The Most Notable Eat Local Restaurants in Montreal

If you’ve noticed a trend in what gets us really jazzed up here at Notable when it comes to food, it is anything that is local. The eat local trend has swept through Montreal and is now a mainstay at many restaurants that remain true to Quebec culture when it comes to cuisine and where they buy their ingredients. Here are our favourites for Quebec terroir restaurants in the city…

Toque! – 900 Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle
Norman Laprise’s restaurant in the International Quarter of Montreal is a large room of gastronomic aspirations balanced by the wit and whimsy that he brings to his food. Committed to local produce, Laprise was amongst the first chefs in Quebec to forge alliances with local producers, promising farmers that he would take a certain percentage of their crops if they grew what he wanted, or committing to take all his lamb from one farm. His food is refined and ‘crazy’, which would explain the name of his restaurant. Highly recommended is the tasting menu, which offers various local creations that alternate almost daily. 

Joe Beef – 2491 Notre Dame West
I know, I know. We come back to Joe Beef a lot in our ‘most notable’ lists, but here’s why: it’s simply the best for a lot of different reasons and certainly so when it comes to best local restaurants. This casual, yet gutsy bistro owned by best friends and world-renowned chefs David McMillan and Fred Morin has taken Little Burgundy by storm, serving up classic French bistro fare with a Joe Beef twist. The best part? Their ingredients couldn’t be more local, grown in their own backyard in the Spring and Summer months.  

DNA – 355 D’Youville
Amongst black-leather banquettes and swivelling leather-upholstered armchairs sits chef Derek Damman, who, after a two-year stint as Jamie Oliver’s chef de cuisine, opened DNA. Taking inspiration from his time spent with Oliver (theatrical flare, bold flavours, Italian accents), his food is next level with ingredients pulled from the soil of Quebec.