{"id":939924,"date":"2026-10-20T10:20:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T10:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/939924\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T10:20:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T10:20:22","slug":"is-le-grand-comite-montreals-best-new-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/939924\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Le Grand Comit\u00e9 Montr\u00e9al\u2019s Best New Restaurant?"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, new restaurant openings were few and far between in Downtown Montr\u00e9al<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The pandemic had a lot to do with it: established institutions dug in even deeper, while new spots were scarce. But the tide is turning. After Papito and Cappello, a spectacular Italian restaurant perched on the 44th floor of Place Ville Marie, comes Le Grand Comit\u00e9\u2014the Montreal restaurant everyone is talking about.<\/p>\n

And not just because of their killer burger.<\/p>\n

Read: It\u2019s official: One of the world\u2019s best burgers is in Montreal<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Le
\nPhotograph: Tommy DionLe Grand Comit\u00e9 <\/p>\n

The restaurant breathes new life into the storied former home of the Annexe\u2014the same space that Groupe Pamika transformed into a Thai-inspired hideaway called Le Garden Room. When it closed, it was hard to imagine the space sitting empty for long. Alireza Zareian kept the keys, partnered with rising young chef R\u00e9mi Lemieux and sommelier David Zamora, and Le Grand Comit\u00e9 was born.<\/p>\n

Chef Lemieux is not new to the game. After cutting his teeth at Cabane \u00e0 Sucre Au Pied de Cochon, he sharpened his knives and ambition in some of the world\u2019s most celebrated kitchens, including Osteria Francescana and Le Bernardin\u2014both three-Michelin-starred restaurants. He\u2019s been looking for a place to put down roots since the pandemic, and Le Grand Comit\u00e9 could finally be that place. Sspecially with the team already quietly working on an even more ambitious project in the same space: Le Petit Comit\u00e9, slated to open this fall.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s promise is bold\u2014almost audacious: a proper neighbourhood restaurant in Downtown Montreal with friendly but professional service and ingredients sourced from local farms. The kicker? The restaurant\u2019s reasonable \u201cPlateau bistro\u201d prices. Starters are under $20, mains under $40 and desserts under $15. The half chicken from Ferme d\u2019Antoine, at $38, is the most expensive item on the menu. It\u2019s ambitious. But does it deliver?<\/p>\n

\"Le
\nPhotograph: Scott UsheroffLe Grand Comit\u00e9 <\/p>\n

On a warm evening, I walked in through the restaurant\u2019s sliding glass doors, passing a packed outdoor terrasse.<\/p>\n

Inside it was all soft-green velvet banquettes and a (complimentary) welcome cocktail, courtesy of mixologist Alexandre Beaudin (Marcus, Club Pelicano and Le Royal). Made with gin and brightened by the herbaceous notes of lovage syrup, it was a perfectly refreshing start.<\/p>\n

The menu reads like a classic bistro: starters, mains, sides, a dedicated croque-monsieur section and desserts. The same menu is served at lunch and dinner\u2014plus a seasonal chalkboard with specials.<\/p>\n

\"Le
\nPhotograph: Scott UsheroffLe Grand Comit\u00e9 <\/p>\n

The trout from Pisciculture Kenauk arrives as a delicate carpaccio on citrus cr\u00e8me fra\u00eeche from Qu\u00e9bec farm O\u2019Citrus, dotted with shiso and oxalis petals for acidity, then finished with Greek olive oil. It\u2019s crisp, precise and effortlessly understated.<\/p>\n

\"Le
\nPhotograph: Tommy DionLe Grand Comit\u00e9 <\/p>\n

The Souffl\u00e9 de la Station arrives with one ask: don\u2019t wait. The server plunges a siphon nozzle into the cheese mixture table-side, giving it an extra burst of volume. The texture is featherlight, almost ethereal, but the flavour packs all the punch of classic mac and cheese. Think of it as a gluten-free, steamed, impossibly airy take on the comfort-food favourite.<\/p>\n

