BarBara is described as a cozy, stylish spot with a warm vibe and a popular terrace, where the focaccia, burrata, arancini, and fresh pastas earn frequent praise along with a strong wine list and attentive, friendly staff. The food is often noted as delicious and well balanced, with sharing plates that suit groups, and several reviews highlight standout items like cacio e pepe and the daily focaccia. The atmosphere is a consistent draw, described as lively and charming, sometimes a bit loud, especially on weekends or on the terrace. Service and value receive mixed notes, with many experiences praising quick, cordial service and good value, while others report slow pacing, crowded spaces, higher prices for smaller portions, and occasional miscommunications or delays during peak hours. Overall BarBara is seen as a neighborhood favorite to visit for a meal, drinks, and good vibes, with many looking forward to return, even as a few visits suggest timing and crowd control can influence the experience.
It's a very pretty restaurant, & you can see all of their bread & pasta on display. The food is not bad, especially if you like Italian food, such as focaccia & pasta. We had the focaccia of the day (tomatoes), burrata, & a pasta dish with morel mushrooms.
One MAJOR thing to note is that the service is slow. I am not sure if this is how they usually are, or if they are only slow when the restaurant is busy, as it was when we visited. It took a while for our focaccia & burrata to arrive (15-20 minutes), & while they tasted good, I would've preferred for the focaccia to be served warm rather than room temperate/slightly cold. It took even longer for our pasta to arrive (almost an hour after we ordered our food & long after we had finished our focaccia & burrata). The pasta itself was very good.
Our waitress was also very nice. My dining companion & I do not speak French fluently, & our waitress kindly switched to English for us. I would've preferred if she checked in with us more frequently, but I understand that she was busy & she did let us know when our pasta would shortly arrive.
It can also be rather loud & hard to hear if you sit outside & there are a lot of other people as the outdoor dining space is rather cramped.
Overall, I would come here again only if I had the time to wait. If you have no issue waiting a longer time for your food to arrive, then I think you will enjoy this restaurant.
I've heard good things about Barbara ever since moving to Montreal five years ago. At 17:30 on a Friday my group of 8 got seated immediately without a reservation. Service was good, food was great. The focaccia & pastas were highlights!
May 22, 2025
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Barbara had a really nice ambiance-cozy & welcoming with a stylish touch. The food was delicious & beautifully presented. It did feel a little overpriced for the portion sizes, but overall it was worth the experience. The focaccia is a must-so fresh & flavorful, it alone is reason enough to go back!
This place is 100% worthy of the hype. The service is as phenomenal as the food. I took my partner here for a birthday lunch & it was a perfect, cozy spot. The restaurant is packed but not oppressivly so: the layout is great & it's packed because people are enjoying the experience & lingering. Friend: This is a place where you want to linger. First up, we got the focaccia, the daily special (i think it was a potato/tomato/chive w/ melted parm) & the honey, ricotta. The special was light, fluffy & savory. Honestly one of the best focaccia in the city, second, of course, to the honey ricotta. I will be dreaming about this focaccia. It was salty & sweet. Heavier than the daily special (likely because of the ricotta). I will be going back again to get that focaccia. Next up, our lunch mains: I had the roasted mozzarella with almond pesto. It was light, citrus -y & delicious. It wasn't at all what I was expecting! The mild cheese was a great pairing for the zesty pesto & the arugula! My partner got the cacio e pepe: it was perfect. It was creamy & peppery & the pasta was the perfect texture. A delightful classic. Finally: dessert. The only thing we weren't a fan of was the pistachio tiramisu. This was absolutely an'us' thing & nothing to do with the dessert itself. It's a mild, rich, almost cheesecake pistachio marscapone layered with a espresso cake. It was a nice texture & a great flavor (just wasn't my thing). If you like less sweet desserts & love espresso: This will be your heaven. All in all - a great experience & i look forward to coming back to try the coffee & the rest of the menu!
Love their wine list! Personally, I prefer their appetizers over their pasta. The cacio e pepe lacks a bit of flavor. The focaccia, arancini, parmesan fries & polpettes are all delicious. Since they do not take reservations, do expect to wait 45 minutes on busy evenings.
Dec 22, 2024
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I recently visited Barbara Vin in Montreal with two friends for dinner & drinks, & overall, it was a great experience with a few minor downsides. Since they don't take reservations, we had to wait in line, which was a bit long, but the host was really accommodating. About halfway through the wait, he brought us to a little corner spot to browse the drink menu & enjoy a drink while we waited, which was a nice touch. He also offered us seating on the terrace, which is absolutely beautiful, but unfortunately, you can't have alcohol out there due to permit restrictions. The restaurant itself is very cute & fun, with cool decor that adds to the ambiance. We shared burrata, focaccia, parmesan fries as appetizers, followed by two pasta dishes (cacio e pepe & campanelle), which was plenty for the three of us. Everything was delicious! I had an Amaro Limonata, which was amazing, & my friends enjoyed margaritas. The drinks were good & affordable, but they were on the smaller side. While the vibe was super cool, the service was a little slow, & it took a while for our food to arrive. Despite that, I'd definitely go back & would recommend this spot to others. It's worth the wait!
The food was 10/10 We had focaccia with ricotta/honey, cacio pepe pasta, green bean salad & the steak. All incredible. Because they don't take reservations the wait can be SUPER long but in our case we got lucky & only waited about 20 minutes.
C'est sur que la nourriture est un peux plus cher qu'ailleurs mais si tu veux déguster du bon vin ( même du café!) & des produits de qualité ça en vaux vraiment la peine. J'ai adoré tout ce que j'ai mangé la bas spécialement la focaccia. J'y retournerai sans hésitation
Aug 8, 2024
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This place... amazing! The selection of wines was great, not much by the glass but very cool & funky bottles available. It was super busy when we got there but we managed to get a glass of wine while we waited & the time flew by. Once seated our server was amazing, super friendly, open to let us try out French & with great suggestions. Everything was delicious but the service is what made this experience a 10/10. The cacio & pepe was really good but the white bolognese was the star of the night for us! Delicious olives & focaccia as well! Super cute, vibey place, i would go weekly if I lived in Montreal.
Great selection of wines (they even had orange wine!). The ambiance was nice & it was a nice place to get drinks at night. Oysters were pretty good & so was the focaccia.
Not only did my mom & I got kicked out after being there for an 1h15, we also both got sick the next day from food poisoning... Ordered the asparagus, rapinis, focaccia, campanelle al ragu & polpettes (the main meal my mom wanted to order was not available), & we were both nauseous the whole night, did not sleep & were sick the next day. Stay away!
Jun 11, 2024
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We went there for brunch on Mothers day we were 8 people with a kid. Cannot say enough good things about the accomodating attitude of the staff. Incredible. Fresh focaccia great cheese. Loved everything!!!
The food was incredible, hats off to the chef! The blueberry & maple French toast (pain perdu) makes for the best dessert/breakfast! Excellent focaccia as well.
