Cabaret L'Enfer offers a bold, intimate dining experience with an open kitchen and counter seating that many reviews describe as energetic and engaging. The menu is inventive and expressive, blending coastal, Latin and Asian influences with intricate plating and strong wine pairings that often complement each course. Dishes like otoro and handmade pastas regularly receive praise for creativity and balance, while the atmosphere is repeatedly noted for candlelit warmth and a lively, showlike vibe. The staff and sommelier are frequently highlighted for knowledge and hospitality, though service can be slow and pacing uneven on some nights, and portions are sometimes considered small for the price. Reservations are essential due to the small space, and the experience can feel like a night out rather than a traditional fine dining meal, with some guests embracing the spectacle and others wishing for more restraint. Overall, Cabaret L'Enfer is seen as a standout culinary adventure that rewards an open mind and may inspire a return visit, despite occasional inconsistencies and cost considerations.
I spent a long time searching for a great dinner spot in Montreal to take my girlfriend to on her birthday while we were in Montreal. I felt confident Cabaret L'Enfer would be a hit, but unfortunately, it fell far short of expectations.
Cabaret L'Enfer is different from traditional fine dining restaurants in that you don't have a server in the traditional sense. A young man in black fetched us water when we arrived & asked if we'd like the wine pairing with our meal. When I asked for details about the wine pairing, he had no details to offer. He clumsily said something about how their sommelier chose the wines, & that they pair well with the courses (which is a given) but no knowledge of the actual wines themselves.
Despite this, we requested the wine pairings & the mail began. I will say that for the most part, we enjoyed the courses. Some were better than others, but they were fairly exotic, adventurous, & interesting. The tuna belly was our favorite. The dessert dusted with chocolate powder over a stencil as to create a resemblance of Leonard Cohen .. was laughably tacky & just not good.
But what fell short more than anything was the ambiance & experience.
We were sat at the bar, where you're offered a unique experience of watching the preparation of the courses. If the kitchen is'on' that day, I think it could be a fun addition to the experience. Well, on this particular day - the kitchen was not especially locked in. If your kitchen is on display to your clientele, things should be running immaculately, but there were a number of issues:
- The vent fan was broken & the smoke from the seared duck enveloped the entire (tiny) restaurant area. Watching Massimo himself jump & try to throw a sheet of paper against the vent fan to confirm they were indeed not working, & seeing it fall behind the fryer.. was something.
- We had to lean in & try very hard to hear the chefs over loud 80s punk/industrial music as they described the courses as they were served. They sometimes failed to recall specific English words to describe elements of the meal. Understandable in Montreal, but just a bit clumsy & something that, in my opinion, an actual server should be doing.
- Seeing plastic bins with prepped food pulled out of refrigerators to plate courses - while it is something that occurs at literally every restaurant, it is best kept behind a wall, in my opinion.
This all felt so amateur & unbecoming of a restaurant that purports to be a fine dining experience. It was bizarre & somewhat uncomfortable.
I don't watch Top Chef, so I'm not especially enthralled with the mystique of'Massimo'. If you are, you may enjoy his banter & antics. He was buzzing around the restaurant, serving wine, running food, chit chatting, working the room. He certainly has a big personality, & I could see the appeal for folks who are foodies. It didn't really add anything notable to our experience.
My priority when eating at a restaurant such as this is a delicious, thoughtful set of courses served by an attentive & highly knowledgeable server prepared to offer excellent service. While the food was mostly good, the service & ambiance so aggressively missed the mark that I feel very disappointed with our experience. At $550 USD for two, it is quite expensive for such a lackluster overall experience.
Why ask if you're coming for a special occasion if you dont care!!!! If you're playing $500+ for a dining experience your expectations should be very high but, maybe that is just me.
Putting that aside we sat bar side & the chefs were fun, engaging, & just great people to hang out with. Unfortunately, the rest of the staff seem new, needed much direction, & even timid when engaging with us.
The food….we were served 7 dishes & only 2 out of the 7 were very good. The rest I will have to back to the pictures we took to remember what we ate.
Overall, was the food good- sure, was the restaurant nice - sure, but for what you'd expect from a Top Chef restaurant… very disappointing
Do you have an open mind about fine dining? Are you willing to be open to an engaging experience which is both edgy & comforting? If you are, I think you will love Massimo Piedimonte's Montreal restaurant.
The first thing you will notice upon walking into the restaurant is likely the space. It is small & intimate. It feels like you have been invited into an eclectic downtown apartment with loud colors, artwork & punk music. Next you will likely meet Massimo who is a gracious, fun & lively host. Massimo is a bundle of energy- almost punk rock like - at one minute host, at another chef, at another he is at your table serving & describing & telling stories & then, flash, he is off doing other things. It's energetic & fun & you feel like you are a part of something.