The stuffed cabbage, a French country cooking staple that has found its way onto some of Paris\u2019s best menus in recent years, bears the name of sous-chef Adrien Yacoub Gorgui\u2014a tribute to his family\u2019s recipe. The cabbage is impossibly tender, shaped into a perfect stuffed sphere. It arrives in a shallow bowl, nestled in its own rich cooking juices. Halfway through, the server suggests drizzling over the tangy r\u00e9moulade vinaigrette on the side, its acidity cutting through the richness and refreshing the palate for the next bite. The idea, he explains, is to keep the flavours from overwhelming your taste buds.<\/p>\n

\"Le
\nPhotograph: Tommy DionLe Grand Comit\u00e9 <\/p>\n

The vegetables with sabayon walk a clever line between savoury and sweet, evoking both a classic aioli and the fruit-topped sabayons of the dessert world. A tarragon sabayon blankets a colourful lineup of seasonal vegetables\u2014zucchini, zucchini blossoms, onions, turnips, shishito peppers and potatoes. Some arrive raw, others grilled or steamed, each prepared to preserve its own distinct texture.<\/p>\n

\"Le
\nPhotograph: Tommy DionLe Grand Comit\u00e9 <\/p>\n

Then comes the burger, the dish everyone told me not to skip. It\u2019s a study in restraint: just a bun, beef, cheese and a whisper of house sauce. No frills, no distractions\u2014just a few ingredients with nowhere to hide and every detail counting.<\/p>\n

The bun is baked just minutes before each service and fits the aged-beef patty\u2014carefully ground and served medium\u2014like a glove. The sauce peeks out just beyond the edges of the patty, leaving the mimolette to take centre stage. And make no mistake: this is no ordinary American cheese.<\/p>\n

The lettuce, a vivid-red tomato cracked with a few grains of pepper and sprinkled with fleur de sel, a few pickle slices and a piece of raw onion arrived on a small plate.<\/p>\n

The trick is to take the first bite as is, before adding anything, and let the details do the talking. Cooked to a rosy medium, the patty is savoury and gloriously juicy, while the mimolette brings a mellow, nutty richness that rounds out each bite. It\u2019s proof that when every element is this carefully considered, less really is more.<\/p>\n

Desserts, created by pastry chef Iari Prassi (Hiatus, L\u2019\u00cele Flottante), are a step above. Of the four options\u2014a Montr\u00e9al-style cheesecake, semifreddo, an Orange Julep-inspired \u00eele flottante and sticky toffee pouding ch\u00f4meur\u2014it\u2019s the last two that win me over.<\/p>\n

\"Le
\nPhotograph: Tommy DionLe Grand Comit\u00e9 <\/p>\n

The \u00eele flottante swaps the traditional egg-white meringue for a Chiboust cream flavoured with mandarin, orange and yuzu. It\u2019s a little firmer, but just as airy. In a clever finishing touch, the chef dusts it with sugar and caramelizes the top to order, just like a cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e, before setting it over a lightly sweetened cr\u00e8me anglaise. Each spoonful brings together three beautifully balanced textures: brittle caramel, airy Chiboust cream and silky custard, with none stealing the show.<\/p>\n

The sticky toffee pouding ch\u00f4meur deserves its own moment. A soft, tender date cake comes with vanilla ice cream that melts just so, all drenched in a rich maple-caramel sauce with a subtle salty edge. Every bite begs for another. Part nostalgic pouding ch\u00f4meur, part indulgent British sticky toffee pudding, it\u2019s the kind of dessert you\u2019ll still be thinking about long after the plate is cleared.<\/p>\n

Le Grand Comit\u00e9 is a welcome addition to Downtown Montreal\u2014bringing a much-needed dose of life and energy to the neighbourhood. It\u2019s open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with brunch on weekends. Just note that it\u2019s closed on Sunday evenings.<\/p>\n

\"Le
\nPhotograph: Scott UsheroffLe Grand Comit\u00e9 <\/p>\n

For more information about Le Grand Comit\u00e9, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RECOMMENDED:
Complete guide to the best restaurants in Montreal<\/a>
Best attractions in Montreal<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For years, new restaurant openings were few and far between in Downtown Montr\u00e9al. The pandemic had a lot…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":939925,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194292],"tags":[49,48,81029,322059,2338,3560],"class_list":["post-939924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-montreal","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-categories-restaurants","tag-contributor-time-out-editors","tag-montreal","tag-restaurants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/939924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=939924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/939924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/939925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=939924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=939924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=939924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}