Joe Beef is a restaurant in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. The owners describe the cuisine as “Bocusian-Lyonnaise cuisine du marché (French market cuisine).” It is located in the neighbourhood of

Little Burgundy Little Burgundy (, ) is a neighbourhood in the Le Sud-Ouest, South West Boroughs of Montreal, borough of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Geography Its approximate boundaries are Atwater Avenue to the west, Saint Antoine Street, Saint-An ...

, in the borough of Le Sud Ouest.

History

Joe Beef was opened on September 19, 2005 by David McMillan, Frederic Morin, and Allison Cunningham with financial guidance and investment by Jeff Baikowitz and David Lisbona. The restaurant took over the location of Café Miguel. The restaurant's name is a homage to Montreal's infamous Joe Beef, an alias for Charles McKiernan. McKiernan, who owned a tavern that served many lower-class laborers in Montreal, "died in his canteen of a heart attack at the age of 54." McKiernan's generosity and gluttony may have inspired the concept of Joe Beef restaurant, which challenges the conventions of fine French dining. As of November 25th, 2021 co-founder David McMillan announced his retirement, citing burnout and stress after 32 years in the restaurant industry stating, "I never want to shave white truffles on to asparagus for someone from Toronto ever again in my life". McMillan has since sold his shares to fellow co-founders and co-partners Fred Morin and Allison Cunningham.

Offerings

The menu at Joe Beef changes every dinner service, usually according to the produce sourced from

Atwater Market Atwater Market is a market hall located in the Saint-Henri area of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It opened in 1933. The interior market is home to many butchers and the Première Moisson bakery and restaurant. The outside market has many f ...

and other local suppliers.

Products

Frederic Morin and David McMillan, along with Meredith Erickson, have released two cookbooks: ''The Art of Living According to Joe Beef: A Cookbook of Sorts'' and ''Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse: Another Cookbook of Sorts'', which won Gold at the 2019 Taste Canada Awards. The cookbooks include recipes from the restaurants and homes of the Joe Beef owners.

Recognition

In 2025, the business received a 'Recommended' designation in Quebec's inaugural Michelin Guide. Per the guide, a 'Recommended' selection "is the sign of a chef using quality ingredients that are well cooked; simply a good meal" and that the anonymous inspectors had found "the food to be above average, but not quite at ichelin starlevel."

Canada's 100 Best Restaurants Ranking

References

External links

Joe Beef
2005 establishments in Quebec Le Sud-Ouest Restaurants established in 2005 Restaurants in Montreal {{Canada-restaurant-stub