

The Home of
Montreal’s
Jewish
and immigrant
community.
There are a lot of great steakhouses in the world, but not many with Moishes unique history and cultural heritage. To begin with, the restaurant was started by our founder Moishe Lighter. In 1938, Saint-Laurent street was home to a growing immigrant population, many of them were Jewish, from central Europe. They brought with them a desire to establish themselves by working hard and delivering real quality. It’s the eternal story – when you’re a new arrival, you have to work harder and better to establish yourself.

They also brought with them a unique culinary tradition that in many ways has shaped Montreal as a gastronomic destination.
Bagels and smoked meat, two Montreal staples, originated in Romania. Moishe Lighter was Romanian, too. In fact, Moishes wasn’t the first restaurant in its location. Moishe Lighter worked in that restaurant as a busboy, working his way up until he took control of the establishment and renamed it The Romanian Paradise. At the outset of World War II, the name was changed to Moishes Steakhouse.








