Terrasse William Gray is culinary delight under the sun — the elegant rooftop of the Hôtel William Gray in Old Montreal, where refined dishes, ephemeral menus, and exclusive events unfold against one of the city's most spectacular panoramas. The moment you step outside, you're greeted by a sweeping view of Place Jacques-Cartier, the St. Lawrence River, and the glittering Montreal Ferris wheel, with the artisan boutiques of rue Saint-Paul and the Clock Tower just steps away. Festive yet polished, the terrace is designed to be enjoyed to the full whatever the sky decides: a choice of sunny and shaded areas, full cover when needed, and heating that makes it Montreal's only rooftop terrace still open into the fall.
The kitchen turns each service into an occasion. Starters roam from a Burrata William Gray with figs, pine honey, and pistachios to a hamachi ceviche in cucumber broth with mint and passion fruit, caramelized bourbon scallops with apricot and myoga, baharat pulled short ribs with ratatouille and smoked-eggplant yogurt, and a beef tartare on umami sourdough with black-cherry vinaigrette and brandy-laced foie gras mousse. Mains carry the same ambition — pan-roasted duck with Calvados plums and confit-lemon glaze, grilled seabream with almond romesco and orange beurre blanc, lobster gemelli in burnt-lemon soubise, a 16-ounce côte de bœuf with shiitake miso and duck-confit Parisienne potatoes — alongside a well-bred burger and steak frites with truffle-parmesan fries, before desserts like La Gourmandise, a chocolate-feuilletine confection, or a blackcurrant and white-chocolate charlotte. Weekend brunch is a gastronomic affair in its own right: a smoked salmon tower for the table, Benedictine beef confit with sauce Choron, buttermilk fried chicken and waffles in bourbon-maple glaze, crème brûlée French toast with cardamom-amaretto cream, and a brioche lobster roll crowned with a poached egg.
The bar programme matches the setting with colourful signature cocktails — the Coolcumber with Hendrick's and St-Germain, the Green Garden with green Chartreuse and ginger beer, the Smoky Bloom with tequila and mezcal, the TWG Frosé (roughly $16–21) — plus sangrias by the glass or $60 pitcher, alcohol-free creations like the Québec Mule of apple juice and maple, and a full family of spritzes. At the golden-hour "Sunset Moment" happy hour, those spritzes become the show: six house signatures from lychee to Paloma, or the full Spritz Tree ($160) delivering all of them plus an Aperol and a Hugo on one spectacular stand, alongside Quebec charcuterie-and-cheese platters made for sharing — with a cocktail-and-food rendez-vous every Tuesday from 4 to 7pm. The expertly curated wine list runs from Chablis, Sancerre, and Alsace whites through Barolo, Brunello, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and Tignanello, with premium vintages and private imports, and champagne climbing from Moët to Dom Pérignon and Armand de Brignac.
Elegant, festive, and open to the horizon, Terrasse William Gray is where end-of-day cocktails stretch naturally into gourmet dinners — a rooftop celebration of the season, suspended between the rooftops of Old Montreal, the river, and the lights of the Ferris wheel.