After 40 weeks on the Gazette best-seller list, Lesley Chesterman’s guide to dining out in Montreal is back on the culinary map, in a completely updated and revised edition. With 50 new restaurants, Flavourville keeps pace with Montreal’s evolving restaurant scene. Chesterman continues to lead us on a gastronomic odyssey through more than 150 of the top restaurants in and around Montreal. Flavourville will tell you everything you need to know to enjoy your dining experience from start to finish, including each chef’s style of cuisine, favoured ingredients and the unique dishes that are not to be missed. And Chesterman doesn’t forget the details of mise-en-scène, including decor, the wine list, the level and quality of service, and — of course — the price range. On a budget, or not in the mood to dress for dinner? Browse through Flavourville’s special casual-dining section and choose from among 30 restaurants serving everything from gnocchi and smoked meat to sweetbreads with wild mushrooms and enchiladas verdes. Chesterman sketches the scene — the kind of crowd the place attracts, the ambience it creates, what makes it work. Montreal is one of the culinary capitals of North America and Flavourville will help you gain maximum enjoyment from the city’s vibrant dining-out scene. Whether you’re interested in trying out the reputed high temples of gastronomy or the author’s top picks of the more casual places, Flavourville is the restaurant guide you need to make your experience memorable. Don’t dine without it.

Lesley Chesterman attended the Institut de Tourisme et d’Hôtellerie du Québec, before working as a professional pastry chef and cooking teacher in Montreal and France. In 1998, she began her career as a food writer, primarily at the Montreal Gazette as a food columnist and restaurant critic from 1999 to 2019. Her work has also appeared in Gourmet Magazine, The Art of Eating, Saveur, Nuvo, Food Arts, The Globe and Mail (Toronto), Wine Tidings, The National Post, Fool Magazine, New York Post, Eater.com, Le Devoir, and Caribou Magazine.
Since 2012, Lesley has been a food columnist for Radio-Canada and CHOM FM. In 2018, she also contributed to the production of the documentary 100 Ans à Table, focused on the history of Quebec cuisine televised on Télé-Quebec, on which she acted as host as well. Chesterman has also held several judging positions, including Gold Medal Plates, EnRoute Magazine’s best new restaurants, Cacao Barry’s World Chocolate Masters, and the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best list. She has also written several books, including Boulangerie et Pâtisserie: Techniques de Base and Flavourville: Lesley Chesterman’s Guide to Dining out in Montreal. Her latest, Chez Lesley, was awarded a Taste Canada 2021 gold medal and will be published in Fall 2022 as Make Every Dish Delicious.

Lesley Chesterman's profile page