Alma Montreal focuses on the convergence of Catalan culinary traditions with the abundance of local Canadian ingredients. The kitchen emphasizes house-made pasta preparations that highlight seasonal grain profiles alongside delicate preparations of fresh coastal seafood. Each plate demonstrates a rigorous commitment to ingredient provenance and technical precision in seasoning. The dining environment maintains a minimalist aesthetic that places full attention on the structural integrity of the served components. Diners encounter a menu that prioritizes the natural expression of raw materials through controlled heat and traditional preservation techniques. The composition of every dish reflects an intentional balance between oceanic brine and terrestrial earthiness, ensuring a cohesive narrative throughout the entire meal experience. This establishment operates with a singular focus on translating authentic Mediterranean influences into a contemporary context for discerning palates.
Alma offers a refined and intimate dining experience in Montreal, focusing on high-end Mexican cuisine that highlights local ingredients and meticulous technique. While many guests praise the exceptional service, creative tasting menus, and thoughtful wine pairings that elevate the meal, opinions regarding value remain divided. Supporters celebrate the restaurant as a unique culinary destination with standout dishes and a warm atmosphere, whereas some patrons express concerns about portion sizes, pricing, and the consistency of flavor profiles. Overall, it is regarded as a passionate effort to showcase sophisticated Mexican flavors, though it remains a polarizing choice depending on individual expectations of value and satiety.
We ordered to-go & were pleasantly surprised with this place. We got the Macao salad, the La Sparta Salad, Smoothie Frappè, tiramisu, & latte. The salads were decent, nothing special. The smoothie frappe was bitter & tasteless. The tiramisu was phenomenal though- I'd order again just for this. It was rich & creamy, & made very well.
What a delight it was to eat at Alma! It is rare to have a chef's menu where every dish is solid, but I felt this was the case at Alma. From appetizer to both the desserts, I thoroughly enjoyed this flavour profile mixing acidity, fat & spiciness, something you won't get in French or Italian fine dining. The seafood was delicious & as well as the beef tongue! It was great to be exposed to different types of corn tortillas as well! It would however be great to have a bit more options of drinks for people who cannot drink alcohol. Although I enjoyed my lime-onade, I have to admit I was a bit envious watching my husband enjoy his wine pairing! That being said, we will definitely be back! A true gem in Montreal!
Nov 24, 2024
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After waiting over 4 weeks to find a table & time to dine, & after seeing all the social media videos I was really excited to try this place, & it was sooooo disappointing. There were many factors that made the experience less than memorable but the worst was by far the horrible wine selection. Not worth the hype, there are so many great restos in Mtl to blow $300 for dinner for 2
Restaurant mexicain avec produits frais locaux. Tout à une touche de différent maïs mexicain. Nous avons pris le menu 5 services & avons beaucoup apprécié. Service excellent & le Mezcalita était parfait!
This review is written from a Mexican perspective & specifically regarding the taco omakase: YMMV. 0) booze selection: seems like the sommelier said "I am in charge of the booze & I don't care what anyone thinks" "Il y aura aussi des margaritas, des mezcals & des bières disponibles pour cette occasion! " "Une selection de jerez, tequila, mezcal & vin doux est également disponible ainsi que des margaritas". Lies... Mezcal: cheapest SAQ option, 1 option. Tequila: cheapest SAQ option, 1 option. Cerveza/beer: most commercial Spanish beer, 1 option. Cocktails: margarita (1 flavour) or mezcalita (1 flavour). 1) First dish was agua de tortilla. Just tortillas mixed with water, sugar & cinnamon. Minimal effort but fine... 2) Second dish was an aguachile with tortilla chips. Very delicious aguachile but only 5 tortilla chips. At least give me an even number of chips if I they are meant to be shared between two people. Also, nowhere near the proper amount of chips for the amount of aguachile which was very generous. 3) Third dish was A tostada... to share between two people. First time I had ever have to share a tostada. Not even physically possible to do it cleanly unless the tostada is getting soggy... which it was getting there... 4) Fourth dish was an octopus taco. I was afraid I was going to share one taco with my partner but we each got our own & it was delicious so nothing to complain here. 5) Fifth dish was a filet mignon carpaccio taco with a black garlic salsa; each our own. The filet mignon had 0 seasoning & it was placed on top of the garlic salsa covering the entire tortilla. Who in Mexico hides their salsa?!?! Besides not appreciating the salsa itself & making the tortilla soggy, in this particular execution, you take a bite & it tastes like tortilla + unseasoned beef & suddenly... boom! Garlic bomb! I was surprised no one internally picked this up. 6) Fish "Zaranzeado" with A tortilla. Surprisingly, the misspelling wasn't the worst part since what I was fearing the most happened: a single tortilla to share. I asked for another one & I was denied my request. FYI: in Mexico we get a side of tortillas with tortilla-based dishes. It kept getting worse: the tortilla had imprinted the name of the restaurant, which they obviously had to do in advance, so the "special" tortilla was soggy & room temperature. (Second) First time ever in my life sharing a tortilla which is pretty sad because the fish was seasoned & cooked perfectly. 7) The dessert amazing! Check Chef Mariana's Carlota Boulangerie Mexicaine. My favourite spot in town for Mexican pastries. She even went to our table to say hi & ask for feedback rather than having mezcal shots like the head chef did between dinner services. We are a generous culture. My blood is made mostly of corn. I am sorry, but I cannot have a lot of sympathy for a Mexican owner of a high-end restaurant who denies me an extra tortilla in QC while I can get it for free from any senito in MX selling way better street food.
As a Mexican guy living in Montreal for just a year this place is quite an experience. The food takes you to a journey of different flavors with a really good feeling. The menu was really good. I will only add a little bit more of chips for the aguachile because they were so tasty
Notre expérience dans ce restaurant n'a pas été à la hauteur des attentes pour un établissement gastronomique. Nous avions choisi le menu dégustation cinq plats, à 200$ pour deux personnes sans alcool, espérant une expérience culinaire mémorable. Malheureusement, les saveurs, bien que correctes, manquaient de caractère & d'assaisonnement, donnant une impression de simplicité qui ne justifiait pas le prix élevé. Les portions étaient également très petites, ce qui a accentué notre déception compte tenu du coût. Nous avons eu le sentiment de ne pas en avoir pour notre argent, en sus des saveurs décevantes. Bien que le personnel ait été aimable & attentif, cela n'a pas suffi à compenser le rapport qualité-prix désavantageux. En fin de compte, nous sommes repartis avec l'impression que les tarifs pratiqués sont excessifs par rapport à la qualité de la cuisine proposée. Nous ne recommandons pas ce restaurant à ceux qui recherchent une expérience gastronomique à la hauteur de leur investissement.
Food was excellent! (People complaining about portions not being big enough.. quality over quantity. Go somewhere else if all you want are big portions of poorly made food)
