Bar St-Denis draws largely glowing feedback for its vibrant atmosphere, open kitchen energy, and creative tasting menu that often highlights seafood and bold, well balanced flavors along with a strong wine program. Many diners describe friendly, attentive service that enhances the evening, though a number note occasional lapses in attention, pacing, or value, and some dishes feel underseasoned or overpriced given portion size. Standout dishes like razor clams, scallops, labneh, and duck appear frequently, while some meals praise the roominess of the venue and the lively bar scene, and others mention a bright early evening lighting that can feel a bit stark for a first date. The tasting menu is repeatedly a highlight, with inventive combinations and strong pairings, yet a few visits recall missteps where certain ingredients overwhelm others. Overall, Bar St-Denis is seen as a top Montreal dining option, celebrated for quality, hospitality, and a sophisticated yet approachable vibe, while some reviews remind that price to quantity value can be uneven.
We went with a group & ordered a lot of food for sharing. I can't say thr food was my taste, but others enjoyed. Portions were small for our group, but again we ordered group menu.
Went there tonight with friends & the service was the slowest I ever experienced. We had to fill our own glasses of wine, no bucket of ice, & had to ask for more water at least 3 times during the night.
The food was bland at best & way overpriced for the lack of flavor & creativity from the cooks.
Will never go back & would definitely never recommend this place to anyone.
This is a review from May 12. What a cool space! Service is pretty good from the bar staff & I enjoyed the wine list. This was my second dinner of the night as I was only in Montreal for 48 hrs & wanted to explore as much as possible In that time.i haven't been to Montreal in over a decade. We ordered the scallop crudo & the sweetbreads.
The scallops with the Lillies, rhubarb, radish & olive oil were exquisite & just the perfect texture. Chefs kiss. The sweetbreads with stinging nettles while being cooked perfectly managed to not have any salt or acid whatsoever so ever. Which made them really hard to eat with a completely bland beurre blanc. Rich flavours on rich flavours with no relief from acid or salt. I was really excited to have my first stinging nettles of the year however I didn't like the way they cooked.
Overall there was some good & some bad. This restaurant definitely has potential. Maybe we went on a bad night. Delicious fresh local, wild ingredients which is very appealing to me. Mixed with some apathy ( maybe exhaustion) & inconsistency.
Truly incredible dining experience. The food was creative & delicious combination of French & Middle Eastern, with bold & bright flavors. It was elevated & technically well executed, while still having heart & soul. (We had the labneh & the lamb tartare both served with homemade flatbread, the white asparagus with anchovy & maple, & the tonnarelli with sea urchin- wow! That dish was next level.) The atmosphere was fun & lively with a contemporary art deco vibe. We sat at the bar & had incredible service. Our bartender (shoutout to Bastien) was not only friendly, but seriously knowledgeable about wine, spirits, & the food. He tailored our evening to our likes & truly enriched our experience- hospitality at highest level. Highly recommend dining here.
Delightful dining experience at Bar St-Denis! The tasting menu showcased the chef's creativity & skill, with each dish expertly prepared & presented.
There were 5 services for the tasting menu: (1) salmon & razor clams, which were cooked to perfection & bursting with citrusy flavor & crunchy texture. (2) The veal tartare with sardines was a bold & intriguing combination, with the veal wonderfully seasoned & the sardines adding a welcome tanginess. However, this dish may not appeal to those who prefer milder flavors. The labneh bread that goes with the veal tartare was a revelation - soft, crunchy, & infused with delicate spices. (3) The gnocchi was cooked al dente, with a well-spiced sauce, although the slight bitterness of the greens may not suit every palate. (4) The duck magret was phenomenal, with a rich, balanced sauce that complemented the duck perfectly. The only misstep was the (5) toffee pudding cake, which was overly sweet.
Our wine selection, however, was fairly priced & paired well with our meal. The espresso martini was a highlight, with a perfect balance of vodka & espresso.
Our waitress was friendly & attentive, although she could have been more proactive in refilling our water glasses. Overall, we would highly recommend this place for a special occasion or nice dinner. While it may not become a regular haunt for us, it's definitely worth a visit! Thanks to the team; my husband & I had a great date night!
Great little restaurant that serves small shareable plates. We had the discovery menu. The food, service & atmosphere were good. Wine selection is ok. A bit pricey but we had a good time.
Incredible meal from start to finish. The wines were excellent & the service superb. We came for a birthday & tried a variety of dishes, all of which were delicious. Ask what's in season; the chefs are creative & know what they're doing. Highly, highly recommend.
The food here is excellent & the appetizers, which are easy to share, are my favorite part of the menu. Excellent wine list & great selection by the glass. The decor is more bar than restaurant but if you look through it you will likely enjoy a great meal & friendly service. The place is open on Mondays which makes it a go to spot for restaurateurs.
Mar 26, 2024
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The atmosphere is very nice. Super cool open kitchen concept with not very loud music & great for a cosy setting. Menu is definitely interesting & the wine list is great. That said, the reason I am leaving 4 stars is because for the price range, I was excepting something exceptional & was not mind blown. It was good, but not competitive compared to a lot of the other great restaurants in the neighbourhood. Some of the dishes lacked a certain finesse in how they were put together. Otherwise, a great spot for a romantic evening.
I went to Bar St-Denis on a Thursday night, & it was an OK place. First, I have to mention the service. Our waiter was outstanding. It was truly a service to be praised. He was attentive, refilled our water all the time, offered counsel on what to choose while putting no pressure at all. Very charming The atmosphere was good, the decor is beautiful & it's a small enough place so that it's fun to be in while being classy. However, we took the "discovery" tour that is 75-80$ per person. Some of it was good, now most of it was very fancy while not being very good for the price. Tiny portions, explained in a high class or pompous manner that some of my colleagues were in awe of with the wine pairing. I find that it was very overpriced for food that was being passed as "classy", while not being very tasty. One of the good things is that the formula was good for people who like to share.
Great dining experience! The atmosphere was great, food was amazing & interesting! Only downside was a lack of knowledge of our waiter on the cocktails & wine list. Also keep in mind it is on a pricey side for the dishes. Would recommend!
Overall a great experience! I was very excited to try out the place. Decor is fantastic. I love the open kitchen «inside» the restaurant idea. It was incredibly fun to watch the chefs do their magic. We had the tasting menu with wine paring & two cocktails to start. The cucumber spritz with homemade cucumber syrup was superb. The blueberry foam tequila drink was less interresting though. It tasted mostly of tequila.
Overall the food was great, but not mind blowing. I really enjoy their effort to not use a lot of meat & mostly use vegetables. However sometimes I found myself eating grilled onions & leeks without much flavour to it. Again, good food, but not mind blowing.
The wine pairings were all excellent, however. The tasting meny ended with a dessert paired with a fantastic Madeira sweet wine.
With this we (two persons) left with a bill of $410.
