The press tour for Dune: Part Three is just barely getting started, and Denis Villeneuve is already showing Montreal some love.
At a Q&A in Los Angeles on Wednesday, accompanied by Knicks fan and actor Timothée Chalamet, the writer-director described Byblos Le Petit Café in the Plateau as both “second home” and “favourite spot on Earth.”
Villeneuve was responding to a fan who had asked where in Quebec he would take the film’s cast to eat if given the chance.
“It’s a small Iranian restaurant,” Villeneuve explained without hesitation. “The owner Hemela is making the the best breakfast in the galaxy.”
The feta omelette and its side dishes as served at Byblos. Pierre Obendrauf / Montreal Gazette
Specifically, he cited the restaurant’s feta omelette, which is indeed about 50 per cent feta and topped with dill.
“I would have all the cast eating that feta omelette with me. That would be a treat.”
Patrons dine at Byblos Le Petit Café in the Plateau on July 10, 2026. Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette
Villeneuve, who also praised the NFB during Wednesday’s Q&A, has maintained close ties with Montreal even as his films have gone global.
“Hollywood can drive you crazy. Some people lose it. I love to work there,” he previously told The Gazette’s Brendan Kelly. “But when I come back here, there’s something about Montreal, the creativity. Theatre, dance companies, music. Maybe it comes from the fact that there’s not a lot of money.”
Villeneuve quietly donated to Cinéma Beaubien and helped fund the Cinéma du Parc’s recent renovations, citing the importance of seeing films on a big screen.
Speaking of big screens, Dune: Part Three is due to open in movie theatres and IMAX on Dec. 18.