- May 20
- 5 min read

Best Chinese Restaurants in Montreal

Montreal has many sizable minority populations with amazing food. Of these, the Chinese population may not come to mind because Montreal largely draws immigration from French speaking countries. Despite this, Montreal has some of the best Chinese-American and Chinese cuisine that I have ever had! If you want to find out more about traditional Chinese cuisine, one of my first blog posts is actually on this topic so you can check that out here but all you need to know is that it is quite different from Chinese-American cuisine.

Until I came to Montreal I had never really had anything resembling authentic Chinese cuisine, it was always Chinese-American or Indochinese cuisine. Luckily, I found a couple of amazing restaurants that serve up (more) authentic Chinese cuisine here in Montreal and also a really great Chinese-American restaurant! Keep reading to discover what I think are the best Chinese restaurants in Montreal!

Montreal Chinese Crepes & Dumplings

First up is my favorite place to get Chinese savory crepes, called jianbing. There are different styles of jianbing but the one that seems to be most common consists of a crepe with egg, sauce, a large crispy cracker called baocui and herbs like coriander and scallions. I think I have had this dish from four or five spots (including one in Asia) and this place is definitely the best I've had!

The flavors and textures are spot on plus they have some special varieties like fried chicken and jerk beef jianbing that are also amazing! I should also mention I discovered this spot because it is right by Concordia University's Loyola Campus which I occasionally visited and is the perfect lunch spot if you are a student at this campus and want to go on a little walk for lunch!

Jianbing from Montreal Chinese Crepes & Dumplings

Beijing Restaurant

Chinese-American cuisine is very popular in Canada and perhaps I should be saying Chinese-Canadian cuisine because there are even differences between this cuisine and the Chinese cuisine adopted in the U.S.A. In any case, my first couple of experience with this cuisine was in Calgary and it was usually just fine but never really great. I have also been to a number of such restaurants here in Montreal but nowadays I usually only go to one spot and that is Beijing Restaurant in Montreal's Chinatown!

I would highly recommend trying General Tao's chicken here, a classic Chinese-American dish that is a sweet and mildly spicy fried chicken. I also usually go for their sizzling plates which are savory meat and vegetable dishes with tender strips of meat and perfectly cooked vegetables on a hot iron plate. For those who have ever wondered how they get their meat so tender at Chinese restaurants I have heard that the secret is tenderizing the meat in baking soda!

I think there are a couple of really solid Chinese-American restaurants in Montreal and you can also find such dishes at the other more traditional Chinese restaurants on this list, but for the classic Chinese-American restaurant experience I definitely recommend Beijing Restaurant!

Chez Chili

Back to authentic Chinese cuisine, Chez Chili is one of the first restaurants I went to when I moved to Montreal and was the first time I ordered an authentic Chinese dish that isn't very common in your average Chinese restaurant in Canada. This dish was shui zhu niu rou or Sichuan boiled beef and blew me away with the spiciness and mouth-numbing flavor of the Sichuan peppercorns!

I have been to this spot a number of times since and for a long time this was my go to spot for Chinese food in Montreal! Other than the Sichuan boiled beef, I absolutely love the cumin beef at this spot which is probably one of my favorite Chinese dish! Overall, this spot will always have a place in my heart as the first amazing Chinese food I had!

Cuisine Aunt Dai

After visiting Chez Chili, I felt totally sold on my love for Chinese food and sought out other restaurants with more traditional Chinese dishes to try. That is when I discovered Cuisine Aunt Dai in downtown Montreal, right by Concordia University!

I was walking by this restaurant one day and thought it looked cute so I decided to look it up. I was so surprised when I checked out the online menu and found some very honest reviews of the dishes by the owner. He points out what dishes are "North American Chinese", shares his personal preferences and gives helpful recommendations for what to expect from each dish! I also came across this blog post which shares the inspirational story of the owner through his 10 years in the restaurant business here in Montreal, and in this post he also suggests that he now rates Cuisine Aunt Dai a "6.5/10".

I had a creeping suspicion that this restaurant would outperform the owners harsh rating prior to visiting and I was absolutely right! When I visited I started with the Mapo Tofu which is a dish I personally love and I found that this was my favorite version of the dish that I have tried. For my main dish I got the Sichuan Spicy Pot which was a burst of spicy and savory flavor with some delicious seafood and chicken. I also appreciate that they can accommodate some food restrictions because they made this dish for me without the pork. I also tried the house salad which was the perfect refreshing accompaniment with the other dishes.

Not only was the food amazing but the hospitality was as well. I got to speak to the owner as he came around the speak to every table in the restaurant and was more than happy to strike up conversation. The owner may think this restaurant is a 6.5/10 but for me I must say it is more like a 9.5/10!

Plats de Pâtes Hong Mère

When I started writing this blog post I hadn't yet visited this restaurant but I tried it out recently while recording a Wellington Street food tour and I was so impressed! The restaurant is pretty unassuming, with a basic interior and exterior, so I passed it by many times but was never quite drawn in. After looking at the menu and pictures I was hooked though and decided to include it in the aforementioned food tour.

The first dish I tried was the sour cabbage fish stew which is a Chinese dish that I had tried previously and while I liked it before I absolutely loved it after trying it from Plats de Pâtes Hong Mère. It is sour and super savory in the best way possible, and the fish is thick and juicy white fish with a very pleasant flavor. This was my favorite dish but I also got to try two other dishes, one of which was the stir fried eggplant with black fungus and vegetables. This dish was sweet and savory with melt in your mouth eggplant and black fungus that added a very unique flavor and texture. Additionally, I got a dish off their specials menu which was the beef with asparagus. This was pretty much exactly as you would expect but executed perfectly, with really tender beef and asparagus with a nice savory flavor. Overall, this spot was really great all around and is a solid spot for getting traditional and American/Canadian-Chinese dishes.