Mon Lapin

Should You Book Mon Lapin?

Booking Mon Lapin is easier than its reputation might suggest — this is not a months-out scramble. Reservations open on a rolling basis and, while Tuesday through Saturday evenings fill steadily, you can generally secure a table within a week or two of your visit. The question worth asking is not whether you can get in, but whether the format suits you. Mon Lapin does not offer a fixed tasting menu or a la carte certainty: the menu changes daily, dishes are listed by ingredients and producer only, and servers fill in the rest. If that kind of informed improvisation excites you, book now. If you need to know exactly what you are eating before you arrive, consider Jérôme Ferrer - Europea instead.

The Portrait

Mon Lapin opened in 2018 as a 30-seat wine bar in Petite-Italie, a neighbourhood better known for Italian trattorias than French-inflected natural wine bars. The original concept made little obvious sense on paper. Seven years later, the restaurant has doubled in size and earns a Michelin Plate (2025), an 88-point score from La Liste (2026), and a position at #203 on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list (2025). The founding vision — no tablecloths, high noise, serious cooking , has not shifted. The recent opening of sister restaurant Rôtisserie La Lune has not diluted it either.

The cooking comes from co-chefs Marc-Olivier Frappier and Jessica Noël, who trained in the Joe Beef stable before launching Mon Lapin. Their daily menu draws heavily from the Jean-Talon market a few blocks away and from Quebec producers: think buckwheat-and-corn polenta taragna, leeks served in a can in the style of mussels, habanada peppers stuffed with fried baccalà, or strudel with confit shallots and a slice of Samuel le Bleu from the Eastern Townships. The format is small plates, the execution is precise, and the combinations are genuinely surprising without performing at you. Knowledgeable servers walk every table through what is on the menu that evening, so the absence of written descriptions is not a barrier , it is part of the experience.

The wine program is the other reason to come. Sommelier and wine importer Vanya Filipovic, alongside co-sommelier Alex Landry, has built a list that prioritises natural and low-intervention producers: Jean-François Ganevat from Jura, Athénaïs de Béru, Giuseppe Rinaldi, grower Champagnes, and wines from friends in Campania, Randazzo, and Andalusia. This is not a list assembled for prestige. It is assembled for pleasure and pairing, and it earns Mon Lapin consistent mentions at the leading of sommeliers' personal recommendations across North America. If natural wine is your entry point into a city's dining scene, Mon Lapin is one of the better arguments for Montreal over Alo in Toronto or Kissa Tanto in Vancouver.

Room, designed by Zébulon Perron, features large windows and the kind of floor tiles that photograph well but do not distract from what is on the table. It is loud. It does not feel like a special-occasion restaurant in the traditional sense , no hushed reverence, no ceremony , but the cooking and wine justify prices that sit comfortably in the $$$ range. This is where Mon Lapin earns its editorial angle: it delivers disproportionate quality for a venue that reads, at first glance, as a neighbourhood wine bar.

For seasonal context, the kitchen maintains a basement larder of summer shrubs and syrups, and the team openly anticipates ingredients like asparagus, snow crab, and Nordic shrimp from Matane each year. Coming in spring or early summer gives you the leading chance of catching the menu at its most inventive. Mon Lapin is also occasionally open for lunch, when light fills the room through those large windows , worth checking when you book.

Reservations: Rolling availability; book 1–2 weeks out for weekday evenings, earlier for Friday and Saturday. Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 5–10:30 pm; closed Sunday and Monday. Dress: Casual , no tablecloths in the room, no dress expectations at the door. Budget: $$$ modern cuisine; factor in wine pairings from a list that leans natural and priced across a wide range. Getting there: Petite-Italie, 150 Rue Saint-Zotique Est , accessible by Metro (Beaubien or De Castelnau stations nearby). Good for: Couples, solo diners at the bar, food and wine enthusiasts, and anyone who wants serious cooking without the formality of a tasting menu room.

For more context on where Mon Lapin sits in the city, see our full Montreal restaurants guide. If you are planning a wider trip, our Montreal hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest. Elsewhere in Quebec, Tanière³ in Quebec City is worth the drive if ambitious tasting menus are your format. In the natural-wine-forward casual space nationally, Narval in Rimouski and Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Lincoln are the closest comparators in philosophy, if not geography.

Ratings at a Glance

• Google: 4.5 / 5 (1,201 reviews)
• Michelin Plate: 2025
• La Liste: 88 pts (2026) , up from 81 pts in 2025
• Opinionated About Dining , Casual North America: #203 (2025)

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is Mon Lapin good for a special occasion? Yes, with one caveat: the room is loud and the format is informal. If your idea of a special occasion requires hushed reverence and a set menu, book Jérôme Ferrer - Europea instead. But if the occasion is about outstanding food and wine in a room that feels alive, Mon Lapin delivers at $$$ pricing with Michelin-recognised cooking , that combination is genuinely hard to find in Montreal or anywhere else.
• What are alternatives to Mon Lapin in Montreal? For a step up in formality and price, Toqué is Montreal's long-standing $$$$ benchmark. For a similar modern-cuisine price point with a different style, Mastard is worth considering. If you want something more casual and cheaper, L'Express covers the French bistro side of the city well. Sabayon and Alma Montreal are also in the creative modern space if Mon Lapin is fully booked.
• Is Mon Lapin good for solo dining? Yes. The casual format and knowledgeable floor staff make solo dining comfortable, and the wine-bar roots of the restaurant mean sitting at the bar or a small table alone is entirely normal. The daily-changing menu also rewards curious solo diners who want to talk through the options with the server. Budget for at least one glass from the natural wine list , that is a significant part of the experience.
• What should I order at Mon Lapin? The menu changes daily, so specific dishes cannot be guaranteed. Historically, the kitchen is known for the croque-pétoncle, seasonal small plates built around Quebec producers, and combinations that sound odd on paper but work on the plate , leeks served in a can like mussels, or baccalà-stuffed peppers. Trust the server to walk you through that evening's menu and ask for pairing suggestions from the wine team. That interaction is a core part of why people return.
• Can I eat at the bar at Mon Lapin? Mon Lapin's wine-bar origins mean bar seating is available and is a reasonable option for solo diners or pairs who did not plan far enough ahead for a table. Check directly when booking , availability varies by night. The full menu is served at the bar.
• Is lunch or dinner better at Mon Lapin? Dinner is the default and the more reliable option: Tuesday through Saturday, 5–10:30 pm, with consistent availability. Lunch is offered occasionally, and when it is, the large windows make the room noticeably different , lighter and quieter than evenings. If you have flexibility, it is worth asking about lunch when you book, particularly in spring and summer when the seasonal menu is at its most varied. For most visitors, dinner remains the practical choice.