Mano Cornuto — Restaurant in Montreal

NOVEMBER 1, 2025 A special visit to a special town deserves a special establishment — and Manu Cornuto is it.

I was here two years ago, as you can tell from my review below, but it was so special again that it deserves an update. This visit with my daughter was filled with Montreal history, conversation, and, of course, Italian food — both on the table and in our discussions.

We talked about how we prepare our food and reflected on how, in a city so deeply rooted in Italian tradition and filled with countless great spots, this place still manages to do it a little differently — and a little more special.

Great night. Great service. Kudos. Will always return.

SEPTEMBER 2023 We were going to do steak on our last night-this night, in Montreal, but, a chef-College teacher buddy told me about this one place out of the dozen he visited on his recent trip.

We did arrive after telling our Uber to let us out blocks away, we changed venues last minute and I am walking wherever and whenever a chef tells me too!

There was no lineup when we got there the place was packed. After being told on the phone that they did not take reservations I saw quite the opposite occurring. I probably should have asked properly, and perhaps in French when I called :-).

When I inquired further about the reservation miscue, I was politely told one side of the room is reservable but not the other? Ok.

“Can we sit at the wood”?, . . . Me. Me - “There are two spots open”. Her - “We cannot put three” Me - “it’s ok, it’s not to tight, and there is an empty stool nearby” Her - “I cannot do such” Me - “Cannot or will not” Silence. Ok, it was not that abrupt, what I had meant to ask was . . why?? Aren’t we all thinking it by now? I saw only two settings placed in front of the two stools taking up enough room for 4 people. I guess the restaurant rules in La Belle Provence don’t want people to touch elbows when “oui” snack.

Oui, did get in quite quick though and WE were offered a drink, to which WE did order - 3 Peroni draft. Our table was outside on a great 22 degrees 6:30 late Autumn eve.

The hostess placed our beers on table and two peeps approached; our server and what appeared to be the Sommelier! All are casually and comfortably attired. A wine is quickly selected, the specials are described, cocktails are also ordered and turnaround on all is swift.

Of particular treat was the discussion with our young Sommelier (Tomas) on our choice of wine, its complexity and kudos to us for choosing. My brother asked how he had such knowledge, to which he politely and proudly replied “It’s my job”. Egg+faceolder brother.

We started with the special appetizer; tuna in a can essentially was explained to us - gotta be good yeah. You cannot believe how GOOD this was (all CAPS good, that’s how good)! Such few ingredients on top of quality tuna with a little bomba for flair.

We order all of the appetizers in their menu-gotta be good again right. There are only four. But what a four, do the same as I and order all if you visit.

We had the special pasta, and consistently repeated, few ingredients with impeccable execution. Something thicker than spaghetti, no hole throughout (so not bucatini), endive, butter, good bacon and herbs and Italian goodness.

One more dish, the porc tenderloin it was our servers favourite. I can see why, seasoned heavy on this trip, but try it too.

Special coffees (in this province=Americano coffees and booze on the side) add male camaraderie and banter, bs and bs related stories, loud, more loud then shushing, and closing with a shot with our server, My older bro - “you’re having one?” Server - “Yes!” Egg encore.

One of the better meal experiences I have had in some...

During Easter weekend I had to travel to Montreal on business, and I got to stay at a new up and trendy area of town, Griffintown, the atmosphere is dynamic, bustling, and cosmopolitan... there is nothing not to love about it, so I got to explore and ask around where to grab something to eat, and a few times "Mano Cornuto" came up, long story short, one evening after work I casually strolled into the unassuming retro ambience of the dining area, I did not have a reservation so I sat at the bar, and I had the pleasure of meeting the owner who gave me some insight on how long Mano Cornuto had been in business and a bit on their inspiration for Italian cuisine and personalised wine list.

