to make it something unique and fun while others just do the bare minimum. I have heard some buzz about Grange for evening service and then recently found out that they do Sunday brunch. I decided to see if they were able to take the success with their dinner service and apply it to brunch.

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Holder – Old Port Bistro meets Brunch

The 411

Now this review is actually a few months old and seems to have gotten lost in my pile of reviews so I figured I should post it now. This goes back to a special event that I had for my website’s 1 year anniversary. The idea was to find a spot that would offer a decent brunch in a nice area and that would take reservations for 20 people. It is important to note that reservations for brunch is not an easy thing to come by especially if you know that not everyone would show up on time. I know some places do smaller reservations but for 20 people that would be a stretch. So, I went over all the places that could fit a group of this size and then Holder came to mind. I had never eaten brunch here before and I had heard that they recently began serving brunch. Since I have eaten dinner there a few times and was quite satisfied with the food, I figured I would try out a new review with my anniversary gathering. They had no problems taking such a large reservation so I contacted my friends and the anniversary brunch “Bonanza” was on track.

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Cafe Des Eclusiers – An open air Experience

The 411

Known primarily as a spot for it’s “5 a 7″ drinks in the Old Port, Café Les Eclusiers also offers a weekend Brunch, although not as fast paced and with music blaring alongside the sounds of drinks being poured and people relaxing after a long day of work. The weekend brunch takes advantage of the area along with it’s own unique setup and look. So, when looking for a nice spot to go eat brunch in the Old Port, Café Les Eclusiers seemed like an interesting choice especially since I was curious as to how a place can make the transition from busy after work drinks place to a more laid back weekend brunch. With that question in mind and two friends by my side, off we went to check out Café Les Eclusiers and see if it had come up with a winning formula to successfully do both.

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Vallier – A New look in the Old Port

The 411

A few days ago a friend of mine fowareded me some info about an Old Port resto that began offering brunch. Now, as some of you may know, I have a weak spot for restaurants in the Old Port. I think the neighbourhood is nice and I feel that they take a bistro approach to brunch which is often quite tasty and almost always a feast for the eyes. For some reason I have a craving for presentation as well as food. Also, I wanted to be one of the first to review a new place. So, it was settled and one Sunday afternoon we made a trip to Old Montreal and checked out a new place – Will it rock out or will it be a dud, who knows? Well, technically you will if you read a little lower but work with me on this one.

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L’orignal – The Moose is Loose

The 411

L’Orignal is popular restaurant in the old Montreal and on weekends the party goes on right until 3 AM. So, when I found out that in the early Fall they began to offer brunch on Sundays I was curious to see how a supper club would handle brunch especially since I feel that most dinners I have eaten at supper clubs are usually fancy, overpriced and leave me hungry. However, what I found was a pleasant surprise and made my Sunday.

At 1st glance

“Orignal” in French means “moose” and the decor for some reason works with this. From the moment you see the front door you notice a moose shaped metal statuette mounted to it and when you walk in you will find a rich usage of wood in the floor and walls. The walls also keep the original stone look of the building which adds some charm to it. There is plenty of seating and no lineup. In fact, since it is so recent and is situated in the old port its likely you will never have to wait in line unless a lot of people discover it – not to mention the fact that its on a small street randomly placed along Notre Dame street. I wouldn’t have noticed it if it wasn’t for my Google map.

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