LakayZoe Express Restaurant — Restaurant in Montreal

As a Haitian foodie living in Montreal, i first visited Lakay Zoe Express out of pure curiosity — and was met with a lively vibe, bold flavors, and a menu that plays with tradition in all the best ways. With kompa music playing, sports on the TVs, late-night hours (open until 4 a.m.!), and plates full of comforting griot, it quickly became a standout in Montreal-Nord.

On my first visit, I ordered the Mini Griot Bowl — tender, crispy fried pork served with djon djon (Haitian black mushroom) rice, corn, salad, fresh avocado, and macaroni salad. A great deal for the price, though I found the macaroni salad and pikliz could’ve used a little more punch. I paired it with the Choucoune Passion Fruit Juice, which was sweet, tangy, and had a nice texture from the pulp and seeds.

For a fun twist, I tried the viral Hot Cheetos Boudin Balls — three crunchy, spicy bites stuffed with cheese, rice, sausage, and ground beef, served with a spicy cheese sauce. Flavorful, but on the pricier side for the portion. I wrapped up the meal with a Pâté Corde filled with hareng (salted fish, sausage, and egg) — the filling was deliciously briny, though I wished the pastry had been a bit warmer and crispier. Service was warm and welcoming, even though the food took about 45 minutes to come out — understandable given the mix of dine-in and delivery orders.

Recently, I had the chance to return to Lakay Zoe and dive deeper into the menu as part of a collaboration — sharing my honest thoughts, as always. 🫶🏽

Here’s what I tried this time:

🍹 Drinks: • Blue Raspberry Pineapple Kool-Aid-style drink — fun and nostalgic, but very sweet. • Strawberry Watermelon Kool-Aid-style drink — a little too sweet for my taste. • Lakay Zoe Lemonade (Corossol/Soursop flavor) — super refreshing and tropical. • Malta au Lait — a classic, nostalgic sip for any Haitian foodie.

🥟 Starter: • Chicken Egg Roll — my favorite of the night! A savory, well-seasoned filling balanced perfectly with a sweet dipping sauce.

🍽️ Mains: • Côtelettes d’Agneau (lamb chops) — juicy and tender, topped with a creamy sauce (if you’re not big on sauces, I’d recommend asking for it on the side). • Mac and Cheese — rich, creamy, and soul-food style; I would’ve loved to see more of a traditional Haitian version or maybe a Haitian twist on the soul food style with some Creole seasoning for a deeper flavor. • Fries and Plantains — both super crispy, exactly what you want. Don’t skip the pikliz on the side to add that Haitian heat and crunch.

🔥 Boudin Balls (yes, again!): • Still loving the crispy Hot Cheetos shell and hearty cheese, rice, sausage, and beef filling, plus that spicy cheese sauce on the side. Would still love to see a more affordable, single-ball option!

🦞 Seafood: • Lobster — beautifully seasoned, juicy, and full of flavor. • Shrimp — well-cooked and nicely seasoned. • Salmon — good texture, though it could use a bit more seasoning to really stand out. • Diri Djon Djon (Haitian black mushroom rice) — rich, savory, and the perfect side to bring everything together.

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I share local foodie finds and cultural gems over at @foxyappetite on Instagram and @foxy.appetite on TikTok — and Lakay Zoe Express definitely earned its spot.

(This experience was comped as part of a media collaboration — sharing my honest...

TikTok really made y’all famous and y’all couldn’t keep up! My first time was short and sweet the day time cashier really makes a difference in the service that needs to be provided she’s great. Afterwards going there at night is a disaster. They treat the black gloves that they wear like second skin meaning they do everything everything with them ( money, food, drinks ) it’s unsanitary Clearly they don’t wash there rice as the man was pouring rice straight from the bag into the pot 😒 -The chubby cheeks ( don’t know her name) that works there has full attitude and is clearly annoyed by people coming in she can’t even have eye contact with her customers lady stay in the back. I asked for a chicken pate kode and she smelled it with her nose to give me the correct one 😭 I almost fainted😩 Overall this place is over hyped unsanitary...

As my 16 hours work shift was getting close to the end, I started thinking about what I could get on my way home to eat and relax while watching some anime. Of course Fritay was what came to mind first, so I logged on Google to see what was open and I was glad to see this restaurant, that I had been ordering from, was gonna be open until 4am💃🏽 so I gladly ordered my Fritay, with a few extra items, to go pick up after work. As always, I was pleasantly impressed with the quality of the food and the care the put into the details. My Tassot was finger licking good, the plantains were freshly made, very soft and cooked to perfection. The restaurant was clean and the staff is very friendly. They are definitely worth...