West Island restaurants are having a moment right now

Dining out well in Montreal never meant staying out of the West Island. Ask anyone from that side of the island to recommend a spot, and they’ll easily recommend three to five places that are not only worth a meal, but they may very well have been around for decades.

Bistro Nolah, Smoke Meat Pete, Tacos Don Rigo, the Halle Berry-endorsed wings of Cunningham Pub, Vivaldi—from Pierrefonds to Pointe-Claire, L’Île-Perrot to DDO, there’s a lot, and before anyone starts sending us hate mail, we know: What we just named now isn’t even scratching the surface.

And more is coming: Saint-Henri and Little Burgundy formed their famed restaurant row in the last two decades, sure, and Villeray’s become the site of nationally lauded names and more.

But now? Recent openings are showing that downtown Montreal’s less of the zeitgeist it once was on the dining scene, and signalling that West Island’s starting to experience a notable moment.

Importing a downtown style, if you will

When Lou’s was opened in Pointe-Claire in late November 2023 by the team behind Montreal spots like Loïc Bar and Name’s on the Way, something seemed to shift.

“There’s an innately sophisticated-verging-on-sartorial identity to Montreal’s restaurant scene that is, at face value, directly at odds with the in-the-box, cookie-cutter-type reputation of the suburbs,” Cult MTL’s food editor Clay Sandhu wrote in a glowing review of Lou’s.

“But over the last five years or so, as the demographics in the suburbs are changing and the homes previously owned by baby boomers are being purchased by millennials with growing families, there’s been an obvious appetite for restaurants that offer a taste of city life.”

“The West Island is ready for more sophisticated offerings. We want to provide a space that feels unique, local, and worth people’s time and money.”

Maybe Lou’s fit like a glove in Pointe-Claire because co-owner Peter Mant is a West Island native, or maybe it—and its accompanying attaché restaurant Rendez-Vous that opened the following year—was addressing the appetite Sandhu was talking about.

“The West Island has great pubs and restaurants, but there’s a gap for something that feels trendier and more approachable—a place to grab a drink or a bite that doesn’t feel like a chain or a pub,” Peter Mant said back when The Main interviewed him about Rendez-Vous.

In some ways, it was about bringing a downtown vibe to the burbs: “We want people to feel like they can have a great experience without driving 45 minutes into the city,” Mant said. “The West Island is ready for more sophisticated offerings. We want to provide a space that feels unique, local, and worth people’s time and money.”

And they did.

Who needs the city, anyway?

There have been others arriving: Birdhouse Wingerie & Bar is going like gangbusters and is now looking for franchisees after a second location at Laval's Centropolis, and the Korean restaurant Doshrock’s made its mark in a Pierrefonds strip mall.

Another one of those successful openings that’s broken the mould of the West Island’s usual offerings outside chain and chain-adjacent spots was Bernie's Pizza & Martini Bar from Jordan Biberkraut of Hang Time Pizza and Pigeon Café fame. 

He knew what he was doing when he set up shop in the West Island.

“Maybe it’s just that restaurateurs want a break from the pressure of having a ‘hip’ downtown spot and instead want a place where they can just enjoy the atmosphere and relax,” he said when asked why he set his sights on Dollard-Des Ormeaux.

"People are willing to drive here because it’s not just the West Island anymore; it’s a destination."

“As you get older, you start to think differently. I used to live in the Mile End, and people would always ask about all the great restaurants there. But honestly, I was usually too busy, so when I did eat locally, it was at the same few spots during the week. It’s like, I’ve been eating at Wilensky’s for 40 years, you know?

“In the suburbs, you have everything close by. Here, there’s a Costco five minutes away, plus all the grocery stores you could think of… There’s definitely a trade-off. You’re not going to get the same nightlife as downtown, but there are places here with live music and their own festivals. Each area here—DDO, Pierrefonds, Pointe-Claire—they all have their own vibe.

"...this is its own universe out here. People want that same level of quality without having to go into the city.”

“For me, growing up, I thought of the West Island as a distant place, like a foreign land almost. But there are people out here who don’t even feel the need to go into the city. They have everything they need and don’t want to deal with the hassle of traffic. For people out here, it’s a big deal to go downtown.

“And that’s the thing—I think there’s a growing market here. I’m seeing customers come from all over: the East End, Laval, even downtown. People are willing to drive here because it’s not just the West Island anymore; it’s a destination.

“And this place, with its easy parking, is a big draw. Downtown, you could drive around for 30 minutes just looking for a spot, and that’s if you don’t give up entirely. Nowadays, people just Uber if they’re going out downtown, but here you can just park and walk right in.

“There’s definitely a demand for this kind of dining experience. And it’s not just about the rent being cheaper; it’s that this is its own universe out here. People want that same level of quality without having to go into the city.”

Less of a Wild West, more of a Gold Rush

“I was born above the original Café Gentile on Parc Avenue. We moved to the West Island in 1983 when I was one year old, so I’m from the West Island. I live and breathe the West Island,” says owner Anthony Gentile Jr.

“People who moved to the West Island in the ‘80s—like my parents’ generation—weren’t big on going out. For me growing up, going out in the West Island meant Chinese buffet on a Friday night or fish and chips. It was minimalist."

@cafegentile A very special day for us 🤍 #restomtl #italianfood #mtlfoodie #westmount #italiancafe #mtlfoodie #mtlfood #cafegentile ♬ Italian Food - Kley Kley

But having been a part of the West Island since he was a kid, Anthony has not only watched his stomping grounds change over time but he’s also seen the scales between the pull of downtown and what can be enjoyed around his own home gradually even out.

“Now, my generation—people born in the ‘80s and who stayed, got married, and raised families—have more disposable income. They know and appreciate good food culture, and they want it close to home; for families, being close to home makes a huge difference. No parking hassles, no road closures,” he says.

“Downtown used to have pull with people from Laval, St-Leonard, and the West Island. Now, people don’t want to go downtown as much. They want to stay close to home, and the West Island doesn’t feel like the suburbs as much anymore.”

“For businesses, it’s less of a Wild West, and more of a Gold Rush: Rents are lower, but that’s not the main factor. The real thing is competition—it’s not as intense.”

And for Anthony, it’s only that consumers are able to see enough on offer around them now, but it’s starting to attract more business from Montreal restaurateurs.

“For businesses, it’s less of a Wild West, and more of a Gold Rush: Rents are lower, but that’s not the main factor. The real thing is competition—it’s not as intense,” Anthony explains.

“Downtown, you can find great pizza at 15 places, and for sushi, steak, or Greek food, there’s 20 great options for each. In the West Island, there are maybe two or three solid choices.”

“Now, people gravitate toward new places because they feel like part of an incoming wave. It’s a suburb 20 minutes from the city, sure, but with its own food culture.”

On that note: Rumour has it that Café Gentile and Gentile Pizza Parlour are coming together under one roof in the spring of 2025 for a roughly 3,400-square-foot space—80 seats inside and 45 seats outside, give or take.

It’s not confirmed yet, but would you doubt news like that now?