Restaurant in Montreal, Canada
Playful French cooking with serious credentials.
Montréal Plaza holds a Michelin Plate (2025) and ranks #315 in OAD's Top Restaurants in North America — an accessible booking for the quality level. Co-chefs Charles-Antoine Crête and Cheryl Johnson run a seasonal, French-rooted menu with genuine creativity and a playful room designed by Zébulon Perron. Open Tuesday to Saturday evenings only. Book it now while reservations are still easy to secure.
Yes — and the current season is exactly the right time to find out why. Montréal Plaza holds a Michelin Plate (2025) and ranks #315 in Opinionated About Dining's Leading Restaurants in North America for 2025, up from #322 in 2024. At 70 seats on Rue St-Hubert, it runs Tuesday through Saturday from 5–11 pm. Booking is easy by Montreal standards, but that won't stay true if OAD keeps climbing this address up its list.
The room hits differently from most Montreal dining rooms. Zébulon Perron's design — white-painted bead board walls rising to high ceilings, orange banquettes, frosted silver-rimmed glass fixtures, a gleaming open kitchen , gives the space an energy that's theatrical without being exhausting. The noise level is lively rather than deafening: this is a room built for a good time, and the crowd that fills it most nights reflects that. If you want a quieter corner, the multi-level layout offers more intimate nooks; if you want to be in the middle of the action, the raised platform and long bar deliver exactly that. Look out for toy dinosaurs serving as vessels on the pass and plastic triceratops clustered near the kitchen , this is a kitchen that takes the food seriously and the atmosphere playfully.
Co-chefs Charles-Antoine Crête and Cheryl Johnson have built a menu anchored in French tradition and tilted toward Japanese influence, with local and seasonal ingredients at the centre of every plate. Crête trained under Normand Laprise at Toqué for 14 years before opening Plaza in 2015; Johnson provides the technical grounding that keeps the kitchen's wilder instincts disciplined. The result is food that's genuinely seasonal: the menu shifts with what's available, so summer visits bring produce-forward dishes like cantaloupe and watermelon with Bleu d'Élizabeth and black walnuts, while other seasons pivot to richer, more rooted plates. Whelks with miso butter and milk bread have stayed on since opening , by popular demand , which tells you something about the standard the kitchen holds itself to. The tasting menu wasn't part of the original plan; it was added because diners kept asking for it, and it's now the most popular way to eat here. If you want the full seasonal arc of the kitchen's thinking in one sitting, that's your move.
The menu's humour , meringues with blueberry jelly and lilac ice cream, tartare laced with popcorn, Smurfs draped in prosciutto on the charcuterie board , isn't a distraction from the cooking. It's a signal that this kitchen is confident enough to play. The OAD ranking and Michelin recognition confirm the food backs it up.
For a food-forward explorer who wants creative, seasonal French cooking with real personality, Montréal Plaza sits in a different register than L'Express (reliable bistro classics, lower stakes) or Mastard (modern cuisine, similar price tier). If you want the formal fine-dining version of Montreal's French tradition, Toqué , where Crête trained , is the reference point at the leading of the market. Plaza is the more spirited, less ceremonial option at a lower price point, which for most diners is the better trade.
Montréal Plaza is open Tuesday to Saturday, 5–11 pm, closed Sunday and Monday. The bar seats are a genuine option: Vanya Filipovic of OAD describes settling in at the bar as a perfectly valid way to dine here. Booking difficulty is currently easy, which is unusual for a Michelin-recognised, OAD top-350 address , take advantage of it. The restaurant is at 6230 Rue St-Hubert, on the Plaza St-Hubert shopping strip in the Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie neighbourhood.
If you're building a broader Montreal food trip, see our full Montreal restaurants guide, or explore where to stay, where to drink, and what to do across the city. For creative French-leaning cooking elsewhere in Canada, Tanière³ in Quebec City and Alo in Toronto are the natural comparisons at a higher price point. If the seasonal-and-playful approach here appeals, AnnaLena in Vancouver operates in a similar spirit on the West Coast.
Other Montreal options worth knowing: Sabayon, Alep, Alma Montreal, and Jérôme Ferrer - Europea for a more formal splurge. Beyond Canada, Scoundrel in Greenville and Boucherie NYC are worth knowing if French brasserie is your format in other cities.
