Get in my belly!

Fine dining at Restaurant Le Blanc is as easy as reading the next couple of sentences. Walk in and find the stunning staff greet and escort you to your set table or stylish booth for some pre-meal cocktails. You'll be hearing the smooth sounds of their in-house live singer(s) and accompanied musician(s). Don't you dare shy away from the steak or fish, for they are both incredibly tasty and satisfying. Both the appetizers and desserts will open and linger a taste so delicious, you might order seconds!

Euro Deli is a gem of a find, smack-dab in the middle of a string of late-night fast food joints, night clubs and fancy restaurants. Offering an authentic taste of Italian favorites in a very low-key atmosphere (think less deli and more designer Italian lunch counter). Euro-Deli sets itself apart by using only the finest ingredients, and offers fantastic food at affordable prices. The pizza blows 99 cent competitors out of the water with its thin crust and real cheese. Try the made-to-order cannolis filled with fresh cheese or chocolate with a latte of the highest quality espresso – topped, of course, with a bittersweet slip of dark chocolate.

Pizzedelic is well known to find inexpensive personal thin-crust pizzas of your choice. With a menu that extends past pizzas, don't be shy to try a pasta or their burgers. Eat well for under $20 with their kitchen open until midnight everday.

This decorative restaurant is located right in the heart of the hip Plateau, around the corner from all the action on lower St-Laurent. Trendy and modern, Ginger’s minimalist atmosphere is perfect for enjoying a beautifully presented meal and tasty martini before a night out dancing on the Main.

A longtime staple of the St-Laurent restaurant industry, Cafeteria is a veritable success story and it does what it does well, much to the chagrin and envy of others on the boulevard. Open early in the morning (8am), and lasting well into the wee hours (3am), the Caf menu includes a roster of tasty breakfast, lunch and dinner favorites including the revered and infamous fried calamari. Caf is loved for its warm and inviting atmosphere, and known for its steady stream of beautiful people, both inside and on the boulevard just outside the people-watching windows that serve as the restaurant’s street-side wall.

No trip to Montreal is ever complete without a dish of real Québecois poutine, and there is no better place to sample this ridiculously fattening and unexpectedly delicious indulgence than at Quebec’s own namesake, La Belle Province. For those not “in the know”, poutine is a plate of french fries sprinkled with curds of fresh soft cheese, and drenched in a tasty chicken-based gravy. To non-Canadians (or anyone not from east of Ontario or north of Niagara Falls) this may seem disgusting – alas, put your hesitation aside and stop off at this convenient counter location after you stumble out of the club to sample this best-loved greasy spoon delicacy.

Oy Oy Oysters. One of the few oyster bars in the city, Maestro SVP never leans on laurels of its monopoly when it comes to gourmet and innovative seafood. They feature an extensive menu of oysters from around the globe, but filets of fresh fish, mussels, lobster, calamari, crab, shrimp… the welcoming and elegant restaurant is a seafood lover’s dream. Try Sunday or Monday nights for all-you-can-eat mussels for $11.99, or stop by on a Tuesday for their oyster specials.

Pizza for 99 cents? This counter-service pizza joint caters to both the daytime and late night crowd, and are a perennial favorite of tourists, students and fast-food connoisseurs for rapid, not-so-friendly service, bottom-of-the-barrel prices, and hot, fresh, ready-to-eat pizza with a variety of toppings. Pizza for 99 cents!

It won’t be anything out of the ordinary to see your dish made from scratch and with the constant aid of the recipe cook book of Frite Alors. Translation equals an inappropriate French expression where the French fries (frite) are replaced with the inappropriate word! Alright, so burgers and fries don’t get better than at Frite Alors! Try the “Andalouse” sauce with the fries or have a world famous poutine, which is a meal on its own.

A fine oriental décor and subtle music with a new twist is on De La Gauchetiere in Chinatown at Mongolian Hot Pot. Talk about customizing your meal, at this second-level restaurant you receive your own “hot pot”, select your broth and the food to put in your soup. Ask for some help from your server, for the choices are endless.

Right on the border of Chinatown, Deer Garden is a family-owned and operated Cantonese-Szechuan-Thai restaurant, specializing not in fancy décor but in delicious and more importantly, authentic Asian cuisine. With a diverse and affordable menu (1¼ pound lobster $14 in-season, and a half a BBQ-style duck for $15), Deer Garden is very customer-friendly and very tasty. Bonus: while the restaurant itself does not hold a liquor license, it is a BYOW, meaning customers can bring their own wine to consume on the premises free of charge. Deer Garden is the perfect place for a large informal group dinner or quick bite to eat for two.