Greeks in Greece and the Greek Islands are particularly proud of their culture, country and speak of it with an intense passion, feeling that their culture is a definition of their national and ethnic belonging. Traditions, religion, music, language, food and wines are the major composites of the Greek culture .

Greek cuisine is famous for its good quality products and the amazing taste of its food and wines. Some dishes are the same everywhere in Greece, whereas some others are local culinary specialties or same dishes cooked in different manners (in the Greek islands, Crete, Thessaloniki, etc…).

Montrealers are the luckiest of all to have such a number of excellent Greek restaurants to choose from. We have included some of the best in Montreal for you peruse below.

We also believe to truly enjoy and appreciate Greek cuisine, we have included a brief description of some of the more popular Greek wines and dishes you will find in these restuarants.

Montreal Greek restaurants Mezedes:

The mezedes (one meze) are appetizers, served before or with the main dishes, usually accompanied with ouzo or tsipouro.

They come in small plates and are one of the basic elements of the Mediterranean culture of sharing food and wine with friends, in a joyful and unhurried environment.

- Horiatiki Salata: Also know as "Greek salad", the horiatiki is a mix of fresh tomatoes, olives, cucumber, onions, green pepper, feta cheese, olive oil and oregano.

- Tzatziki: Greek yogurt with finely chopped cucumber, garlic and olive oil. Ideal to eat with fresh Greek bread, fried potatoes or fried meatballs.

- Melitzanosalata: An eggplant purée with finely chopped garlic and olive oil. It is succulent with fresh bread, a Greek tradition.

- Taramosalata: Crushed fish's eggs.

- Saganaki: Fried cheese. Different sorts of cheese can be found in saganaki. Excellent with a zest of lemon.

- Keftedakia: Fried meatballs: beef, garlic and bread. Excellent with a lot of lemon on.

- Spanakopitakia: Little spinach pies with crushed feta cheese, a Greek speciality.

- Tiropitakia: Little cheese pies, usually made of feta or kasseri.

- Horta: Boiled wild greens with olive oil, salt and lemon.

- Briam: Mix of roast potatoes, eggplants, onions, garlic, tomato sauce and olive oil.

- Dolmadakia: Grape leaves filled with rice and onions and sometimes minced beef.

- Kalamarakia: Small pieces of fried squid with lemon juice.

- Htapodi: Small pieces of octopus served either fried with lemon juice or boiled, with olive oil, vinegar and oregano.

- Feta cheese: The famous Greek cheese can also be eaten alone, as a meze, with olive oil and oregano and is served in all Montreal Greek restaurants.

Greek Restaurants MAIN DISHES

Montreal Greek restaurants have a lot of excellent main dishes containing, almost always, meat.

- Moussaka: This famous Greek dish has a base made of potatoes topped with eggplants onions, minced beef and béchamel.

- Pastitsio: This is another well-known Greek dish reminding of the Italian Lasagnas. It consists of a base made of a kind of noodles topped with minced beef, onions, tomato sauce and béchamel.

- Paidakia: Grilled lamb's ribs served with lemon on most menus in Montreal Greek restaurants.

- Kokoretsi: This is one of the favorite dishes of Greeks; they mostly eat it during Easter. It consists of wrapped and roasted entrails of lamb, served with a lot of lemon.

Montreal Greek restaurant soups

Greek soups are succulent and are a favorite dish during winter.

- Kotossoupa: Chicken soup usually with avgolemono (sauce made with eggs and lemon).

- Psarossoupa: Fish soup with parsley, potatoes and carrots.

- Fassolada: White bean soup with parsley and, sometimes, tomato sauce.

- Fakies: Lentil soup with tomato sauce.

- Mayiritsa: Easter soup made of the inside of lamb, dill and the avgolemono sauce (egg and lemon).

- Patsa: Tripe soup, considered by Greeks as a very good remedy to hangovers.

Montreal Greek restaurants HERBS & SPICES

Greece is famous for its unique herbs and spices which they use in every dish to add an extra taste and delight the senses. The excellent quality of Greek spices and herbs is due to the long sunshine periods, making the Greek flora particularly rich, producing an incredible variety of the best herbs and spices in the world.
Famous herbs of great quality and easy to find in Greece are the chamomile, the mountain tea, sage, basil, mint, parsley, tilio (lime leaves used as an infusion) and much more.
Supreme Greek spices are the sesame (white sesame also), the cumin, the machlepi and the valuable red saffron.

Montreal Greek restaurants WINES AND ALCHOL

Greece is a big producer of wines and local alcohols.

- Tsipouro
This really strong alcohol looks a bit like Ouzo but with a stronger taste of anis. Greeks drink it with ice and sometimes add a bit of water. It is always accompanying with mezedes and good friends.
In different parts of Greece such as Crete, some islands and the northern Greece made there own home made Tsipouro, also called Raki (depending of the region) which is really strong and served in most Greek estaurants in Montreal.

- Ouzo: This is the most famous Greek alcohol, trade mark of the country. It is a strong alcohol, drinkable with straight with ice or with a bit of water. It is ideal to drink with all kinds of mezedes. The best ouzo is made in Lesvo (or Mytilini) and the best trades are Ouzo Plomariou and Barbayanni.

- Mavrodafni: This sweet wine is made in Patras (big town in the Peloponnese). It is really thick and dark (almost black) and can be compared to the Portuguese Porto. It is usually drink like liquor, a digestive or like a night drink.

- Retsina: The famous Retsina is a Greek white wine with a particular resin taste. This taste is due to the way of production of this wine: they put the grapes in new cask which have still the wood resin on, giving to the whine that special taste.

- Wines of Greece: There is a huge diversity of Greek wines: red, white and rose, sweet or dry. For a detailed gallery of Greek wines, go to