Where to Eat Gluten-Free in Montreal

Recently I’ve noticed more and more food people going to Montreal—and who can blame them? This laid-back bilingual gem on the St. Lawrence River is one of North America’s very best food cities. Personally I’ve loved it since my first visit almost 20 years ago. Montreal’s wonderful food scene draws me back year after year, sometimes multiple times,and by now the six-hour drive from my home in New York City feels like a breeze. It helps to know that my top meals of the year are waiting just across the border.But for the past two years, following my wife’s celiac diagnosis, I have been navigating the city a little differently. When I was younger, trips to Montreal meant poutine, bagels, smoked-meat sandwiches, and a plethora of other canonical Québécois favorites that happen to be full of gluten. These days we prioritize other local favorites and have developed a dependable roster of businesses we trust—and that don’t feel like a compromise. Luckily there are a ton of them; we’ve been thrilled to discover that Montreal is a paradise for gluten-free eating.Boulangerie Le Marquis Dedicated bakery sceneIn my opinion the only gluten-free Montreal-style bagels worth sampling are located in Burlington, Vermont. But Montreal is a city that takes its baked goods seriously, and it’s home to a handful of excellent dedicated gluten-free bakeries. You will not miss the bagels. Instead how about a croissant?Any gluten-free eater knows croissants are one of the hardest pastries to get right without gluten. As a rule my wife and I don’t really bother—unless we’re in Montreal. At Boulangerie Le Marquis, near Jean-Talon Market, and sister business Le Marquis Signature Santé, in Old Montreal, magnificent pains au chocolat and gluten-free croissants—available in plain, almond, and chocolate-almond varieties—arrive hot out of the oven all morning long. Flaky laminated pastry is a near-impossible feat in the gluten-free world, but Le Marquis has perfected it. We favor the pains au chocolat and almond croissants, but it’s tough to go wrong.Even more unique is the gluten-free manouché at La Bolo à Lolo, a GF market and takeaway in the Plateau. Chef and owner Gordy Moufarrej emigrated from Lebanon to Montreal as a boy and uses his mother’s homemade za’atar in these addictive flatbreads. Made from Moufarrej’s proprietary GF flour blend, they are topped with a paste of olive oil and za’atar, plus cheese if you want (you do). A number of sandwiches made with the same base are available, but we’ve never gotten past the manouché—on our last visit to Montreal, we went three days in a row.A savory galette from Crêperie du Marché Courtesy Crêperie du MarchéPerhaps unsurprisingly for a French-speaking city, crepes are another great option, and Montreal boasts an amazing spot for 100% buckwheat Breton-style galettes. At Crêperie du Marché, a bustling stall at Jean-Talon Market, cooks turn out a dedicated gluten-free menu of lacy galettes with both savory and sweet fillings. It’s a personal choice, but we like the cheeky selections that mix both: ham, cheese, eggs, potatoes, and a drizzle of maple syrup. Why not?Nearby is cheery, quirky Cantine Panella, a dedicated gluten-free bakery and café run by the Peruvian chef Alessandra Perona. Her South American sensibility means breads are made with flours like quinoa, cassava, and sweet potato, which gives them a delightful chewiness. We like to stock up on a few of these to bring home, though they sometimes don’t last the drive.ChickenOf all Montreal’s classic foods, rotisserie chicken might be my favorite. At Québécois-style rotisseries it’s slow-roasted on a spit and accompanied by gravy; at Portuguese spots it’s often spatchcocked and grilled over charcoal, then served with piri-piri sauce. In both cases gluten sometimes spoils the fun: Traditional establishments like the legendary Chalet Bar-B-Q and Portuguese eatery Ma Poule Mouillée both use wheat flour in their sauces. No matter—these are far from your only options.At Rôtisserie Coco Rico, a Plateau institution open since 1970, the chicken is spit-roasted and served with GF piri-piri in a mélange of the two dominant local styles. On the side fries from a dedicated GF fryer are among the city’s best (and this is a city with great french fries), but don’t sleep on the roasted potatoes, full of savory chicken flavor.More refined, and representing the French Canadian tradition, is Little Italy’s Rôtisserie La Lune, from the team behind überpopular restaurant and wine bar Mon Lapin. Gorgeous, plump birds are served with rich gluten-free gravy and excellent fries that come from a blessedly dedicated fryer. The same fryer is also responsible for the unbelievable Croqu’Ailes Farcies XL, which are deboned chicken wings stuffed with more chicken and deep-fried. Every meal here should start with these. But the kitchen has an equally deft hand with seasonal salads and veggie-focused sides—almost always gluten-free and an essential counterweight on the table.Courtesy Mon LapinWine bars