I first noticed Dandy, the unapologetically au courant brunch spot on Saint-Jacques Street, because of its impressive lineup.
It stretched at least 20 people deep. This was right after the pandemic-era restrictions on restaurants had lifted in February, 2022. It seemed democratic and communist at once, both aristocratic and plebeian.
There was pent-up demand to get back into public dining spaces, to be sure. But here was a significant mass of people who apparently wanted brunch at this particular place. Folks were crossing the street, on the other side of which sits another perfectly serviceable bistro, to wait in line for Dandy.
I soon discovered what all the fuss was about.
Dandy is a cinematically magnificent looking restaurant, in an historically significant architectural space, right in the heart of Old Montreal’s bustling financial and tourist district. And the food, if you will pardon my French, is fucking fantastic.
“The lineup does create a buzz, in a way,” Dandy’s chef and owner Michael Tozzi tells me while sipping tea at a table in his eatery on a recent Wednesday morning. “But,” he rapidly recovers, “it’s definitely worth the time you spend.”
Patrons move through the lineup at a remarkable pace, says Tozzi. Sometimes in the summer, at peak brunch time, one can wait for an hour or more. But smaller parties of two or four are preferred and quickly find their coveted table. “We always have people sitting down,” he says.
Unabashed and indisputably photogenic, Tozzi possesses the personality proper to hospitality. He bounds energetically from one end of the dining room to another, along with his upbeat staff, always carrying a tray of clean glasses from the kitchen, or Windexing down some surface.
“You have to make certain things beautiful because you know that your customers are going to want to take a picture here or there,” he explains.
Dandy’s social media savvy is formidable — its main attraction, aside, of course, from the food. “That’s an aspect that has evolved a lot, and keeps getting bigger,” Tozzi observes. “A restaurant wouldn’t necessarily have had to have an Instagram page, and a TikTok. Now it’s a big part of it. You have to be a TikTok star,” he laughs.
“It can’t hurt. But at the end of the day, people are coming back because we’re serving a good product in a great space in a good environment. Because I don’t know that many people.”
Tozzi studied culinary arts at the recommendation of a high school guidance counsellor and worked his way up through the Montreal kitchen world, eventually landing for five years as head chef at Olive et Gourmando, another of Old Montreal’s stalwart brunch joints. But there is room enough for two — or three, or four — popular destinations for in-between meals in the neighbourhood.
“It was a really, really great experience,” Tozzi recalls of his time at O+G. “I’m still great friends with Dyan and Eric, the owners. She’s my culinary mom. I love her.”
Food is an enduring calling for Tozzi. “It’s hard when you’re 17 to pick what you’re going to be for the rest of your life,” he muses. “But I come from an Italian family. Cooking has always been at the centre of our lives. Our mom cooked — she cooked every meal. I grew up with a big interest in food and eating well. We would go out to restaurants. My parents were big foodies. So they would always get me to try adventurous things that normal five-year-olds don’t necessarily eat.”
Dandy has opted for more down-to-earth fare, though, sticking to a comfort-food menu that features seven or eight signature dishes which offer an ideal balance of variety and familiarity.
“The fried chicken sandwich, the pancakes, those are always on the menu, they don’t change,” says Tozzi. “The other items will change seasonally — the salad, the pasta. But we always keep a similar structure. I remember when we opened, we wanted to do more of a business lunch and just do brunch on the weekends. And brunch popped off right away. Then, people wanted pancakes during the week. And I was like, why am I trying to fight our customers? Just give them what they want, all the time.”
That crowd-pleasing formula has paid dividends for Tozzi and company. “We’ve tried to do more fancy,” Tozzi tells me. “We’ve had beautiful fishes with crazy sauces that take more time to prepare. But if they don’t sell, that helps you decide. If you look at your sales report, that helps you focus your energy. It’s important to have a little variety. But if they want the pancakes or the fried chicken that they fell in love with, they’re still there.”
Something about the whole equation of the place has made it more than the sum of its parts, and is rather dandy, for lack of a better descriptor. “I had a list in my phone of, like, 50 names,” Tozzi says of the process to select a moniker, determining to a degree the restaurant’s personality.
“I knew I wanted something that could be French and English. Dandy is in the French dictionary, it means the same thing, so I thought it was perfect that way. I just wanted it to invoke my version of a space I would want to go to. I think it’s important to do something genuine to who you are. I also like that Dandy has a bit of queer culture attached to it. I don’t think that everybody knows about that either. But it wouldn’t have been Dandy in another spot.”
I inquire whether Tozzi has ambitions to expand. “I’m starting to think about it more,” he says. “I was working more in the kitchen at first, and now I’m able to do more management-y things. I’m not sure if I would open another Dandy, or do a project that is in the same family. For right now, I just want to enjoy … this,” Tozzi surveys the room. “What I’ve created.”
Indubitably, Tozzi has created something quite special with Dandy, attracting the Food Network’s Rachael Ray, the filmmaker Xavier Dolan, and the comedian Chelsea Handler as guests.
“But we don’t take reservations,” Tozzi grins slyly.
“So they have to wait in line.”◼︎
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