Restaurant Emiliano's

Excellent Aztec soup, the enchiladas with green sauce where very good too. Definitely will come back, too bad they didn't have "tres leches" for dessert, I hope they have next time. "Enmoladas de carne" are the perfect "mole sauce" introduction for those that never tasted it before, I personally like it more spicy but it was good.

2016/08/04
I was out for my evening dinner walk in old Montréal in August, and I noticed Emiliano's had opened up. Since I like Mexican food a lot, I thought I would give it a try, and I am glad I did.

The first thing I noticed was the general layout of the restaurant. The ground floor dining room was relatively long and narrow, with a very high, two storey ceiling. There is a mezzanine that takes up about a quarter of the air space, with wrought iron railings and bannister. The rooms are a mix of modern lines (tables and chairs) with the wrought iron providing a retro Spanish feel. During the summer they have a patio outside on the sidewalk.

I started my meal with the Nopal (Cactus Salad). The cactus was cut into spaghetti-like strands and, for a salad, was an interesting and fun presentation. The lime and cilantro dressing was refreshing.

For my main course I chose the Green Enchiladas. The chicken was tender, the tortilla was just the right kind of soft, and the green sauce that smothered the dish was very good. Not sure what was in the sauce, but it tasted good.

If I went back to restaurants, I would go back there.

The restaurant's contemporary interior comprises a bar area and open kitchen on the ground floor. There was a solid turnout and lively atmosphere for a Monday.  Between the street-side terrace, bar vibe below and cozy setting above, there is something to satisfy all moods in this well-distributed space.

Emiliano's menu strongly promotes Mexico's rich, diverse culinary heritage from its origins and influences to regional flavours. Omnipresent favorites such as tacos, tamales, quesadillas and enchiladas are exoticized with queso fresco, mole and al pastor; highlighting the cuisine's Aztec roots, Northern/Oaxacan variants as well as its Lebanese connection. As for spirits, a short but creative cocktail menu is followed by a long list of tequilas and a selection of imported beer.

Dishes are presented family-style; meaning sharing is of the essence here – you will want to try everything anyway! Bright and mellow flavours were brought to life with just enough background heat to tantalise the palate; ¡muy bien! Throw in the contemporary plating and you end up with one of the most unique Mexican restaurants in town.

In conclusion, not only is this new Old Montreal tenant the only Mexican eatery in the area, it's an excellent one at that. ¡Salud!