The Montreal restaurant scene is constantly changing, with new places popping up and old places closing down. Wilfred sur Laurier is the new kid on the block, having opened at the end of fall. They quickly started making waves as having an impressive brunch. So how impressive is it you may ask? Since our first visit we have been back 3 other times.

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What is the best Montreal Brunch of 2014? This is a question we get asked every year, but one that is difficult to answer. We have eaten and reviewed close to 300 brunches – many in Montreal and a couple abroad. We have to go over a laundry list of new spots, old spots, places that move, places where management and menu changed, places that got better, and sadly, places that got worse. Consistency is a tricky thing for most restaurants to pull off. You need to make dishes people like, be financially successful, be innovative and evolve with the times. So you can understand why we only do our “best of” round-up once a year.

Over the next few posts we will be showcasing our selection of our favourites and the various sections they cover. Initially, this was supposed to be a single post but it evolved as we got into more detail and felt that we should break it down into multiple sections. Please note that in each category and in our choice we give positive and negative criticism since there is no perfect brunch and all places can improve on something. Also note that we could have simply made a top 10 list and given 2 lines of text and a pretty picture but much like a proper brunch we want to give you something on your plate that gets your appetite going and makes you come back for more. Or in this case, go visit them. Our categories includes best new brunch, best classic brunch, best alternative brunch, best ethnic brunch and best local/organic brunch.

The Montreal downtown core or the Golden Square Mile as some people like to call it is lacking quality brunch spots. You have a mix of chain and some scattered spots here and there but the area oddly enough needs development in terms of more quality places offering brunch. Now Café Parvis opened late last winter and did not do brunch at first but a few months after opening, they started offering brunch on the menu. Now if you don’t know where Café Parvis is, then head down to Mayor street and look for the funky little café next to Furco, duck in for a coffee and a bite and you will soon be adding it to your list of downtown places for go to.

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Manitoba (the restaurant, not the province), located somewhere between Little Italy and Park Extension, which some people have begun referring to as Mile Ex, has been on people’s lips for a little over a year. Now we had been to restaurant Manitoba before for their dinner service and we left very impressed after an incredible meal and really good service which left us curious about their brunch. I had high hopes for their dishes ,which if their dinner service was an indication, I was in for a treat with tasty and well-priced options.

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Araucaria – Mile end day long brunch

So a little back story: a little over a year ago, I was in a bar in Tokyo having drinks and overheard someone talking with a distinct Quebec accent. It turns out that that accent belonged to a Montrealer doing a pilgrimage to various bars and restaurants in Japan. When we got to talking of favourite places and he mentioned how he knew the people over at Tripes and Caviar and they were doing some creative stuff there. So, although a year later, we decided to check it out.

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Over on Fleury street is La Bête à Pain – a bakery with a twist and making a name for itself among foodies as having an impressive brunch. This came on my radar a while ago but since it’s in an area I don’t end up in often, it took a while before I made it up here. There aren’t too many brunch spots up on Fleury, let alone many fancy ones, but the area is changing and in a few years you may not even recognize it from how it is now. Already, signs of gentrification are beginning, so let’s see how this shapes up.

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A newcomer on the brunch scene, L’gros luxe, is getting people talking. Talking about a brunch that, by early accounts, looks good, tastes good and is well priced. There’s also the fact that they are doing some fun stuff with a variety of bloody Caesars and some impressive garnishes.

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Jean Talon market in the summer is one of our favourite weekend destinations. You can get lost in the countless fruit stands, meat and cheese shops, all the while, discovering a variety of new foods that will make you smile and fill your stomach. Sitting in Little Italy, you can explore the surrounding areas finding various cafes and shops all walking distance from the Jean Talon Market.
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Often we get asked for suggestions in certain areas; Where is the best French toast in Montreal? What’s the best spot in the plateau? Sometimes, the answers are easy, other times they are trickier, like when people ask where should they go in little Italy? Now, lets be clear, little Italy is a very small area, In fact, it’s not even a real borough so it floats between Villeray, and Rosemont/Petite Patrie. So, we use the metric of: can I make it to the Jean Talon marker in under 10 minutes? Sadly, with that metric it’s only a handful. But, when Salmigondis opened up in walking distance, we were curious to see what kind of addition this brunch place would make to the Little Italy area. (more…)

Bernard street has had a love-hate relationship with me. When I first started this site, Bernard was the street where you had to have brunch. With lots of choice and good ones at that, it was my favourite place to be especially in the summer with all those terraces. However, as time went on, I discovered new places, better brunches, and the spots on Bernard either closed down or didn’t evolve, that is, until recently when Brasserie Bernard brought a beacon of light on Bernard street and made having brunch in Outremont a more enjoyable event. (more…)