Reviews place Anemone as a stylish, convivial spot where a sharing style menu reinvents familiar dishes and delivers visually stunning plates, with standouts like melt-in-the-mouth scallops and seafood highlights that many call extraordinary. The service is repeatedly praised for attentiveness and knowledge, and the overall experience is described as top notch from start to finish, though a few notes mention pacing issues or that the kitchen could be quieter at closing. The ambiance is often described as chic and welcoming with attractive decor and a pleasant terrace, but some guests point out noise levels or seating variations that affect the mood. Wine is frequently noted in reviews, sometimes with remarks about price, and the menu offerings, including tasting options, are widely celebrated for flavor balance and originality, even if a few dishes feel portion sizes small. A rare critique mentions an issue with sand in a spinach dish and a feeling that value could be better, yet the consensus remains that Anemone stands out in Montreal for creative, refined dining and reliable service, making it a place most would return to.
We had a ton of dishes at Anemone MTL & everything was excellent, but a few really stood out. The carpaccio was delicate & perfectly seasoned, the mushroom hand rolls were earthy & flavorful, & the short rib was rich & tender. The duck was cooked beautifully with great depth of flavor, & the blueberry sage dessert was such a unique & delicious finish. We were super late because of traffic & unforeseen circumstances, but the staff kindly held our table, & it was so worth it once we sat down. The servers were attentive & welcoming, & the atmosphere struck the right balance between polished & relaxed. Overall, it's the kind of place I'd happily come back to & one I'd recommend if you're in Montreal looking for refined, creative dishes.
We had the omakase menu. The service was great - friendly, accommodating, & mostly attentive. The decor of the restaurant was lovely - a mix of organic modern & industrial design that felt cool & comfortable. The acoustics, however, were terrible. In the dining area, it was quite loud, to the point of being overwhelming & hard to hear each other. The food was nicely presented & the ingredients seemed to be good quality. Even though nearly every dish on the menu had meat, they were open to adapting them to vegetarian or pescatarian. That said, every dish was overly salted, cooked, & had a lot of butter. There was the occasional light spicy & sour flavours, but nothing fresh or crispy. These tastes, one after the other in every dish, left us thirty, bloated, & with an unpleasant mouth feel. I'm glad I wasn't there on a date! With a bit some proper insulation for sound, WAY less salt & butter, & an addition of some lighter, crispy & fresh flavours/ingredients/dishes, this place could be fabulous.
I could forgive the irritating industrial hipster ambiance. But the food was unsalvageable. Which is a pity because if someone would just throw out the salt shaker, there might actually be some flavour under there. Also: it's the 21st century already. Lose the endless butter & cream! An important warning: the noise level is absolutely intolerable. We measured 90 decibels, which is hazardous to your health. Last point: the service was très ordinaire. We ordered the tasting menu, but there was no sense of pacing of the dishes, we waited for empty plates to be cleared & our glasses of water refilled. Wait! One more ridiculousness: no espresso or cappuccino. Did I really give this place two whole stars?
Very good restaurant, nice variety of dishes with surprising associations. Good selection of wines with the help of the waitress. Nice atmosphere with a beautiful terrace & an open kitchen
Love the creativity & the vibe of this place. The food was refined, with every dish carefully thought out. If i could i would give 4.5 stars for the food, but alas i have to give 4 stars because some dishes kind of missed the mark, & at such a high price it can't go unnoticed. Some dishes were INCREDIBLE & others really good but nothing crazy. Every dish was unique, but i would've loved to see even more eclectic combinations & tastes. Nevertheless, a great meal if you want to celebrate with loved ones. We loved loved loved the razor clams & the ris de veau. Could've skipped the temaki honestly. We also liked being able to see the chefs cooking (they also had a little barbecue to cook the asparagus which was fun).
Beautifully designed space with fun & delicious dishes. The staff is very friendly & helpful, & gave us great wine recommendations. The food was absolutely delicious & was creative without being pompous.
