Little Burgundy’s HENI is opening Montreal up to a whole underexplored wine culture

HENI, a restaurant focused on the SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) region of the world—a decolonial term for what’s commonly referred to as MENA, or the Middle East and North Africa—represents many new pathways for its owners, for its neighbourhood, and for Montreal.

As the city’s commonly presented as a crossroads of North America and Europe, that description easily lends itself to how Montreal can be a largely Eurocentric place in the world both in tastes and presentation.

At HENI, the script isn’t being flipped per se, but expanded: As the restaurant makes a place for relatively underexplored parts of the world in the city’s dining scene, it starts with Lebanese terroir and its interpretations of modern viticulture, expressions of SWANA cuisine through Quebec ingredients, and a whole new after-dinner surprise unlike any other in the city.