Quick reference: Tue–Sat 5–11 pm, closed Sun–Mon | 70 seats | 6230 Rue St-Hubert, Montreal | Booking: easy | Michelin Plate 2025 | OAD #315 North America (2025)
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montréal Plaza | French Brasserie | The chef-owner here was trained at one of the city’s best restaurants (Toqué!), but he has added a whole creative and playful dimension to his cuisine since then. The food is of high quality but break...; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Ranked #315 (2025); Michelin Plate (2025); Settle in at a table for two or at the long, busy bar and, at first, all seems normal. The mood is joyous, and the design — by local superstar Zébulon Perron — is as contemporary and appealing today as it was the day Plaza opened in 2015. But hang on a moment — what’s Elmo doing seated at the bar? And why are all those plastic triceratops gathered on the pass? They are serving dinosaurs, obviously — vessels for some manner of tartare de pétoncles. Plaza co-chefs and co-owners Charles-Antoine Crête and Cheryl Johnson are committed to having fun, but they also share unassailable credentials and an intense commitment to quality. Crête is an improvisational virtuoso; Johnson provides an enabling balance. Together they push boundaries, leaning on French tradition while embracing Japanese. Classics like whelks with miso butter and milk bread have, by popular demand, lingered on the menu since day one. So too has the ever-changing fish on the plancha, recently served with guanciale, capers and lemon. Local and seasonal ingredients are always at the fore. Melon + Bleu is a dish of cantaloupe, watermelon, Bleu d’Élizabeth and black walnuts. The tasting menu here was never part of the original plan; it was introduced in response to customer demand. Ever since, it’s been the most popular way to dine. Always MEMORABLE. Vanya Filipovic; A circus devoted to good times and great food Off the beaten path: Located on Montreal's vibrant Plaza St-Hubert shopping strip, Montréal Plaza has become a magnet for discerning food lovers. Restaurant designer Zébulon Perron has transformed the space into something spectacular, seamlessly blending homely comfort with undeniable glamour. White-painted bead board walls soar to high ceilings, while silver-rimmed frosted glass fixtures illuminate orange banquettes and a gleaming open kitchen. Never a dull moment: The multi-level layout offers intimate nooks and a raised platform for those who enjoy being part of the action. Personal touches – orchids, vintage clocks, chef Charles-Antoine Crête's teddy bear – lend warmth to the 70-seat space. The atmosphere buzzes with energy, drawing a stylish crowd to what regulars already call 'Le Plaza'. It's a rare find that captures both sophistication and soul in Montreal's competitive dining scene. Yin and yang chefs: The co-chefs here, Crête and Cheryl Johnson, are polar opposites. Long the enfant terrible of the Quebec cooking scene, Crête worked for 14 years as chef Normand Laprise's right-hand man at the legendary Montreal restaurant Toqué, establishing himself as a true character in his own right. Crête exudes live-wire charm, with a reputation as a wildly creative cook. That's where Johnson comes in. Less of an extrovert than her partner, Johnson is the grounded one, a quieter presence who nonetheless holds her own next to Mr No-Holds-Barred. Together, they make quite the formidable team. Having fun with it: The menu is sparked with a healthy dose of whimsy. The vegetable bourguignon features beef with strawberries and lobster mushrooms, the tartare is laced with popcorn, meringues are served with blueberry jelly and lilac ice cream. Don't be surprised to see toy dinosaurs in the wine buckets and Smurfs draped in prosciutto on the charcuterie plates. Yet despite the humour on display, the food is taken very seriously, as is the service and wine list.; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Ranked #322 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Highly Recommended (2023) | Easy | — |
| L’Express | French Bistro | Unknown | — | |
| Schwartz’s | Delicatessen | Unknown | — | |
| Toqué | French | Unknown | — | |
| Jérôme Ferrer - Europea | Modern Cuisine | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Mastard | Modern Cuisine | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Yes — the combination of a Michelin Plate, OAD #315 ranking, and Zébulon Perron's striking room gives it the weight a celebration needs. The tasting menu, introduced by popular demand, is the most popular way to dine here and the obvious format for a milestone evening. The playful touches (toy dinosaurs, Smurfs on the charcuterie) keep it from feeling stiff, which makes it better than Toqué for occasions where you want warmth alongside the credentials.
Book at least two to three weeks ahead for a Friday or Saturday table; the 70-seat room fills reliably given the venue's OAD and Michelin recognition. The bar is a realistic walk-in fallback earlier in the week, though it is genuinely busy rather than a quiet overflow option. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings offer the most flexibility if your schedule allows.
The room — orange banquettes, high ceilings, a gleaming open kitchen — draws a stylish Montreal crowd, so put in some effort. There is no formal dress code in the venue data, but the OAD description of a design-forward, glamour-meets-comfort space points toward dressed-up casual rather than jeans and a t-shirt. Think the kind of outfit you would wear to a design-conscious room where the food is taken seriously.
The 70-seat, multi-level layout includes intimate nooks and a raised platform, so groups of varying sizes can find a fit. For a party of six or more, check the venue's official channels at 6230 Rue St-Hubert to confirm availability and any group booking policies, as no specific group menu or minimum is documented. Smaller groups of two to four can generally book standard tables through normal reservation channels.
Dinner is your only option. Montréal Plaza opens at 5 pm Tuesday through Saturday and does not serve lunch. Sunday and Monday are closed entirely, so plan accordingly.
Yes, and OAD's Vanya Filipovic specifically describes settling in at the long, busy bar as a viable way to experience the room. It is an active, social seat rather than a quiet perch, which suits solo diners or pairs who want to be in the energy of the space. If you cannot secure a table reservation, the bar is worth attempting on a weeknight.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
