We absolutely love brunch, and our hearts will forever be in Old Montreal, so it’s only natural that we’d be on the quest for the best spots to enjoy the best meal of the day in one of our favourite neighbourhoods. That was a mouthful. Of brunch. If only we could enjoy brunch all day every day… But alas, we’ll make due with what these delicious restaurants have to offer.
Maison Christian Faure
Maison Christian Faure is one of those places that make you fall in love and give up your diet immediately upon entering. Chef Christian Faure is world renowned and award winning and we are ever so lucky to have nabbed him from France. For brunch, try one of their incredible croissants. Get a plain, a chocolate, and an album – you gotta taste test them all to choose a favourite, right? They have an assortment of salads and savoury sandwiches for you to choose from. And then for dessert, you’re in the perfect place to sample a heavenly French pastry.
Olive et Gourmando
Everyone knows Olive et Gourmando for lunch, but do you know they do brunch too? They make their own ricotta so you know that their Tartine is going to be bomb.com with house ricotta, roasted squash, asian pear, nuts, and a kick-ass dressing. They kill with their French toast and oeuf croquette too. And if you just can’t resist that Cubain sandwich, no one will blame you for getting it for brunch anyway.
Venice
Venice may be better known for their poke bowls and tacos, but you can also enjoy the chill LA vibes for brunch! They have an assortment of toasts (with a choice of brioche bun or black Russian bread) including their famed avo toast with poached egg, coriander, and dill. Another fan favourite is the acai bowl with banana, chia, coconut, and granola. Expect healthy eats and a gorgeous setting at this Old Montreal hot spot.
Xavier Artisan
Xavier Artisan is the quintessential French café with a super cute and classic décor and yummy eats. They have their freshly baked goods for you to enjoy at your leisure (forget gluten-free diets – unless you’re intolerant, of course) and a selection of breakfast sammies for you to choose from. Try their ham and cheese baguette (always choose toasted) with smoked ham, fontina cheese, chopped beefsteak tomato, and Xavier Artisan sauce. How could you go wrong?
Cartet
Le Cartet is one part brunch, one part café, and one part marché. You can buy your favourite goodies there after you’ve brunched. They have the standard sugar shack style brekkie, a variety of snazzed up toasts, and tons of other delish options. Their brunch plates are ginormous and come with an amuse bouche and a glass of orange juice. Bonus: they offer gluten-free toast, if you’re so inclined.
Vallier
We love Vallier for their dinner, so it stands to reason that we’d love their brunch. You can only dine in the AM at Vallier on weekends, so take note. Being a French restaurant, of course they’d have a duck confit poutine with breakfast potatoes, a poached egg, green peas, marinated cabbage, and sautéed onions. Our mouths are watering. You can also find eggs benedict with smoked salmon or bacon, gooey grilled cheese, and steak and eggs.
LOV
We had to include a vegetarian and vegan option, and LOV has been blowing up all over Montreal lately. They recently launched brunch and patrons have been flocking to their door.They have avocado toast (of course) and other delicious toasts like the pear parsnip one. You can order a hearty frittata with sweet potatoes, cheese, and veggies. They also have a sweet hempseed waffle with fruit, cashew yogurt, and honey granola. Only available on weekends.
Bocata
Bocata recently launched a brunch menu and it’s as good as their dinner menu. The Spanish tortilla with eggs, potatoes, onion, bread, and ham is a delicious and filling dish. The fried eggs with potatoes and sobrassada is simple but creamy and definitely yummy. Expect fancier dishes with Arctic char and lobster to appear on this menu as well. For something sweet, the pain perdu and the catalan doughnuts are great choices. Only available on weekends.
Hambar
Hambar is another only on weekends brunch spot. Their eggs benedict has porchetta *drool* and their bagel and lox is next level with the addition of a poached egg, goat cheese, and avocado fries. They serve the classics and health options too, but we suggest going out of your comfort zone over here. They even have BBQ pork steamed buns à la brunch with coriander and a poached egg.
Holder
Brunch at Holder has all the classics with an extra pizzazz added on top. Their sweet section has a pain doré and a crêpes option, along with other classics. The salé portion of the menu is quite more extensive. Their ciabatta sandwich with turkey, pancetta, and orange basil mayo is a winner. The French influence is evident with their quiche with ham, spinach, leeks, and gruyère cheese. And if you want the classic eggs and bacon, they have that too! Only available on weekends.
Marché de la Villette
Marché de la Villette is a quaint spot offering so many yummy options, it may be hard for you to choose! Their brunch has 3 sections: eggs, casseroles, and feuilletés. They have jam-packed omelettes, nutella crêpes, quiche, baguette, and tons more. For the gourmands reading, they have a casserole with foie gras, scrambled egg, mushrooms, roasted potatoes, and roasted figs. Mmm mmm good!
