A wooden board of Middle Eastern mezze: three bowls of hummus, pickles, falafel, grilled flatbread and small dishes of whole spices, seen from above

Modern Lebanese / Griffintown

Shay

STAY CLOSE, EAT LEBANESE

Chef Joseph Awad's modern Lebanese room in Griffintown: mezze spreads, lamb, grilled shrimp and a baklava espresso martini.

From home: 11 min walk; 0.76 km, or 3 min by car
Spend: $$$$; est. $45-85 per person
Our dates: Open Tue-Thu. Mon holiday hours unconfirmed; Give it 1.5 to 2 hours

ReserveMenu

Mood photo, not this exact place.Photo: Chetanya Sharma, Unsplash License

The verdict

An easy yes for a low-effort dinner near home. It's in Griffintown, its posted hours cover every night of our trip, and the menu is made for sharing. Get the mezze trio and the hummus shawarma, then add lamb chops or grilled shrimp, or leave it to the $85 chef's menu, and finish with the baklava espresso martini. The catch: most of the coverage is roundups and directory listings rather than proper reviews, so expect a reliable neighbourhood Lebanese spot, not a pilgrimage, and Thanksgiving Monday is unconfirmed.

From Alessia's list
In Griffintown, our home neighbourhood
Chef Joseph Awad's background includes Damas, Pied de Cochon and Momofuku (per Tastet)
Its Baklava Espresso Martini made Tastet's 2026 roundup of Montréal's best espresso martinis
Official site posts dinner hours every night, from 5pm on weeknights

Order this

Tap the circle to want it. Tap again once it's eaten.

Shay, the short list

Must order
Hummus shawarma
$28
Hummus topped with braised lamb, pomegranate molasses, pine nuts and persillade.
Starred on the December 2025 menu. It looks like the lamb shawarma with pomegranate molasses and pine nuts that The Main's listing calls a crowd favourite.
On their menu: Shay (official website)
Must order
Mezze trio
$38
Any three dips from the cold mezze list.
The quickest way through the hummus, moutabbal and mouhamara that The Main's 2026 guide highlights. Starred on the menu.
On their menu: Shay (official website)
Kibbe naye
$23
Lebanese beef tartare with bulgur, pine nuts and mint.
A Lebanese classic, starred on the current menu.
On their menu: Shay (official website)
Habibi fried rice
$17
Fried rice with mudardara, soujouk, egg, scallion and ginger.
Starred on the menu and one of the cheapest warm mezze, so it costs little to add.
On their menu: Shay (official website)
Lamb chops
$64
Lamb chops with pomegranate salsa and tarator sauce.
Starred, and one of the big plates The Main's 2026 guide names. The priciest main, so share it.
On their menu: Shay (official website)
Grilled shrimp
$48
Jumbo shrimp with coriander salsa and a Levantine kale salad.
Starred on the menu and named in The Main's 2026 guide.
On their menu: Shay (official website)
Shay Experience
$85
A chef-curated run through the restaurant's favourite dishes.
The no-decisions option. Per-person pricing keeps the bill predictable.
On their menu: Shay (official website). Per person; the Dec 2025 menu is about 10 months old, so confirm
Baklava Espresso Martini
A dessert-style espresso martini named for baklava.
Tastet's 2026 espresso-martini roundup (updated Apr 2026) describes it as halfway between a rich cocktail and a sweet finish.
Critic pick: Tastet. No drinks menu online

Menus change. Prices are from the posted menu, before tax and tip.

What people actually say

Recurring themes, not cherry-picked quotes.

Love

A festive, convivial energy that suits groups and shared tables (Tastet 2021 and 2026; The Main 2026)
The Ivy Studio dining room: curved wood banquettes, a marble bar, warm cream and desert tones and orb-like lights (Tastet 2021; The Main)
Spreads of hummus, moutabbal and mouhamara that go with grill plates such as lamb chops, shish taouk and grilled shrimp (The Main 2026)
The Main's listing singles out the lamb shawarma with pomegranate molasses and pine nuts as a favourite
A dessert-style Baklava Espresso Martini (Tastet 2026)
A wine list with plenty of Middle Eastern bottles (Tastet 2021; may have changed)

