Modern Québécois, seafood-forward with Italian accents / Plateau-Mont-Royal
Le Violon
SAVE ROOM FOR THE BAKED ALASKA
Danny Smiles and Mitch Laughren's 50-seat Plateau room, No. 8 in Canada: precise, seafood-forward cooking, open weeknights.
- From home
- 15 min drive
- Spend
- $$$$
- Our dates
- Open Tue-Thu. Mon holiday hours unconfirmed
The verdict
This is the big dinner of the trip. Le Violon cooks seasonal, seafood-leaning plates with Italian accents in a beautiful, pared-back room on a residential Plateau corner, and in 2026 it ranked No. 8 in Canada and No. 15 in North America. It opens Monday to Saturday, so book a Tuesday or Wednesday on Resy now, ask for the bar if you want to watch the kitchen, start with the raw beef and finish with the lemon-pistachio baked Alaska. The catch: it gets loud, and there is no menu online to plan around.
- No. 8 on Canada's 100 Best 2026 and No. 15 on North America's 50 Best 2026
- Canada's Best New Restaurant 2025, now on the MICHELIN Guide's recommended list
- Open Monday to Saturday, so Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are all in play
- The lemon-pistachio baked Alaska, singled out by two separate 2026 write-ups
- A Zébulon Perron and Dan Climan room, anchored by a giant Dalmatian painting
- Celebrity-spotting history: 50 Best notes a summer 2025 dinner here with Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry
Order this
Tap the circle to want it. Tap again once it's eaten.
Le Violon, the short list
Must order
Lemon and pistachio Bombe Alaska
Pastry chef Laura Faria's take on the baked Alaska, finished with lemon and pistachio.
The one dish both 2026 write-ups (Canada's 100 Best and North America's 50 Best) single out. Order it even if you think you are full.
Must order
Beef battuta with porcini aioli and champignon de Paris
Hand-cut raw beef with a porcini aioli and button mushrooms.
50 Best's suggested opener, and a raw-beef starter has been a fixture since launch: Canada's 100 Best praised a kibbeh nayyeh-style tartare with bulgur and tahini in 2025. Expect whichever version is on.
Agnolotti del plin a la Milanese
Small pinched, filled pasta done Milanese-style; the kitchen makes its own pasta.
The pasta 50 Best recommends, which notes Italian is the dominant accent on the menu.
Monkfish with pork dumpling, celeriac and truffled lobster bisque
Monkfish with a pork dumpling, threads of celeriac and a lobster bisque scented with Périgord truffle.
Canada's 100 Best calls monkfish one of the constants on a constantly changing menu. The rich fish main if it is on.
Montebello trout à l'angevine with matsutake and rabioles
Local Montebello trout prepared à l'angevine, with shaved matsutake and rabioles (small turnips).
Canada's 100 Best's showpiece example of the kitchen's restraint. Matsutake is an autumn ingredient, so it may well be around in October, but that is unconfirmed.
Mussels with stout bread and Presbytère cheddar custard
A riff on British potted shrimp made with mussels, served with stout bread (Tastet calls it Irish bread) and a Presbytère cheddar custard.
The early signature both Tastet and Canada's 100 Best singled out. The write-ups differ on the mussels (PEI vs Newfoundland) and MICHELIN's 2026 review lists smoked mussels with braised leeks instead, so ask what the current mussel dish is.
Onglet with potatoes and peppercorn sauce
Hanger steak with potatoes and a peppercorn sauce.
The meat main MICHELIN's 2026 review highlights. The classic, safe pick for a red-meat person.
What people actually say
Recurring themes, not cherry-picked quotes.
Love
- Cooking that is precise and restrained rather than trend-chasing, with the product leading (Canada's 100 Best 2025 and 2026, MICHELIN 2026)
- The room: elegant, understated design by Zébulon Perron and Dan Climan, with a Morandi-inspired palette and the giant Dalmatian painting (Tastet, Canada's 100 Best, 50 Best)
- Warm, unpretentious hospitality from a team of long-time collaborators (Canada's 100 Best 2025, Tastet)
- Desserts get real attention, especially the lemon-pistachio baked Alaska and a frozen dessert that sits between affogato and tiramisu (Canada's 100 Best 2026, 50 Best, Tastet)
- A wine list built on small producers, balancing natural and classic bottles, plus a short cocktail list that changes regularly (Canada's 100 Best 2026, MICHELIN)
Know before you go
- The room is lively and the noise level climbs fast (Tastet)
- The menu is continually evolving, so dishes named in reviews may not be on (Canada's 100 Best 2026)
- It has drawn celebrity attention since summer 2025 (50 Best)
- It is a special-occasion spend, with bottles from about $70 at opening (MICHELIN, Tastet)
- Book on Resy: 6 people maximum, no reservations for 7 or more
- Mon-Sat 5pm-10:30pm, closed Sunday
- Thanksgiving Monday (Oct 12) is unconfirmed: check Resy for that date or call (514) 209-1181
Dishes that keep coming up
Lemon-pistachio baked Alaska, Beef battuta / beef tartare, Mussels with stout bread and cheddar custard, Monkfish with pork dumpling and truffled lobster bisque, Agnolotti del plin, Gnocchi with smoked anchovies, Onglet with peppercorn sauce, Lamb's heart with remoulade and bottarga, Affogato-tiramisu frozen dessert
- Room
- Elegant and pared back in the former Maison Publique space on a residential corner of the Plateau: neutral tones and pale greens inspired by Giorgio Morandi, a marble bar, a wine cellar in the middle of the dining room, glass walls onto an open kitchen facing the bar, and a smaller banquette room under the Dalmatian painting. Bathed in natural light early in the evening; lively and loud once full.
