Ibérica Montréal: A new Spanish restaurant Downtown Montreal

For a very long time, Downtown Montreal was not necessarily known as a foodie destination. In the past few years however, there has been a big change in the right direction with more and more restaurateurs opening their new ventures — aiming at changing the gourmet landscape in this dense and vibrant commercial neighbourhood. I was recently invited to discover this new location called Ibérica, a Spanish cuisine haven located a few steps away from Peel Station, right at the heart of Downtown Montreal.

Disclaimer: I was invited to test this restaurant, all opinions are my own. I wouldn’t write about it if I didn’t like it. 

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The space and design at Ibérica Montréal

The first thing you see when you step into Ibérica Montréal is a wonderful, carefully thought and designed location. The ambiance and look of the place reminded me of several places I visited in Barcelona, like Granja Petitbo, where the old meets the new.

The restaurant — which used to be a menswear boutique — has been completely redesigned by a designer I’ve mentioned a couple times in the past, Zébulon Perron.

While the space looks narrow from the street, it’s a complete different story when you enter — thanks to the mirrors covering up the walls, it creates an illusion of a larger space while remaining very homey, thanks to the warm tones of wood.

If you’ve ever been to Café Parvis or Cacao 70 Factory, you’ll immediately recognize some design staples the designer often use in his creations — such as the famous “raw” walls you’ll see in the pictures.

The real pièce de résistance though, is this fabulous custom ceiling light that overlooks the main dining area.

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The menu at Ibérica Montréal

Chef Marino Tavares is the great mind behind the menu at Ibérica Montréal. Tavares has over 25 years of experience and has worked in some of the best restaurants in Montreal.

The menu offers a wide variety of tapas and traditional stews — that are both very easy to share. Of course, to go along with this amazing food, there’s a great Spanish wine selection.

What really makes Ibérica stand out from any other Spanish restaurant in Montréal is the Josper — one of the finest charcoal oven available on the market. This charcoal oven gives a truly unique taste to every dish they put in it.

I was invited at the media opening and we were offered a tasting menu. Every single dish we tasted was very simple and so tasteful. Indeed, some of them really stood out for me and here they are. The only thing I wasn’t really into was the paella and it’s solely based on a personal preference. If you like paella, you should definitely give it a try.

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Appetizers at Ibérica Montréal

Starting off the meal in full force with a homemade Bloody Caesar that was really spicy enough to make you forget you’re in the middle of a Canadian winter.

We then pursued with anchovies, Spanish charcuterie, Manchego cheese and grilled asparagus.

We didn’t get the chance to try the raw bar, but it looked very appetizing in the menu.

I really liked the Jamón Ibérico that was on the charcuterie board.

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Main courses at Ibérica Montréal

After the appetizers, we had fish, meat and paella. The pork skirt steak with chimichurri was the main course that stood out the most for me. The charcoal oven kept all the tenderness and juice in the meat.

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Desserts at Ibérica Montréal

Having myself a sweet tooth, I would recommend to keep some room for dessert, because churros!

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How to get to Ibérica Montréal

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