At Restaurant Alep, the Syrian-Armenian restaurant on Jean Talon St. E., offers specialties such as the shish taouk, the popular marinated chicken dish, and to make muhammara, a condiment prepared from red bell peppers, chilis, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, pine nuts and crumbled wheat crackers. This dip is popular with Alep's sandwich of Armenian sausages.
Overall, Alep delivers bold Middle Eastern flavors that many reviewers praise for freshness and complexity, from the fattouche and hummus to tender grilled meats and a variety of tasting menu options that showcase a wide range of spices. The dining experience is described as delicious and memorable by many, with some noting excellent service and thoughtful wine recommendations, while others report slow or uneven service and long waits, and a few feel portions are small relative to the price. The atmosphere is generally pleasant and lively, though it can be a bit loud, and some diners observe a quieter, pricier section that could be more tranquil. Value fluctuates across reviews, with several guests happily paying for quality and variety, and a minority feeling the value does not fully match expectations. In sum, Alep is seen as a place offering strong flavors and attentive care that many would return for, despite occasional concerns about pacing, portion size, and consistency.
This place has the best Syrian food in the city. Their unique prep with spices makes this place unique. Their lamb & beef are not to be toyed with. Beyond good. Top notch service with a knowledgeable sommelie
Si je pourrais, je mangerais tous les soirs chez Alep. Le service est courtois & sympathique & les assiettes, en plus d'être généreuse, elles sont délicieuses. J'ai pris le Doré & j'aurais léché mon assiette si j'aurais pû. Mon amie a pris plusieurs petits plats différents & ils étaient tous meilleurs un de l'autre. Le prix est raisonnable pour la qualité & la quantité que nous avons dans notre assiette & le vin, il y en a pour toutes les bourses.
Très bonne brochette de filet mignon terbialy, hommos, mouahmara, salade fatouch & le dessert atayef une crêpe avec fromage, pistache & sirop. Ouvert depuis longtemps & toujours bon.
Choix de plats très varié (incluant une très belle offre de plats véggés), une serveuse extraordinaire qui a su nous guider dans nos choix:) Très professionnelle.
De belles assiettes (copieuses), rien à dire sur la qualité de la nourriture. Le décor très sobre en fait un endroit plutôt serein. Toutefois salle un peu bruyante lorsque remplie.Un commentaire pour conclure sur le service: l'expérience aurait été parfaite si le service du vin avait été laissé à notre serveuse.
May 5, 2016
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It has been over a year since I have wanted to try this restaurant, but as it turns out it was a major disappointment. First of all, a general complaint was that as a Syrian restaurant there was not a single halal-friendly option on the menu. Moreover that Alep is farther north in the city is all the more reason why the restaurant should be more welcoming & catering to a Muslim clientele that lives in Villeray-ParcEx-St. Michel. The food generally was alright, though nothing special & frankly not particularly authentic. My major complaint is that we had an atrocious experience with the service. The server made a mistake with our order to change the side salad to a Fattouche, which had been her recommendation instead of getting an extra fattouche in addition to our side salads. They charge $3.50 to make the change, which is no big deal in our books. But when confronted with the mistake, instead of attempting to remedy the situation in an efficient manner, the server asked to take my whole plate back thereby guaranteeing that my haloum, mint pita would be cold by the time I got it back. Instead I asked that she bring us another salad. At the end, when getting the check I asked if something could be done to rectify the bill - she had charged us for the extra salad. Quite unprofessionally she huffed off & an equally frustrating & ill-hearted manager came to address the situation. What our server didn't realize is that we saw her converse with the manager in a manner that was even less befitting of the situation at hand; we're talking about a difference of $2.25. The manager was equally uncompromising & lectured us on the principles of ordering food at a restaurant & "how things work." I've NEVER been to a restaurant that wasn't able to take the easy step of owning up to a pretty small mistake with very small financial ramifications to the restaurant. Lets face it, I'm not returning a $20 dish because I don't like the taste (though the fattouche was woefully subpar - no radishes or onions, vinegar!? painfully few pita chips) I'm asking that an issue be resolved as a good-faith action on the part of the restaurant. Really not too much to ask & lastly we didn't need our dinner dragged out by thirty minutes by their subsequent avoidance techniques & passive aggressive looks. Don't bother going, better places with nicer people in the city.
Au départ, j'étais hésitante à choisir le menu dégustation. Je n'ai pas du tout regretté mon choix. Le serveur a accommodé le groupe pour qu'il y ait des substituts tout à fait exquis pour la végétarienne que je suis. Le mélange des saveurs est tellement précis & juste; j'aimerais pouvoir le reproduire dans ma cuisine!
L'ambiance du resto est très agréable. Le serveur nous a très bien présenté tous les plats en précisant quels arômes s'y retrouvaient. Vraiment, le mot dégustation était de mise. Aucun stress de la part du personnel. Nous avons pris notre temps!
Jun 4, 2013
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I had been to this restaurant many years ago & decided to return for old times' saké. The hostess was very polite & professional, but the waitress was terrible! Hardly checked on us, & didn't send us off. The food was pretty good, though quite heavy on the lemon & cumin for my taste.
As far as a special place to visit in Montreal, this is on the top of the list. I have eaten at Alep a few times, & it has never been short of fabulous. The food is always marvelous, & the service is very friendly & encouraging. Our favourite way, by far, to eat here is to have the tasting menu where we all try a number of things. I always eat too much because I love it so much I never want to stop eating! Seriously, you have to eat here!
Nous avons beaucoup aimé notre soirée au Alep. Le service était excellent, le serveur nous a beaucoup aidé à choisir nos plats en nous expliquant en détails le menu. Le sommelier nous a également conseillé de bons vins. L'assiette végétarienne en entrée était absolument délicieuse. Le seul bémol est qu'à mon avis les portions sont trop grandes & que je déteste gaspiller.