- Service
- Hospitality is the most consistent theme: critics describe a warm, unpretentious team (chefs and front of house came up together at Le Bremner and the Willow Inn) and the service choreography is visible from the bar.
- Value
- No published menu prices. MICHELIN puts it in its special-occasion band ($$$) and Tastet noted bottles from $70 in late 2024. No community view on value was gathered.
Vibe check
elegant/design forward/lively/date night
Best forthe big dinner of the trip, date night, watching the kitchen from the bar
How much we'll spend
No menu or prices published online. MICHELIN classes it $$$ (its special-occasion band, below $$$$ spots like Lawrence and Cabaret l'Enfer) and Tastet lists it as $$$. Tastet (Dec 2024) noted wine bottles from $70. Tier 3 is an estimate; three courses plus a bottle could push it into tier 4.
On our dates
Mon-Sat 5-10:30pm. Closed Sunday.
- Mon 12Maybe
- Tue 13Open
- Wed 14Open
- Thu 15Open
Thanksgiving MondayMonday is a regular service day (official site: Mon-Sat 5-10:30pm), but normal Monday hours are not evidence for Thanksgiving. No holiday notice on the official home, contact, events or news pages as of Oct 8, 2026 (the news page has no posts). Resy availability and Instagram could not be read.
Full week
| Mon | 5pm to 10:30pm |
|---|---|
| Tue | 5pm to 10:30pm |
| Wed | 5pm to 10:30pm |
| Thu | 5pm to 10:30pm |
| Fri | 5pm to 10:30pm |
| Sat | 5pm to 10:30pm |
| Sun | Closed |
Make a night of it
Dinner, drinks, late night. Real walking times between.
Where
4720 Rue Marquette, Montréal, QC H2J 3Y6
Book through Resy (the official site's Reserve buttons go there). Tables of 6 maximum; the restaurant is not taking reservations for groups of 7 or more (buyouts of 50-60 by inquiry form). At launch in June 2024, Resy bookings opened up to a month ahead; the current window and Oct 12-15 availability could not be checked because the Resy page only renders with JavaScript. Canada's 100 Best names the bar as the best seat, facing the kitchen. Phone (514) 209-1181 or info@le-violon.ca. No gift cards.
While you're there
The receipt
Where every fact on this page comes from.
Fact-checkedResearched and independently re-checked Oct 8, 2026, 2 details corrected. Confidence: medium.
Details to confirm
- Is Le Violon open on Thanksgiving Monday, Oct 12, 2026? Check Resy for Oct 12 slots or call (514) 209-1181.
- Current Resy booking window and availability for Oct 13-15 (the launch-era window was up to a month ahead; the Resy page could not be read).
- Are bar or counter seats held for walk-ins?
- Current menu and prices: none published online.
- Is 10:30pm the closing time or the last reservation? Kitchen last-order time is not published.
- Closure/news and community-sentiment searches could not be run (web search budget exhausted during this run); worth a quick re-check before booking.
- OfficialOfficial website: Restaurant Le Violon: home page (address, Mon-Sat hours, phone, Resy booking links)
- OfficialOfficial website: About: opened June 2024, seafood-forward seasonal Quebec menu, 2025-2026 accolades, team
- OfficialOfficial website: Contact: reservation hours, 6-person maximum for group reservations, no gift cards
- OfficialOfficial website: Groups & Buyouts: no reservations for 7 or more; buyouts of 50-60 by inquiry
- OfficialRestaurant Le Violon (official press materials, linked from le-violon.ca): Press release: Restaurant Le Violon opens in Montreal's Le Plateau on Monday, June 17 (June 14, 2024)
- OfficialRestaurant Le Violon (official press materials, linked from le-violon.ca): Press release: Le Violon Named Canada's Best New Restaurant and Earns Michelin Recognition in First Year (July 2025)
- AwardCanada's 100 Best: Le Violon: Best Restaurants 2026, No. 8
- AwardCanada's 100 Best: Le Violon: Best New Restaurants 2025, No. 1
- AwardNorth America's 50 Best Restaurants: Le Violon: North America's 50 Best Restaurants 2026, ranked No. 15
- EditorialMICHELIN Guide: Le Violon: 2026 MICHELIN Guide Canada listing and inspector review (review dated May 6, 2026)
- EditorialTastet: Le Violon: chef Danny Smile's new home on Plateau Mont-Royal (review, Dec 10, 2024)
- EditorialTastet: Le Violon (critique en français, mise à jour 14 août 2025)
- EditorialTastet: Affogatos: where to find the best in Montreal (updated July 10, 2025)
- EditorialTastet: Montreal essential restaurants list (updated Sept 4, 2025)
- EditorialTastet: Montreal's most romantic restaurants (updated Apr 10, 2026)
- AwardNorth America's 50 Best Restaurants: The List 2026: 1-50
RecognitionCanada's 100 Best 2026, No. 8; North America's 50 Best Restaurants 2026, No. 15; Canada's 100 Best 2025, Best New Restaurant (No. 1); Canada's 100 Best 2025, No. 11; MICHELIN Guide Canada 2026, Recommended (no star)