I was served and guided through the menu by Marie-Hélène, fantastic friendly service, diligent and truly concerned about my enjoyment, when I asked for a glass of red 🍷I was served Lunatico 2020 (Dei Agre di Cesi Marta - Puglia, Italia) well balanced, with body but not overpowering, on Marie-Hélène's recommendation I began with a Primi of zucca, where the spaghetti squash, ricota, spicy honey and pumpkin seeds gave a smooth and rich experience that I thoroughly enjoyed, the perfect opener, I followed with a plate of mezze maniche pasta alla Monzese, the italian sausage, saffron cream, raisins and anisetta were the perfect compliment, rich creamy, the pasta al dente and rich flavours of the saffron and anisetta pleasantly lingered in my palate... I usually do not eat dessert, but I had to oblige given the great previous experience with the zucca and maniche, so I asked Marie-Hélène for her recommendation, I was between the torta di pistacchio and the torta di cioccolato with roasted almonds, and given my previous choices she suggested la torta di pistacchio... by then I wanted to round up the Italian experience with a digestivo, so I kindly asked for a glass of Liquore Strega, that sealed the deal, the torta di pistacchio was spongy, humid, not too sweet and with the flavour of pistacchio lingering ever so lightly in the mouth. I loved visiting that first time... then I had to repeat and change the menu on my last evening in Montreal.

For my second evening I ordered a glass of Lunatico, and my primi was white asparagus on a bed of chickpea puree and pancetta that was rich and satisfying, I followed with conchiglie alla Bolognese, the San Marzano tomato sweetness, pecorino, sofrito, basil and ground pork and beef sauce was rich yet not overpowering with a nice aftertaste that prompted me to finish with the torta di cioccolato and roasted almonds accompanied with a Liquore Strega, the roasted almonds flavor complimented the expertly baked torta di cioccolato that was moist and creamy, that night's experience was different to my previous dining experience but not the less so enjoyable.

All in all Mano Cornuto was a great experience from the late 50's decor and ambience to the care with which each plate is prepared and presented, the quality of the food and wine could not be better, I feel that the menu has been cured with care and attention to detail that only someone with true love for its trade could have. I will definitely return on my next trip to Montreal.

Kudos to the team and specially to Marie-Hélène for her carefully chosen suggestions and ensuring that I was having a wonderful...

Beautiful terrace. Walk-ins only so expect to wait 15-30 minutes. Can reserve for inside seating but the place is very small so reservations two weeks ahead of time is recommended.

Excellent, professional service throughout the meal.

Seasonal menu that seemed to be adjusted to whatever was fresh and available. For example, swordfish fish main, based on pictures found on Google, had a lot more roasted vegetables previously. Ours had more heirloom tomatoes that are just perfectly ripe and sweet.

Another huge hit was the Bolognese. Traditional. Simple. Flavourful. The stuff that dreams are made of.

One of the other mains we tried was the breaded pork chop. It was well cooked albeit a little under seasoned.

In the appetizers, we tried the branzino crudo and the Nordic shrimps. The sauce in the branzino was such a nice balance of richness and acidity. Never tasted anything like it. Soped it up with some focaccia. It can do no wrong.

The Nordic shrimps were served with a herb filled ricotta dressing. Freshness in a plate. We noticed that for other tables, the dish was plated on a side plate. Ours was plated on one side of a dining plate. The portion is fairly small so dinners beware. To us, having it plated on the larger dining plate really emphasized the small portion of the dish.

For dessert, the classic tiramisu just perfectly wrapped up the meal. No fanfare, no bells and whistles. Just that beautifully rich square of tiramisu. These guys understood that tiramisu needed to be left alone. No more reinventing and reinterpreting. Just. Plain. Tiramisu.

Overall food was absolutely amazing with some very small misses. The prices were extremely reasonable given the quality of food.

As for the drinks, they have a small selection of cocktails. The Kitchen Spritz was where beer met Aperol Spritz. Light and refreshing in the summer heat on a terrace. But then again, it's a question of perspective. Another person at the table found that it tasted like juice from the sink mat.

The classic Aperol Spritz was strong on the Aperol. Again, question of preference I guess.

The wine list seemed to be focused mainly on natural wines. Some claim it's the future. Others believe it's just a fad. If you're unfamiliar with the wines on their list, as one of their excellent servers for recommendations.

In the end, a great restaurant to try for the first time and definitely one to go back to throughout the seasons. Quality price is right up there given the area. Restaurants are a dime a dozen around there and this one definitely stands out. Reserve ahead of time, arrive early or enjoy a cocktail or a beer as you wait. It's...