Forget about the boring and depressing food courts that we’re used to avoid in Montreal main shopping malls. Since the announcement of Time Out Market’s arrival at Eaton Center, there has been a “revolution” in the food court business everywhere around the city. New concepts are emerging that are a million miles from what we used to see only a few years ago. Think cooking demos, food trucks, bars, patios, live entertainment and, mostly : good food. Here is a list of new food courts you should be excited about.
NOW OPEN: Rockland’s recently opened La Cuisine, its new food concept where guests can enjoy : restaurant-inspired counters, celebrity chefs cooking demos, a kid’s playground, a bar and a stage for live entertainment.
Other innovations at Rockland “food hall” include:
-A large atrium with open-concept kitchens and floor-to-ceiling windows that offer extraordinary luminosity
-A central Italian restaurant and bar with personalized service
-The Children’s Garden, a fun kids’ zone with a play area
Permanent restaurants at La Cuisine are : BÀCARO Pizzeria, Pastaga, Liv Salads, Jerry’s (from chef Jerome Ferrer). The current food trucks are Duck Truck MTL and Mignon Churros & Nougat. In April, Tomio and Le Cheese Truck will be taking their place.
OPENING WINTER 2019: Time Out Market is coming to Montreal and it will be a hotspot for foodies and culture lovers in the city. Opening late 2019 in the Eaton Center on Sainte-Catherine Street in the heart of downtown Montreal. Visitors will get to taste food from a curated mix of 16 of the city’s top chefs and best restaurateurs, sip cocktails from leading mixologists at two bars, and experience culture with Montreal’s rising talents. There will also be a demonstration kitchen, a cooking academy, a retail shop and a cultural stage – all representing the very best Montreal has to offer (which is the signature of Time Out Markets all around the world).
OPENING WINTER 2019: Esplanade Place Ville Marie revitalization project is one of the main cornerstones of Projet Nouveau Centre, an Ivanhoe Cambridge initiative to revitalize downtown Montreal. A part of this is Le Cathcart Restaurants et Biergarten ,the new “food and drinks area” of Place Ville-Marie that will quickly become a destination of choice for business lunches, happy hour and festive evenings. Located under the future glass pavilion of the renewed Place Ville Marie Esplanade, the space will offer seating for more than a thousand people with 15 unique restaurant concepts, such as resto-bars, bistros and cafes, including three restaurants with table service.
What to expect:
-a wide variety of wines and cocktails, along with an impressive selection of local beers, all carefully chosen by renowned mixologists and sommeliers
-skilled chefs from Montreal’s culinary scene, including Antonio Park
-an immersive gourmet experience
-a multifunctional space featuring an appealing program with one-of-a-kind events
TO OPEN SUMMER 2019: Le Central, gastronomie Montreal Style in Le Quartier des spectacles. Located in Le Carre Saint-Laurent, the new food hall will count 22,000 square foot space and 40 vendors. The entertainment firm La Tribu (which is also handling Bouffons Montreal! will oversee Le Central) ,while well-known chef Danny St-Pierre will be acting as the company’s culinary director. The hall won’t open until summer 2019, so vendors are still to be determined, but we know that New York’s Chelsea Market was the inspiration for the “Place des Arts” new food hall project.
by Catherine Maisonneuve
