Miracolo: The restaurant, cathedral, temple, and theatre of Montreal's Plateau

When it opened back in January 2024, that wet and cold month of sloche in Montreal, Miracolo lit up Saint-Laurent Boulevard like a fireplace.

And it did so by design.

Taking cues from its sibling restaurants of Majestique and Le Darling, the Italian restaurant appears warm and enveloping on the long, iconic strip of the Plateau, and crackling with activity.

A tightly quartered kitchen gives off flames as bartenders spin around one another to pour martinis and wine, and the 110-seat dining room split across two salles is full to bursting with a cross-section of the city eating shoulder to shoulder. Think cotton tops next to bohemians with tatted sleeves next to 5 à 7 celebrations.

It took two years of brainstorming for the idea of Miracolo to come together, but only six months to build. The work of restaurateur and creative director Richard Holder, designer Thomas Csano, chef Alejandro Vega and chef de cuisine Pierre Morneau, the restaurant contains multitudes.

It’s a seemingly frenetic yet highly handpicked universe here that has a more mature and refined presence than its forebears, yet it’s also more romantic and fun as it plays with mixing Italian and Quebecois cultures, and the religiosity between them.

Energetic by design

“Right away, you’re intrigued, so you want to go in and see what the fuck is going on,” Csano explains between drags of a cigarette on the phone.

“And then, while you’re sitting, you’re not bored; even if you’re on a bad date, you have something to look at. There are no TVs in the corners. It’s warm, it feels homey, it’s not perfect and it’s a bit messy like we humans are.”

All around them, curated elements of theatres, the transportive aspects of the Vatican and Rome, and neighbourhoods like Brooklyn create dynamic action in every direction. Curios, tchotchkes, antiques galore pulled from Miracolo’s designer Thomas Csano’s collection— worn-out objects and stuff that speak to different generations with nostalgia—light it all up: From votive candles illuminating an army of Madonna statues to dioramas, paintings, an old cigarette machine in the bathroom, chandeliers, stage lights, bottles, and plants.

A cow’s head hangs over the space between the bar and kitchen, with a small vanity light halo nodding to the restaurant’s previous life as a butchery. Nearby, a crucifix painted as Ronald McDonald hangs discreetly.

Drawing inspiration from transportive places like NYC’s Balthazar, “it’s creative but also what people want: To disappear in their own heads and forget about their problems and feel like they’re going out there beneath the big blue. Then there’s culture and traveling and learning by picking up objects. A lot of people recognize themselves or their pasts by picking things up, and for me that’s always been important—to be timeless.”

“Eating alongside others makes a great bar or restaurant, and if the food is great at the same time, then you won’t mind the proximity. You’ll feel the vibe, the energies, hear the half-conversations and dramas next to you. It’s lively,” Csano adds.

“In our place, people forget about time. They want to stay and spend more of it… It’s time and space, and it’s a feeling you want to come back to.”

Theories of a Good Restaurant

“I’ve had this idea bouncing around my head for a few years now of an Italian Majestique,” says Richard Holder, a veteran with stakes in places like Miracolo and its siblings as well as Holder, Brasserie Bernard, and Galaxie.

“Majestique is a cozy, intimate place, the kind of place that tries to have a sense of belonging to the neighbourhood. It’s where people can drop in frequently and feel welcome. There’s an intimacy I hope to create when I do a place, and one of the factors that allows for that is when people make it their spot. To do that, it’s about being accessible.”

Working on projects out of enjoyment, Holder affirms that a place like Miracolo—let alone all those that came before it—is about creating meeting spaces. “I love the idea of people getting together. I’m at my happiest when I’m in my place and leaving an impression on others,” he adds.

“The real underlying activity is about people getting together. Before COVID, I thought of what I did as somewhat useless, but I realized that the places where we meet are important. The purpose of a city is for people to be close and interact, and when we couldn’t go out, the reason to live stacked on top of each other evaporated.”

“I know I’m a little hokey about it, but I always tell staff it’s about helping people feel good, and that while the premise is food and wine, the purpose is more profound on a human level. It’s about getting together, the social dimension.”

Italian, yet Quebecois

“I’m not from Varese or Puglia or anything. My grandmother’s from Quebec. For me, Italian cuisine is a philosophy, so we focus on local food as much as possible. We’ll use parmigiano Reggiano, but on the arugula salad we’ll put Clos-des-Roches,” says chef Alejandro Vega.

“I’m in the restaurant business because when we were young, we had a nice home in Mirabel and everybody was welcome with family and village parties at our place. I was always into hospitality since I was young, with good food, wine, and dancing.”

Cooking since the age of 18, Vega’s gone from going to ITHQ for their cucina Italiana programme to stage and learn about the hierarchy, order and rigor of Michelin restaurants between bouts on the beach of a small town. Then there were long stints in Jun I, Bouillon Bilk, Cadet (where he met and developed a friendship with Pierre Morneau), and cooking for a Westmount billionaire.

It was during his travels with said billionaire that Vega found inspiration for Miracolo’s menu: They traveled to Auckland, where he visited a restaurant called Amano; their menu was divided according to snacks, vegetables, fish, pasta, meat… “I thought it was nice, and a fun way to structure things. For vegetables, we’ll change it according to seasons and inspirations.”

“But so much is done in house. Our pasta, our bread, it’s all done here.”

From popped oysters, seared broccolini and endive salads to fresh crudo, octopus in tomato pesto, gnocchi and pappardelle, skewers of grilled mortadella, and contre-filet swimming in a red wine sauce—there’s versatility at Miracolo. Built out with its neighbourhood in mind, it’ll be servicing as many paying $700 for rent as those owning a $2.5 million condo. It’s something Vega’s come to learn having assumed leadership of Majestique and Le Darling as well during the pandemic.

“It’s an Italian place, and it’s similar to Darling. It’s in the neighbourhood, it’s for the neighbourhood, somewhere you can hang out at any time of day. It’s accessible, but there are also good products.”

Menus aspire to change once a month, but classics will remain over time as the public continues to frequent the spot, much like how the hot dog on Majestique’s menu has become somewhat sacred.

“We’ll find our classics as well,” Vega says.

Keeping a fire lit

“With the open kitchen, it’s part of the room,” says Csano.  

“It’s amazing, and the chefs are part of the décor. You feel like you’re in a movie about a restaurant, and the staff is amazing, all professionals with white shirts and they’re part of the show with you. It’s like going on the set of a movie, and you’re one of the actors, and that’s something we always wanted to do.”

As a restaurant, Csano affirms that the heat it eminates from the kitchen is key to its atmosphere, its offerings, and its purpose. “Fire’s been with us for thousands of years, and this is where we like to hang out. And the stars, the sun—those forms are the most basic things that humans like as they’ve been with us for as long as we can remember.”

Miracolo is located at 3891 Saint-Laurent Boulevard.