The 38 Essential Restaurants in Montreal

"This snug La Petite-Patrie establishment takes the form of a small neighborhood bistro, yet exudes the warmth and flavors of North Africa. Aptly named Darna, translating to “home” in Arabic, it wears an effortless ambience: rattan light fixtures, an array of mismatched picture frames, pillow-lined seating. Dig into comforting dishes like sunchokes with roasted hazelnuts in a ras el hanout butter, a saffron-spiced chicken tagine with new potatoes and preserved lemon, herby falafel with house pickles and flaky rghaif, and vanilla panna cotta with poached pears in cardamom-saffron syrup. Open for Moroccan brunches on weekends, too." - Valerie Silva