The best Italian restaurants in Montreal

Stellina is an Italian restaurant located in the heart of Old Montreal, near the Old Port. Under the direction of chef and co-owner Jonathan Agnello, the establishment offers cuisine rooted in old-world Italian traditions, with fresh pasta prepared daily in the kitchen. The menu evolves with the seasons and highlights fresh products, particularly daily seafood selections, chosen with rigor. The restaurant's atmosphere, featuring a decor of stone, light and noble materials, creates a theatrical setting that enhances every moment. The exceptional wine cellar features Italian wines and great vintages selected to complement each dish. Open Monday to Friday for lunch and Sunday to Saturday for dinner, Stellina caters to lovers of Italian gastronomy seeking a refined experience.

Opened in 2018 at the corner of Wellington and Regina streets in Verdun, Rita is the passion project of couple **Sophie Bergeron and Joey D'Alleva**, named after both of their grandmothers, who shared the same name.

Joey draws on his Italian nonna's recipes to craft a simple, colourful and generous cuisine: house-made pizzas, fresh pastas, melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi and a Caesar salad widely considered among the city's best. The menu shifts with the seasons and local producers.

The original brick walls, golden lanterns and family photographs create an intimate, warm atmosphere, complemented by a thoughtful selection of natural, orange and private-import wines curated by Philippe Girard.

Impasto has held 48 rue Dante since July 2013, across from the Dante hardware store run by the Faita family.

Stefano Faita and Michele Forgione, a chef trained in pastry, serve regional Italian cooking built on Quebec ingredients: house-cured charcuterie, focaccia, ricotta gnocchi, spelt gnocchi, saffron tagliatelle with salt cod, and the porchetta del nonno, which never leaves the menu. The rest turns over every three months, and a four-course menu waits for the undecided.

Fifty seats, marble and wood by Zébulon Perron, a bar running along the open kitchen, a loud room. This was the duo's first restaurant, followed since by Gema, Vesta and Chez Tousignant.

Il Miglio sits at the corner of Saint-Laurent and Fairmount, in the Mile End, and its name means the mile.

Giovanni Rasile, Michele Mercuri, Claude Pelletier and Hubert Marsolais, the team behind Club Chasse et Pêche and Le Filet, wanted the opposite of their dining rooms here: a fast counter cantina where everything turns on fresh pasta. You pick your shape and your sauce, the mushroom campanelle never leaves, neither does the carbonara. Antipasti, arancini, lasagne and house tiramisu round it out. Wine and beer come in small glasses, Italian style.

One long communal table holds the middle of the room. The counter also sells pasta and sauces to take home.

Set on Notre-Dame Ouest in Saint-Henri, Elena has been one of Montreal's most sought-after addresses since opening in 2018: a restaurant that manages to be both effortlessly cool and genuinely serious, where wood-fired pizza meets a thoughtfully curated wine list and dishes rooted in revisited Italian tradition.

The vibe is relaxed but the cooking is precise, drawing neighbourhood regulars and cross-city food lovers alike.

Elena has built a distinct identity that extends well beyond the plate, with an online boutique and fashion collaborations that cement its place in Montreal's cultural landscape: a modern institution that never goes out of style.