Food Halls: The new urban concept for better food

Often when we talk about food court, we often think of fast food. For a few years, a revival is essential with the food halls. Explore with us some new options in Montreal, Quebec City and Toronto. I had observed the phenomenon in 2013 during my trip to London when the Harrod’s itself had a huge Food Hall, a concept that I would have liked to see in the Holt Renfrew Ogilvy. I asked myself the question a few years ago.

The Montreal Food Halls

Marché Artisans

It is truly this place located in the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth which started the ball of renewal in the field of food halls in Montreal with its opening in 2017. You will find a market, as its name suggests, but also several ready-to-eat counters.

You can enjoy fish, meats, pizzas, cheeses, sandwiches, vegetarian dishes, in short, everything, fresh and with generous portions.

Learn more about Marché Artisans

The Time Out Market Montréal 

The latter was created in November 2019 on the 1st floor of the Eaton Center, in the part where the Les Ailes complex used to be. The concept of the Time Out group, created in 1968, was born in April 2014 when Time Out Lisbon launched the Time Out Mercado da Ribeira. Since then, it’s been madness. Expansion continues in several cities around the world including New York, London, Miami.

The idea of the concept is global in terms of design. Refined, with 16 restaurants run by different Montréal chefs. Think of Normand Laprise du Toqué who opened the Burger T there, Charles-Antoine Crête and Cheryl Johnson who brings the atmosphere of the Montreal Plaza, Dyan Solomon with the Olive and Gourmando and Le Foxy and many others.

The space is huge and the concept easy to understand. The service can sometimes be slow, from 5 to 10 minutes, but this is not a bad thing. Here, they focus on the quality of food and the dishes (a little more gourmet) are made by the minute. The variety is incredible and none of the restaurants offer the same selection.

The place is very popular, so I advise you to choose your place and then go get your dish. There is a bar area which is open to over 18s, it is the only place where you can drink alcohol on site, cocktails are recipes from different bars in Montreal: the Coldroom, Le 4e Mur, The El Pequeno, Le Mal Nécessaire and many more. The place is very lively and DJs are often present to add to the festive side of the place.

Ateliers & Saveurs is coming downtown

Ateliers & Saveurs, a cooking school totally different from what you know, is the first of its kind in North America and offers cooking workshops, mixology lessons and wine tastings in one place. The restaurateurs and founders Arnaud Ferrand, along with Éric and Fanny Gauthier, opened their first branch in Old Montreal in 2008 to share their passion for cooking, wine and mixology. Now, they will offer their lessons at the cooking school at Time Out Market Montreal, a place where guests of all skill levels can learn new recipes and discover the pleasure of cooking. Each workshop will be led by passionate and experienced professionals wishing to share their years of experience.

Visit the website to know everything

Le Cathcart Restaurants and Biergarten

Small neighbor of the Time Out Market, the latter opens its doors in January 2020 at Place Ville-Marie, and also in a commercial building of the Ivanhoé Cambrige group, like the two other food fairs mentioned above.

Le Cathcart Restaurants et Biergarten was established as part of the Place Ville-Marie revitalization project. In a space of 35,000 square feet, we find new concepts of well-established chefs, including the renowned Antonio Park, and of Montreal’s emerging cuisine.

The new epicurean center of the city will offer a unique and varied culinary offer consisting of 3 restaurants with service, 9 counters and two cafes, in addition to the biergarten located under the imposing glass pavilion. This interior garden, a public space bathed in light and vegetation, will offer a festive social experience.

Discover le Cathcart

LE CENTRAL —Manger — Montréal: The most food-truck inspired of all Food Halls 

Project led by chef Danny Saint-Pierre, the latter is a consultant and investor and does not own a restaurant. They are icons of the Montreal gastronomic scene and essential emerging restaurateurs that can be found in this space. Inspired by the new wave of gourmet halls, LE CENTRAL differs a little from the others, as much by its experience as by its location.

LE CENTRAL is located at the corner of two emblematic arteries of Montreal, rue Sainte-Catherine and boulevard Saint-Laurent. It takes place in the Quartier des spectacles in the city center, the cultural and creative nerve center of the metropolis. A little more to the east than the 3 others mentioned above.

Here, it is truly a showcase of the incredible Montreal food offer: Portuguese canteen, authentic Neapolitan and Roman pizzas, gourmet burgers, healthy bowls, vegetarian and vegan dishes, cuisine from South and West India, snack – Laotian and Hawaiian bars, fried chicken, miso ramen in the purest Japanese tradition, the best of seafood, tasty cold cuts, fine cheeses and pork, selection of wines and cocktails, local microbrewery beers, elegant coffee and much more. A rich, diversified and affordable offer for gourmets of all tastes. Each restaurant has its own personality, and that’s what’s interesting here, you know immediately where to go.

We find in this gourmet hall more than 700 seats, in an open space, on a total area of 20,000 square feet. We go there to experience Montreal, its tastes, its smells, its culture; all under one roof. The ultimate destination for Montrealers and tourists who want to enjoy authentic, eclectic and multicultural Montreal. There will even be a terrace in summer, unfortunately not on the roof of the new building.

Discover LE CENTRAL

Toronto, Here are the luxurious Food Halls 

The first Eataly in Canada opens its doors

The very first Eataly in Canada to open in Canada is located at the Manulife Center on the corner of Bay and Bloor in Yorkville. This new location offers 50,000 square feet of high-end Italian cuisine.

Someone says seafood?

Whether you’re looking for a quick snack or a delicious meal, cafes, take-out counters and restaurants will certainly have something for you. From the beloved classics (Neapolitan pizza) to the freshest and most sustainable seafood (the Toronto family of La Mer Fish Market takes care of the counter) and to the seasonal dishes prepared by the chefs, Eataly Toronto offers a variety of high quality Italian dishes and more.

After tasting these regional Italian dishes, discover the same ingredients used by the chefs in the market. Like their various stores around the world, the one in Toronto offers local and Italian products. These carefully selected by the experts. There are also small farmers from Canada and many artisanal producers in Italy.

Finally, take the Eataly experience home with live demonstrations, cooking classes and free tastings. It seems to be a trend in different markets as we saw earlier. As part of the events at La Scuola di Eataly, learn how to make your own fresh pasta, take tasting tours of the regions of Italy, and more!

Learn more

McEwan : The fine ingredients of a star chef in Toronto steps in food halls

McEwan food halls

Clusier founder, Pierre-Benoit Duhamel, told us that one of his favorite restaurants in Toronto is ONE, in the chic Hazelton hotel, by chef Mark McEwan. It is therefore not surprising to find McEwan’s gourmet halls in our list.

The famed Food Network chef is revolutionizing food retailing to become a gourmet hotspot for local residents and visitors. Its two spaces include different counters depending on the locations. A cafe open all day, a butcher, a bakery, a pastry shop, a delicatessen, a product section, a sculpture station, hot and cold tables, a sandwich station, a sushi bar and much more. You can also indulge in home-made recipes from Chef Mark McEwan and bring inspiring products home.

Visit the website

The city of Toronto is full of several other gourmet food halls, which we will come back to on our next visit. But we can bet that Time Out Market will open in Queen City in a few years.

Cover photo: JF Galipeau