By Chef Derek Bocking for Curtains Up
Given the long cold winters we have to endure each year, we Montrealers are pretty good at taking advantage of every drop of sunshine the spring and summer has to offer. The parks are already filling up and festival season is about to start. As the weather warms up, people are flocking to all the beautiful restaurant terraces that are all over the city.
There are a few factors that set apart the best terraces the city has to offer. Setting is obviously a big part of the equation. Watching the people stroll by in a lively neighborhood while having an al fresco lunch is always fun, so for some terraces the street that they sit on provides half the atmosphere. On the other hand, some restaurants have their terraces fenced in with all sorts of trees and flowers that help you forget you’re in the city and you can pretend you are off on some European holiday.
Equally important is the food on offer. A lovely setting is fine and good, but if the food doesn’t live up to the atmosphere, that can ruin the whole experience. The places I’ve chosen for this list hit on both marks, with great food served on beautiful terraces where you can soak up some fresh air and lively atmosphere.
Joe Beef
It’s safe to say that right now Joe Beef is easily one of the hottest restaurants in Montreal, or even all of Canada. Chefs Frederick Morin and David McMillan have brought new life to the Canadian culinary scene with their market-fresh menu served in a laid back atmosphere. Joe Beef prides itself on using locally sourced ingredients, and many of those ingredients are sourced from their own backyard. Many restaurants will have a little herb garden going during the summer, but at Joe Beef they have an impressive little mini vegetable farm behind the restaurant. Beside the garden are few candlelit tables where you can enjoy some generous comfort food while admiring the rows of lettuce, beans and tomatoes that stock the menu.
www.joebeef.ca
2491 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest Montreal, QC H3J 1N6
(514) 935-6504
Café Santropol
Like Joe Beef, Café Santropol has a backyard terrace that offers a cozy escape inside the city. The space is filled with trees and flowers, giving an atmosphere of a botanical garden. The terrace is divided up into several intimate little nooks and crannies so that each table feels like you could be sitting in a friend’s backyard. The menu is made up of mostly inexpensive salads and sandwiches that are made with fresh ingredients and beautiful bread from their own bakery.
www.santropol.com
3990 St Urbain St Montreal, QC H2W 1T7
(514) 842-3110
Le Pois Penche
Le Pois Penche strives to bring a little bit of Paris to Montreal, and while the atmosphere there can be a little Disneyesque, sharing a bottle of Bordeaux on their lively terrace can be great fun. The terrace takes up a whole block of a busy stretch of DeMaisonneuve Boulevard, where you can watch the tourists and business types stroll by while pretending you’re on the Boulevard St. Germaine in Paris. The food is typical bistro fare that can be a little bit pricy, but is well executed.
www.lepoispenche.com
1230 Boul Maisonneuve Ouest, Montreal
514 667-5050
Chez Victoire
The terrace at Chez Victoire doesn’t feature a luscious garden like Joe Beef or Café Santropol. Instead the terrace at Chez Victoire embraces its surroundings on the branché Avenue Mont Royal. The sliding glass doors at the front of the restaurant are often left open in the summertime so that the tables on the sidewalk terrace feel as much a part of the restaurant as the tables inside. This way you can get a good feel for the lively atmosphere inside, while enjoying a cool breeze and some interesting people watching in this hipster-filled neighborhood. The menu by chef Alexandre Gosselin is modern and playful with lots of delicious small sized plates to choose from.
chezvictoire.com
1453 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est Montreal, QC H2J 1Z1
(514) 521-6789
Terrace Nelligan
The rooftop terrace at the Hotel Nelligan in the Old Port offers a stunning view of Montreal . It’s great for a lunch on a sunny day, or an after-work cocktail. On one side you can look out on the waters of the Old Port, on the other side you get a great view of the Notre Dame Basilica. The menu features all sorts meat and fish prepared on the rooftop grill. The bar offers a long list of funky cocktails and smoothies to cool you down on a hot summer’s day.
106, Saint-Paul Ouest, 5e étage, Vieux-Montréal
514 788-4021
Honorable Mention : Chez Ma Grosse Truie Chéri
It doesn’t seem fair to include my own restaurant in the list of my 5 favorite terraces in Montreal, but given how proud I am of our own terrace, I’d be remiss not to at least mention it. In a sprawling courtyard behind the restaurant, sits a funky terrace decked out with flowers, palm trees and repurposed equipment from Hydro Quebec. The blue glow from the old power station lights give the terrace a retro-futuristic atmosphere. It has a look and feel somewhere between a NYC warehouse and a 60s James Bond movie. The menu is mostly classic French/Quebecois fare, featuring all sorts of Quebec products, such as local pork, duck & rabbit. Come by and say hi!
www.chezmagrossetruiecherie.com
1801 Rue Ontario Est Montreal, QC H2K 1P5
(514) 522-8784
