6 Montreal restaurants worth booking this spring

Cult MTL just released its evolving list of the top 25 restaurants in Montreal right now, and it's a solid snapshot of where the city's best food is happening. We picked six standouts worth getting on the reservation list.

**Le Violon** sits at the top of the list. It's refined and elegant, the kind of place world leaders and pop stars choose when they're in town. Co-owners Danny Smiles and Mitch Laughren put together a regularly shifting menu influenced by the seasons and their wide culinary backgrounds. The room, designed by Zébulon Pérron, is one of Montreal's most beautiful. The service is equally noteworthy, overseen by longtime collaborator Andrew Park. (4720 Marquette)

**Mon Lapin** in Little Italy has taken over as the city's most celebrated restaurant. Twenty years after Joe Beef changed Montreal dining, this place quietly became the successor. Marc-Olivier Frappier and Vanya Filipovic's kitchen is playful and occasionally iconoclastic — the croque-pétoncle (a scallop sandwich that rewrote that dish's rules) has earned its place in local culinary history. Filipovic's wine list is recognized by MICHELIN and World's 50 Best. (150 St-Zotique E.)

**Beba** in Verdun remains the gold standard for Montreal hospitality. Ari and Pablo Schor's Argentinian-rooted kitchen draws from Jewish, Spanish, and Italian influences, creating food that's unpretentious and absolutely delicious. Skip the empanadas; ask for the mackerel montadito and whatever is on special. (3900 Éthel)

These three anchor the upper tier. The full list includes 22 others — worth checking the original roundup if you're looking for your next table.