Link Picks: Restaurants

Special IssueMichelle Pucci & Flora Hammond — Published September 3, 2013

Restaurant Nilufar (1923 Ste. Catherine St. W.): It has the cheapest, freshest falafel you’ll find downtown. Your belly will be satisfied with the famously affordable falafel-soup-juice trio.

Pizza St-Viateur (15 St. Viateur St. W.): Yummy pizza with creative toppings and a super tasty thin crust. Decent prices and delivery until 11:00 p.m.

Patati Patata Friterie De Luxe (4177 St. Laurent Blvd.): No secret to Plateau-dwellers, this diner’s reputation is well-deserved. Vegetarians, try the fried tofu burger.

Omma (177 Bernard St. W.): Westernized Korean food. A good alternative to Restaurant Ganadara downtown, but with steeper prices. The best part about this place is that they serve relatively affordable brunches. And who are we to refuse hangover bibimbap?

Momesso Restaurant (5562 Upper Lachine Rd.): The family of former Montreal Canadiens player (and former Stingers assistant coach) Sergio Momesso owns an Italian restaurant with a sports bar vibe in N.D.G.. Take the 90 bus east and try their sausage sub.

Le Frigo Vert (2130 Mackay St.): Grab a snack to eat in the quiet back room and get some groceries while you’re at it. Concordia undergrads pay a fee levy for Frigo, so let them know you’re a student to get the discount.

Café Touski (2361 Ontario St. E.): A co-op café that serves tasty homemade food (yummy ratatouille and vegepaté) with concerts, exhibits and a smile as side dishes. In the summer, the Touski opens its big garden where you can drink sangria under the trees. Vegetarian-friendly, accessible to those with disabilities and featuring a cool kids’ lounge with real toys inside.

Thali (1409 St. Marc St.): Cheap, tasty and generous Indian food near the SGW campus. Always crowded with an eclectic mix of people. Come share some naan and human warmth. The thali (vegetarian and non-vegetarian) is a must-try.

Café Santropol (3990 St. Urbain St.): Stop by their beautiful garden to have a bite of the softest sandwiches in town. They make their own bread, which they also sell by the loaf. Very generous with the cream cheese, but also vegan-friendly.

Restaurant Nikas (6087 Sherbrooke St. W.): Tasty and cheap brunches with awesome potatoes, served by a lovely staff.

Night Bites

La Banquise (994 Rachel St. E.): You stumble into La Banquise at 3:00 a.m. after walking all the way from St. Laurent Blvd. with hopes you’ll be able to see straight by the time you leave. You wait in the long line, look over the ridiculous number of poutine choices. Finally you pay, order a large, only eat a quarter of the plate and go home to prepare for that awful hangover.

Restaurant Chez Claudette (351 Laurier Ave. E.): An alternative to the famous-but-always-packed La Banquise, Chez Claudette is open 24 hours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and serves just about every kind of poutine imaginable: vegetables, hot pepper sauce, spaghetti sauce, meat plus meat plus too much meat… Burgers are fairly average, but brunches are worth it if you’re looking for the classic (and cheap) food experience.

St-Viateur Bagel (263 St-Viateur St. W.): Open 24 hours to satisfy fresh bagel cravings at any time. There isn’t really anywhere to sit, but no one’s going to scold you if you decide to occupy the space long enough to spread cream cheese on your poppy seed bagel. Everything is made on the spot, right before your eyes, so sticking around to get a taste of the atmosphere might not be a bad idea.

Restaurant Boustan (2020 A Crescent St.): Legendary Lebanese food, good for day food, drunk food or day-drunk food. And they deliver until 4:00 a.m.

D.A.D.’s Bagel’s (5732 Sherbrooke St. W.): Craving curry or bagels or both? Head to D.A.D.’s in N.D.G. This 24/7 Indian restaurant/bagel shop always has something warm and spicy to eat.

Souvlaki George (6995 Monkland Ave.): In the spirit of late-night ethnic food, Souvlaki George has your inner Greek covered until 4:00 a.m. They also serve poutine and chicken wings for the Canadian in you.

Buns Hamburger House (1855 Ste. Catherine St. W. & 3673 St. Laurent Blvd.): Late-night hamburger and portobello burgers on the grill coupled with fries that will cure your drunken food craving. Also serves poutines and shakes.

Vegetarian / Vegan

Forget Le Commensal—vegetarian and organic restos can be found throughout the downtown core (especially in the university areas) and in the Plateau.

Burritoville (2055 Bishop St.): Located right across from the Hall Building, this meatless Mexican cafeteria is the perfect place to grab a beer (or house lemonade) and burrito after a long day of classes. If having fun while eating a plate of tacos is your kind of thing, they also host open mic nights.

Crudessence (2157 Mackay St.): This vegan eatery is just a block away from the Hall building, and is chic-er than most veg bistros—you can tell by the menu prices.

The Green Panther (2153 Mackay St. & 66 St. Viateur St. W.): The Green Panther offers a more casual atmosphere, a delicious smoothie selection and discounts for being green. Their veggie burger is one of the best in town and you can either buy it to go or have it wrapped in pita to eat on a mountain of comfy cushions.

Lola Rosa (545 Milton St. & 4581 Parc Ave.): Tucked away in the McGill Ghetto is this vegetarian café, where you can find anonymous letters in the table drawers and chatty university students. Their Parc Ave. location is newer and larger, the better to avoid the Ghetto’s lineups.

Aux Vivres (4631 St. Laurent Blvd.): This busy resto serves their famous Dragon Bowls for about $12.00, but you can also try one of their delicious sandwiches. They’re also equipped with a juice bar and take-out desk.

Chu Chai (4088 St. Denis St.): If eating fake meat and fish that looks a lot like real meat doesn’t sound appetizing, avoid this expensive vegetarian Thai resto. If you’re curious about what duck à la veg tastes like, go for it. They also have a bistro next door.