Michelin recognition boosts business for Montreal restaurants

Two Montreal restaurants say Michelin recognition is driving business despite a dip in tourism.

Whether you’re eating food or you’re making it, the Michelin mark means the crème de la crème.

Mastard is one of three Montreal restaurants to have received a Michelin star in the inaugural Michelin guide for Quebec. And chef and co-owner Simon Mathys sees the difference.

“There’s a little bit more reservations in advance than before for sure,” he says.

After opening Mastard on a whim, Mathys is still wrapping his head around the success.

He credits his 20 years in the restaurant business and a unique dining concept that was born out of the pandemic.

“It’s a set menu. So when you come, you sit down and we take care of you. It’s a five-course meal and you tell us about your allergies and things that you don’t like to eat or whatever. And we send you some food,” Mathys says.

Mastard’s phones are ringing off the hook - and that’s good considering Tourism Montreal says there are fewer tourists.

“Where we have a bit of an issue is on the international front. Because with the tariff, you know, and the war, economic war [...] this is the time where Europeans make their decision around traveling to Canada,” Yves Lalumière, the CEO of Tourism Montreal says.

At the French-inspired restaurant Parapluie, co-owner Robin Filteau Boucher says since his designation, he is seeing more crowds - including from the U.S.

“It’s pretty great for us because Michelin, it’s all around the world,” Filteau Boucher says.

Parapluie is one of seven spots in the city to earn a Michelin Bib Gourmand. It’s awarded to restaurants that offer high-quality food at a moderate price.

There will soon be even more room for tourists and Montrealers, as Filteau Boucher prepares to open Cave à Vin Parapluie in September.