Know before you go

The most detailed review (Tastet, March 2021) predates the full dining-room opening. It describes an early menu, including a Philly cheese shawarma, that is not on the December 2025 menu
Thanksgiving Monday (Oct 12) is not confirmed: call 514-937-2001 first
Book through the OpenTable link on shaymtl.com or email reservations@shaymtl.com; availability for our dates was not checked
Only dinner falls on our dates: brunch runs Sat-Sun 10am-3pm
Mains run $35-64 and the Shay Experience chef's menu is $85 per person; drink prices are not online
Tastet's full review dates from the 2021 opening and mentions dishes that are no longer on the menu

Dishes that keep coming up

Lamb shawarma (hummus shawarma), Hummus, moutabbal and mouhamara, Lamb chops, Shish taouk, Grilled shrimp, Baklava Espresso Martini

Room: Lively and festive by design. In 2021 Tastet counted just over 70 seats plus a summer terrace, and The Main describes an eye-catching but welcoming room by Ivy Studio.
Value: Tastet called it affordable in 2021, but today's menu (mains $35-64, an $85 chef's menu) puts it in the mid-to-upper range rather than cheap.

Synthesized from one Tastet review (March 2021, updated November 2024), one Tastet roundup (March 2026) and two pieces from The Main (a directory listing updated August 2026 and an April 2026 Bell Centre guide). The web search quota was used up before research began, so sources were reached by direct URL only. Diner reviews on OpenTable, Google, Instagram, Facebook and Reddit were not accessible, and no critical or negative reviews were found or checked.

Vibe check

lively/group friendly/design forward

Best foran easy dinner close to the Airbnb, a group dinner of shared plates, dinner before a Canadiens game or a Bell Centre show

How much we'll spend

$$$$Est. $45-85 / person

Food only, from the official December 2025 menu: dips $13-16, warm mezze $14-36, mains $35-64, and the Shay Experience chef's menu at $85 per person. Two people sharing the mezze trio ($38), Habibi fried rice ($17) and shish taouk ($36) comes to about $45 each. The $85 chef's menu sets the top, though an order built around the $64 lamb chops can pass it. No drinks list is online, so one drink comes on top, which puts most meals in the $$$ band.

Our estimate from posted prices, CAD, before tax and tip. Québec purchases carry the 5% federal GST plus the 9.975% Québec Sales Tax (QST, TVQ in French): 14.975% combined on taxable items. Tourisme Montréal: it is customary to tip restaurant servers, taxi drivers and hairdressers 15% of the bill, before taxes. Bellhops, porters and doormen generally get at least $2 per bag or service; coffee and food counters often have a tip cup by the register.

On our dates

Dinner Mon-Wed 5-10pm, Thu-Fri 5-11pm, Sat 6-11pm, Sun 6-10pm; brunch Sat-Sun 10am-3pm

Mon 12Maybe5pm to 10pmThanksgiving: holiday hours unconfirmed
Tue 13Open5pm to 10pm
Wed 14Open5pm to 10pm
Thu 15Open5pm to 11pm

Thanksgiving MondayAs of Oct 8, 2026, the French and English pages of shaymtl.com show no Thanksgiving or holiday notice. OpenTable could not be loaded to see whether Monday Oct 12 takes bookings, and Instagram and Facebook were not readable. Regular Monday hours (5-10pm) are not evidence for the holiday.

Full week

Mon	5pm to 10pm
Tue	5pm to 10pm
Wed	5pm to 10pm
Thu	5pm to 11pm
Fri	5pm to 11pm
Sat	10am to 3pm, 6pm to 11pm
Sun	10am to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm

These are the hours displayed on both language versions of the official site. The Main's listing shows no readable hours, so only the official site backs this schedule. The site's code also holds a hidden, commented-out line saying open Wednesday to Sunday for takeout and delivery, likely left over from the takeout-only opening period. It is not displayed, but call to confirm Monday and Tuesday service. Last-seating and kitchen-close times are not stated.

Hours from the venue's own listing, checked Oct 8, 2026.

Make a night of it

Dinner, drinks, late night. Real walking times between.

DinnerShayStay close, eat lebanese
4 min walk (0.26 km)
DrinksFoxyFire, veg, good wine
2 min walk (0.12 km)
Late nightUmarellThe mano crew stays up late

Pair it with

Umarell (386 Rue Richmond, also in Griffintown and also on Alessia's list) for a glass of wine after dinner

Where

1414 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, QC H3C 1K8

11 min walk (0.76 km) / 3 min drive, no traffic / 6 min by bike

From 216 Rue Young. Routes from OpenStreetMap data; transit times are in the maps app.