and neo-bistrosDown the street from La Lune, Mon Lapin is equally adept at catering to gluten-free diners: On two recent visits most of the menu was in play. Dishes change with the seasons, but friendly servers will guide your choices (and help you navigate the impressive wine list). Make sure to save room for the restaurant’s signature buckwheat layer cake, accented with buckwheat honey caramel, fromage blanc, and crisp shards of buckwheat tuile. I’m not sure there’s a better gluten-free dessert on the continent.Mon Lapin’s co-owners, chefs Jessica Noël and Marc-Olivier Frappier, and wine director Vanya Filipovic, are all alums of the trendsetting Little Burgundy eatery and wine bar Vin Papillon, whose chef and owner happens to be celiac. Best known as half of the duo that opened Montreal icon Joe Beef, Fred Morin now presides over those two restaurants, plus the rotisserie McKiernan and gastropub Liverpool House. His kitchens have airtight allergy protocols and are particularly sensitive to gluten-free diners because of Morin’s own celiac status. And because so many Montreal chefs have passed through Morin’s kitchens, his influence looms large over the city’s fine dining scene—and its spirit of hospitality toward those with allergies and intolerances.While all of Morin’s restaurants are fantastic, Vin Papillon is the one we come back to every year—its Jambon de la Petite-Bourgogne is one of the world’s great meat-and-cheese plates, featuring house-cured ham, the Quebec sheep-milk cheese le Fleur des Monts, and a sneaky application of brown butter that brings together all the nutty, savory notes. For dessert the restaurant often serves a gluten-free carrot cake ice cream sandwich with caramel sauce in a silver goblet.Vin Papillon jambon Scott UsheroffVin Papillon carrot cake Matthew PerrinAnother Joe Beef group alum, Ariel Schor, runs one of our favorite Verdun neighborhood spots with his brother, Pablo. Both natives of Argentina with Jewish roots, the Schors run a restaurant called Beba with a particular affinity for offal (organ meats) and a surprisingly light touch with creative veg dishes that change seasonally. Swiss chard leaves are stuffed with zucchini and chard stems and served with a sweet-and-sour condiment of onions, raisins, and pine nuts. Medjool dates are impishly filled with foie gras and topped with pistachio. Elsewhere on the menu expect things like tongue, rabbit, chorizo, and tripe—dishes that tend to be gluten-free.Old-school bistrosWhen you’re craving Gallic comfort food, Montreal overdelivers. I used to think there were Leméac people and L’Express people, that one couldn’t possibly love Montreal’s two most prominent old-school bistros equally. I was wrong. The late local architect Luc Laporte designed both dining rooms, and they each have the buzzing, joyful energy most restaurants covet.L’Express is my first love, a Montreal stalwart open since 1980 that I’ve been to more times than I can count. Its main virtues for gluten-free eaters are a dedicated fryer and incredibly good french fries—available as a stand-alone side or, even better, as part of steak frites. There are plenty of other GF mains and entrées, but room must be saved for the enormous île flottante, a classic French meringue-based dessert encased in a hardened caramel dome and surrounded by shards of candied almond. For something on the lighter side, try the unique crème brûlée with wild sweet clover from Quebec, sometimes called boreal vanilla.Vin Papillon matsutake Scott UsheroffLeméac does not have a dedicated fryer, so fries don’t work for celiacs. But I promise you won’t miss them. We favor the textbook duck confit, served with roasted potatoes and a bright green salad. For dessert there’s an unmissable gluten-free chocolate-and-banana moelleux, a decadent cake served with caramel and popcorn ice cream, along with many other classics, including crème caramel.Syrian selectionsMontreal is also home to a number of fabulous Middle Eastern and North African restaurants, some of which can cater to gluten-free diners—albeit with asterisks. We love the standout Damas, a Syrian fine-dining spot on a pretty corner in Outremont, though gluten-free choices are limited. Still, it’s worth the trip for the ground lamb and eggplant kebab grilled over open charcoal and accompanied by charred pepper, tomato butter, and gobs of garlic labneh and the dreamy hummus topped with lamb shawarma and pine nuts, which can be served with crudités rather than pita. Both are among the best things I’ve eaten in recent memory.Le Petit Alep, a neighborhood institution near Jean-Talon, offers more Syrian and Armenian options. The marvelous mezes are largely gluten-free and served—upon request—with crudités; savory, comforting mujaddara is made with lentils and rice, no bulgur, barley, or other glutenous grains. End with the house herbal tea, a beautiful floral mixture of cardamom pods, mint, rosewater, and orange blossom. I’ve tried to make it at home, but I can’t quite replicate it. That’s okay—I’ll be back next year.