Brunching Spots

Anyone who is a fan of the nightlife will tell you that on the weekends, breakfast is the easiest meal to skip. After a late night out, not many people are up at the normal times where breakfast is being served in restaurants. Montreal is a city with a very active club culture and bar scene, and in recognition of this fact, many restaurants have decided to specialize in that combination of lunch and breakfast known as brunch. Brunching has become quite popular in Montreal over the past few years, as partiers and students alike use this combination meal to fuel their weekend endeavors.

Brunch spots

It’s no surprise that good brunch restaurants tend to cluster either near residential areas or student populations. One of the most popular, and strangest brunch restaurants is Cosmo’s in Notre-Dame-De-Grace. This tiny lunch counter is one of the most colorful spots in the city to enjoy weekend brunch. In the summer, their seating expands to the sidewalk patio, and the ‘Cosmo’s Creation’ mega-omelet/sandwhich is highly recommended. It’s so popular that the city offered the owner a significant amount of money to re-locate to the Old Port district to better serve tourists, but he declined and continues to run his business out of the same location where it has resided for decades.

Place Milton, located on Milton street in the Plateau neighborhood is very popular with McGill University students, given its proximity to both St. Laurent boulevard and the student housing ghetto. This restaurant is packed to the gills on weekends, and its not uncommon to have to wait outside in the street before you can go in and sample their popular egg and other brunch dishes.

For a touch of Montreal tradition in with your brunch, check out Deli Joe on St. Dominique street in the northeast quadrant of the city. Located in Little Italy, Deli Joe is known for their smoked meat eggs Benedict, which combines the famous Montreal smoked meat with a creamy sauce.

Chez Cora is a well present chain all around Montreal.

Cafe Orange is another known good brunch place if you are living around westmount / notre-dame-de-grace.

Buffet brunch

If you are really feeling the hunger pangs and can’t limit yourself to just one plate, then a buffet might be your best option. There are two large brunch buffets worth mentioning in the city. The first is La Stanza, located in St. Laurent on Cote Vertu. In addition to the standard buffet, this large establishment has 3 chefs standing by ready to make you the omelet, crepe or other brunch creation of your dreams from the wide array of fresh ingredients laid out in front of you. Another good bet for those with a huge brunch appetite is the Buffet Vichy chain, who’s Lasalle location on Newman is closest to downtown.

Chinese brunch

Another great way to brunch is to go around Chinatown for some great dim-sum spots.