Show on our map shaymtl.com Instagram Call

The official site's Book a table button goes to OpenTable. Reservation requests can also go to reservations@shaymtl.com or 514-937-2001. OpenTable blocked automated checks, so availability for Oct 12-15 is unknown. Tastet's Réserver button points to an older Libro booking page that returned an account-not-found error on Oct 8, so do not use it.

While you're there

Red peppers and a dark eggplant roasting on a stone ledge above an open wood fire

FIRE, VEG, GOOD WINE

Foxy

Griffintown14 min walk$$$$

4 min walk from here

A stirred amber-red cocktail with a long orange peel in a cut-crystal glass on a pale bar top, with a raspberry and blackberry beside it and warm bokeh lights and bottles behind

THE MANO CREW STAYS UP LATE

Umarell

Griffintown13 min walk$$$$

6 min walk from here

Golden croissants lined up on a wooden shelf behind a glass bakery display case, with a small black price card reading Croissant

FIRST-MORNING COFFEE, SORTED

La Bête à Pain (Griffintown)

Griffintown2 min walk$$$$

11 min walk from here

A candlelit stone archway at night with a small wooden table and chairs, warm lamplight on dark volcanic stonework, in a Mediterranean-style courtyard

MYKONOS ON SAINT-JACQUES

Alia

Downtown10 min walk$$$$

11 min walk from here

Golden butter croissants lined up on a perforated metal baking tray in warm light

BUTTER, THEN CITRUS

Chez Potier

Old Montréal (Wellington, east end)2 min walk$$$$

12 min walk from here

A bowl of burrata with blistered cherry tomatoes, basil and capers beside a plate of focaccia on a worn wooden restaurant table

CAESAR, BURRATA, PASTA. REPEAT.

Mano Cornuto

Griffintown4 min walk$$$$

13 min walk from here

Two bowls of pasta on a white linen-covered table with a glass of red wine, a champagne bucket and a glass of rosé, bread and a straw hat beside them

UNDER THE GLASS ROOF

Céleste

Downtown (Golden Square Mile)16 min walk$$$$

14 min walk from here

Eastern Mediterranean-leaning contemporaryRestaurant Mélisse

CLOSED MONDAY, OPEN AFTER

Restaurant Mélisse

Griffintown10 min walk$$$$

15 min walk from here

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 Shay open on Thanksgiving Monday, Oct 12, 2026? No notice was found; call 514-937-2001.
Table availability on OpenTable for Oct 12-15 was not checked because OpenTable blocked automated access.
Confirm Monday and Tuesday dinner service: the displayed hours say seven nights, but a hidden legacy line in the site code says Wednesday to Sunday.
Current cocktail and wine list and prices (no drinks menu online). Is the Baklava Espresso Martini still served?
Diner-review themes and any 2026 closure news were not checked because the web search quota was used up and review platforms were blocked.
Is this the Shay Alessia meant? Smaller venues with the same name could not be ruled out without a full search.

OfficialShay (official website): Shay: menu, brunch, hours and contact (French)accessed 2026-10-08
OfficialShay (official website): Shay: menu, brunch, hours and contact (English)accessed 2026-10-08
OfficialShay (official website): Main menu, December 2025 (English PDF)accessed 2026-10-08
OfficialShay (official website): Menu principal, décembre 2025 (French PDF)accessed 2026-10-08
OfficialShay (official website): Brunch menu 2026 (French PDF; only the file date was checked, January 2026)accessed 2026-10-08
EditorialTastet: Shay : l'hospitalité libanaise parmi les tours de Griffintown (Britanny Clarke, March 18, 2021; updated November 7, 2024)accessed 2026-10-08
EditorialThe Main: SHAY | Restaurant in Griffintown, Montreal (directory listing, updated August 24, 2026)accessed 2026-10-08
EditorialThe Main: Best Restaurants Near the Bell Centre Montreal (2026) (published April 30, 2026; updated July 30, 2026)accessed 2026-10-08
EditorialTastet: Les meilleurs Espresso Martinis à Montréal (published March 9, 2026; updated April 10, 2026)accessed 2026-10-08
OfficialLibro (booking platform): Shay booking page linked from Tastet's review (returned account-not-found on Oct 8, 2026)accessed 2026-10-08
From usTraveller: Alessia's list (screenshot of restaurant names)accessed 2026-10-08