Review · Restaurant · Modern Chinese grill

Oncle Lee Kăo, Old Montreal

Chef Andersen Lee cooks a modern Chinese grill on rue McGill in Old Montreal, in a high-ceilinged room built for ordering wide and sharing everything.

By Victor · Published July 2, 2026 · Checked September 2026

Is Oncle Lee Kăo worth it?

Depends on the night

A beautiful room, solid grill cooking, and prices that add up quickly

Execution is solid, the portions are generous and the room is attractive. But a lot of the flavour profiles land close to what a good neighbourhood Chinese restaurant already does, with updated technique and a premium price on top. It also leans oily and heavy, which isn't always what you want on a date. Bring three friends rather than one.

The essentials

Our take

Depends on the night

Cuisine: Modern Chinese grill
Neighbourhood: Old Montreal
Per person: $60 to $120+
Can you talk?: Mostly. Buzzy but not chaotic.
Booking: Easy
Allow: 2 hours
Address: 112 rue McGill, Montreal, QC H2Y 2E5
Instagram: @oncleleekao
Disclosure: Paid

Good for

Double date
Ideal
Order a spread and share everything. The larger table suits the menu.
Impressing a cook
Ideal
The five-spice duck platter shows the kitchen's technique, and the grill work is central to the menu.
Casual midweek
Works, with a caveat
You can control the total with three or four dishes, but nothing here is cheap.
Anniversary
Works, with a caveat
The room is polished, but it would not be my choice for a milestone.
First date
Not the one
The food leans oily and heavy, and the sharing format works better once you already know each other.
Late night
Not the one
If you want late-night Chinese food, this isn't the version of it. It's a sit-down, order-wide dinner rather than somewhere to end up at eleven.

The room

The restaurant opened in the former Ikanos and Garde-Côte space in late January 2025. Around eighty seats sit under high ceilings. The room uses wood, burnt-orange leather, Chinese artwork and a few red lanterns without feeling overdecorated. There's a private room at the back for roughly twelve to thirty-six, which makes it a strong group option.

Lighting is warm and flattering. Noise sits medium, buzzy and social. A two-top along the edge keeps you locked in; a bigger table is better if you're sharing properly.

Meet the chef

Andersen Lee · Chef

Oncle Lee Kăo is the newest project from the team behind Bouillon Bilk, led by chef Andersen Lee alongside chef Émile Collette, with front-of-house manager Marie-Alexandra Dahouet and restaurateurs Mélanie Blanchette and François Nadon, who are also behind Bouillon Bilk, Cadet and Place Carmin. Lee runs the kitchen; he is not the owner.

If the original Oncle Lee on Laurier became a neighbourhood staple for comfort-forward Chinese flavours, Kăo is the different-lane version. More relaxed, more contemporary, and built around kăo, the Mandarin word for grill, with a menu that leans into smoky char, crisp textures and plates that encourage ordering wide.

Lee was named Rising Star Chef of the Year at the Chinese Restaurant Awards in 2025, and the restaurant carries a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide.

What to drink at Oncle Lee Kăo

To start

The Pandan Express

I loved it. You can taste the pandan properly: clean, aromatic, not perfumey, and the baijiu reads crisp rather than harsh. It tastes specific to this restaurant instead of being a sweet drink with a fancy name.

What to order at Oncle Lee Kăo

Order in waves so the table keeps evolving. For two, four dishes is plenty: one cold starter, one vegetable plate, one beef or fish plate, one rice or noodle dish, dessert if you have room.

Five-spice duck platter
Order this
The signature, and it makes sense the moment it lands. A big portion of sous vide duck with five-spice warmth and a rich texture, served platter-style so you build your own wraps. Comes with duck rillettes, a pile of cilantro, pickled carrot and daikon, chilli crisp, peanuts, cucumber, a liver mousse and a hoisin-style sauce.
Sweet and sour eggplant
Order this
Peanuts and bacon. The plate that makes the table feel alive. Glossy and tender, sweet-and-sour without being ketchup-sweet, peanuts for crunch and bacon for a smoky, salty anchor. It also resets your palate and keeps the meal from feeling heavy.
Steamed oysters, black bean
Order this
Clean, briny oysters with a savoury black bean hit that reads salty-sweet and fermented. Keeps the oyster tasting like an oyster while adding enough depth that it doesn't vanish in one bite.
Garlic fried rice
Order this
The closer that makes everything feel complete, and the bridge plate if one of you wants to keep drinking and talking.
Beef tataki
Worth it
Nordic shrimp and cucumber. Familiar in the best way, like hotpot flavours translated into a clean modern plate: slick chilli oil, warm spices, a little mala tingle, but still light.
Yuzu tartelette, green tea and fruit
Worth it
Offered by the restaurant, and the perfect soft ending. Yuzu gives a bright citrus snap after a savoury meal.

How much does dinner at Oncle Lee Kăo cost?

Three to four dishes for two: the bulk of it
One drink each: ~$18 to $22 each
Dessert: optional
Per person: $60 to $120+

This can be a controlled night or a we-kept-ordering night. Three or four dishes for two plus one drink each plus dessert is the shape that keeps it reasonable.

My note on Oncle Lee Kăo

Victor · after one visit · paid our way

The part that is just my opinion

The honest caveat: it wouldn't be my first choice if you already eat at Chinese restaurants often. A lot of the flavour profiles sit close to what you can get elsewhere, with better technique and a higher price. It also doesn't hit the comfort spot of late-night Chinese food, and it leans oily and heavy, which matters on a date. Where it shines is a group. If you're not familiar with Chinese food, it's a fair, approachable option in a beautiful room.

Victor

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Before or after dinner

What to do before or after dinner in Old Montreal

Close by, for before or after.

Activities and Sports

Bota Bota

Before · 10 min walk · $$$

The spa boat in the Old Port. The right kind of before if you want to arrive relaxed.

Arts and Culture

Musée des beaux-arts

Before · Free under 26

Wednesday evenings run to 9pm, which is the date version.

Games and Entertainment

Cinémathèque québécoise

Before · Berri-UQAM · $14

Archive cinema in the Quartier Latin. Arrive early, latecomers are not admitted.

Nature and Scenic

Belvédère Kondiaronk

Before · uphill from downtown · Free

Sunset over the city, then dinner.

The whole evening, planned

Every date spot in Old Montreal, sorted by category and by season.

Open the Old Montreal guide →

Before you book

How far ahead do I need to book?

Nice to have, but don't stress it. There were plenty of slots when I booked.