La Lumiere du Mile End

perfect fun and delicious

I went there twice with some friends.
Food is really good (especially the Provençal burger, in my opinion).
The ambience is cool, always playing some good music.
Only problem, it can take a while to be served, both times we were there it took around half-​hour to get our orders (only one person to serve 5 – 6 tables in rushy-​lunch hour).
Can’t wait to terrace season to try theirs! :)

Première déception de mon séjour Montréalais et pas des moindres !
Loin d’être lumineux, je n’avais encore jamais été accueillie dans un lieu de la capitale avec aussi peu de professionnalisme et autant de mauvaise volonté…
Après 45 minutes d’attente et de réflexions désobligeantes, entourés de seulement… 2 clients ! Mes amis et moi-​même avons décidé de repartir chez le voisin haut en couleurs et jamais décevant: le Dépanneur Café :)
Je né peux donc pas vous parler de la cuisine, ma patience a décidé de la snober !

Brilliant!
Another one of my favourite spots in MTL
The weekend brunch is always exciting and never falls short of awesome.
Maria is a true love, she has the biggest heart and you feel it her preparations and restaurant vibe.
Splendid and uplifting décor.

I love La Lumière du Mile-​End!
Mary, the owner, is lovely and generous. This place is much more than a restaurant; it’s a place you meet truly nice people (and enjoy a DELICIOUS vegetarian snack.) ;)
I felt home the second I sat at the «bar» where Mary welcomed me like a friend.
I had a vegan sandwich loaded with fresh and crispy veggies. Beautiful!!! For me, it was prefect. I usually think that food in restaurant is too heavy, salty and fat. But Mary got it right: the veggie sandwich tastes like VEGGIES!
Love you Lumière du Mile-​End!!! Thanks for sharing you goodness with us! xox

Food is ok, portions are a little small, left still hungry. Cute folkie vibe but could use a scrubbing. Veg shouldn’t mean grubby but for some reason and a sad one at that, they seem to go hand and hand more often then not. Staff is super sweet though.

A true gem! The best Vegan spot in Montréal that I need to visit again! The ambiance is wonderful, warm, cool and eclectic. A wonderful mix of old school and new art, colourful and cute. The food is incredible. All meals are home made, recipes are from scratch and the owner Maria is an absolute sweetheart! The coffee, deserts and vegan burgers are incredible! The options are gluten free friendly and you can always ask about the items on the menu. The produce and ingredients are from local farms in Quebec and are all organic. I love this place!

J’ai essayé une couple de cafés (un chai latte avec lait d’amandes et le latte régulier de l’amie qui m’accompagnait) et le sandwich avocat à la crème. D’après cette amie, un des meilleurs lattes qu’elle a bu parmi tous les cafés qu’on a fait. Pour moi, MEILLEUR SANDWICH parmi tous les dits cafés. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ will go again.

I go here at least once a week. It‘s always fresh and always amazing and totally affordable. The staff is friendly and sweet. I highly recommend it!

A nice, quiet and unassuming vegetarian (with vegan options) café. Artsy, eclectic and with a sweet little terrace in the back. Very Mile End.
Went for brunch. Had the vegan burrito (beans, tomato, avocado, chipotle– comes with chips and salsa) and shared an almond-​milk chai latte and hot apple cider with a friend (both excellent, especially the cider– both could have been a touch hotter, though). The ingredients were fresh, and the burrito arrived hot and crispy on the outside, warm and wonderful on the inside. The only complaint I had was that it was way under-​seasoned (couldn’t taste the chipotle and it was woefully under-​salted; this coming from a person who is often accused of under-​salting when she cooks– in any case, nothing a little sriraccha couldn’t fix).
Great service and atmosphere; I’d definitely go back.

I’m surprised by some of the harsher reviews. The place is small, indeed. The plates, silverware, tables and serving pieces — eclectic and worn. I’ll give you that. I suppose those things don’t bother me at all. If you are in search of a polished, fine dining experience, you should probably go elsewhere. However, for the cost, the food is healthy and delicious! I’ve been twice in the last couple of years and plan to head there again this week. Had a great experience both times. Opt for the daily special. Service can be slow, but that is generally because the server is also the cook who is serving all of the customers. Plan to spend some time here. That may be the only reason I knock it down a star, but hardly a reason to pass up the great meal!

La lumière du Mile end, une petite devanture discrète, juste à côté du Dépanneur Café.
Un nom bien choisi pour ce charmant restaurant — salon de thé– végétarien de la rue Bernard.
Cet espace est tout plein de gaieté, avec ses murs bariolés, des odeurs fruitées, épicées, caféinées et surtout grâce aux sourires chaleureux de la patronne!
Le «bijou caché» de ce lieu est sa mini terrasse à l’arrière où quelques tables sont disposées au pied d’un grand arbre, où des petites sirènes se baignent allègrement dans une fontaine… Allez. fermez un peu les yeux.
Je n’ai pas hésité une seule seconde avant d’y emmener mes amies parisiennes venues me rendre visite ! Après une matinée de shopping, le porte-​monnaie léger, c’est le spot idéal pour se relaxer et savourer quelques mets sans se ruiner .
Un menu simple aux saveurs indiennes, Italiennes, provençales, ou encore d’Amérique du sud. Je me souviens des Quésadillas, du Végi-​burger indien, du Wrapsody, qui sont excellents. Je vous recommande aussi leurs smoothies au lait d’amande ou soja. Nous les avons presque tous goûté, mon préféré est celui aux bleuets!

I thought the place was great. The vegan dishes were delicious. And as far as the place, it had a great vibe to it.

Postage-​sized old-​style hippie joint, complete with emo folkie music playing in the background and a motley assortment of salvaged furniture all cobbled and slapped together. Vegetarian mains, smoothies, tisanes, (they’re not much for the real stuff) fair-​trade coffee. The proprietor suggested I bring groups here in summer for vegan lunches/​dinners, as she has a beautiful backyard. I saw the «beautiful» backyard, and it looks like a dump site! Afraid to imagine what it looks like in summer! Me thinks not, sorry! I’ve no idea what the food is like, as I’ve not tried it, but after seeing the backyard, and overall place, I’m frankly, afraid to.

01.24.13 UPDATE: I’ve heard that La Lumiere has stepped it up since my August review and a bunch of my friends love this platce. As soon as I go again, I’ll update my review, hopefully adding some stars to the walk!
08.30.12 REVIEW: really wanted to love this place. Around the corner, fresh vegan food, grassroots feel, crayons for the kids, courtyard in the back, nice people, etc.
Perhaps four years ago when this place opened it was really nice. But there has been zero attention paid to physical upkeep. Now, what I can imagine was once funky and cute has devolved into dilapidated and careless. Tables were falling apart with nails sticking out of them, courtyard actually backs up to a bunch of garbage bins/​dumpster which stinks, etc.
Food was slow, but decent (probably a three). However, with places like Aux Vivres down the way and Panthere Verte around the corner, well, I think La Lumiere needs to try harder. A week of scrub-​a-​dub clean-​up and refreshing could have that place back in effect.
Rating Scale:
1 Star: Avoid the town in which this place is located just to be safe.
2 Star: Risky at best.
3 Star: I’ll try it again or consume here in a pinch.
4 Star: I eat here regularly if financially and calorically feasible.
5 Star: I’m comfortable taking other chefs here.