The rest of the crew are incredibly well trained, professional kind & calming the frenetic (in a good way) energy of Massimo. The wine service, in particular, was superb & knowledgeable. The sommelier is Argentinian & she has a deep/broad appreciation for wines from around the World. Fall backwards with her recommendations, she will catch you & recommend excellent wines to match the cuisine. While we ordered by the bottle, the wine pairings we saw were generous & clever selections. She is a really superb addition to the restaurant.
The food was wonderful. Small, expertly prepared courses that challenged your senses & taste buds similar to the artwork & music that surround. Acid, fat, umami, textures from soft to crunchy - all swirling & dancing & jumping & then combining for memorable bites.
I understand this experience may not appeal to all in the fine dining world. This is not a restaurant where voices are muted, service is reserved & you can hear a mouse fart. This is an edgy, energetic party with an eclectic host. But at its heart, Cabaret L'Enfer is full of love. I highly recommend it but please go with an open mind & a fun attitude.
P.S. some have described the pricing as expensive. I felt it was quite reasonable for the experience & excellent cuisine - particularly for a small restaurant that lavishes attention on its guests. With wine pairings included you should expect to spend around $200 US dollars per person.
N'avoir d'enfer que le nom
La soirée aurait pu se clore avant même le lever de rideau.
- On devrait peut-être appeler pour annuler.
Cette attitude défaitiste de ma compagne gourmande avait comme cause l'accablante difficulté de trouver du stationnement sur Saint-Denis & environs, notre avance sur notre réservation se transformant lentement en un retard*. Cependant, je ne comptais pas renoncer à ma sortie au restaurant. Il ne s'agissait pas non plus de n'importe quel restaurant, mais bien du Cabaret L'enfer qui cumulait reconnaissance & titres au niveau national & qui ambitionne de continuer à gravir les échelons. « Nous pointons au 21e rang en 2024, après avoir eu le 39e rang en 2023. On veut continuer à monter » m'expliquait avec fierté un gérant du restaurant en me pointant le magazine « Canada's 100 best » sur le bord de la fenêtre. Alors, comment compte-t-il s'y prendre ? Par le spectacle, même si c'est moi qui le dis.
Chaque membre du personnel, que ce soit à la cuisine ou attitré au service, semblait jouer un rôle comme dans un tableau du Cirque du Soleil, & c'est peut-être ce qui m'a paru le plus déstabilisant (je ne suis pas un habitué de tables du genre). En tant que tel, cela se traduit par un rapport axé sur le divertissement & les plaisanteries qui s'éloigne du rapport chaleureux & sincère du style « restaurant chez ta mère ». Quand bien même je pourrais attribuer la note de cinq sur cinq pour la prestation (on nous a parfaitement accommodés tout au long de la soirée, ce sur quoi je reviendrai plus loin), & même si on a rapproché la cuisine, ouverte, & ses cuisiniers de la salle à manger, le contexte scénarisé enlevait de l'authenticité dans les interactions.
Moi, je les rendais nerveux, probablement. Au début, j'avais le dos tourné à la salle, position que j'ai en aversion, car j'aime observer ce qui se passe à l'intérieur. Sois je me retournais constamment pour regarder, soit je me levais carrément. La salle étant petite, impossible de passer inaperçu ! On a fini par trouver le meilleur compromis en déplaçant la chaise sur le côté de la table, me permettant de contempler plus discrètement le bal animé. Aussi, on a eu l'amabilité de m'inviter à prendre autant de photos que je voulais, de partout où je le voulais (& de mon exploration subséquente, je vous fais part que la partie la plus amusante du restaurant est la descente vers les toilettes, illuminée de chandelles).
Autre gentillesse : de façon tout à fait discrétionnaire, ils nous ont permis de ne prendre qu'un demi-accompagnement mets-vin à 50 $. De toute façon, tous les plats, à l'exception du premier, se finissaient en quelques bouchées, & nous avons eu amplement d'alcool pour les accompagner. Cependant, est-ce qu'il valait le coût ? Absolument. Les consommations se mariaient parfaitement avec la nourriture, aussi savoureuse que créative, riche que raffinée. Parmi nos mets favoris, on retrouvait l'éclatant « otoro » sur sa croustille au maïs (un extra à 16 $), la galette de courgettes à faire éclater, les pétoncles extrêmement tendres dans leur sauce au safran, le dessert aux fraises… Ce fut une joie d'avoir du pain à volonté, car je dois l'avoir trempé dans tous les fonds d'assiettes & de bols tant les sauces étaient sublimes.
Je vous offre, avant de conclure, une petite anecdote pour illustrer l'excellence du personnel : lors de la dégustation des anolini, on constata que le vin n'avait pas été servi, mais ma partenaire culinaire, préférant la discrétion, me pressa de taire cette omission. Grâce à cette retenue, nous avons été à même de constater l'efficacité & l'étanchéité du service qui s'est rendu compte par lui-même de son égarement & qui l'a compensé en grand avec du champagne avec le dessert aux pêches.
En fin de compte, au Cabaret L'enfer, on est porté bien plus près du ciel que sous terre. N'eut été ce qui s'est avéré à mon goût une cordialité qui semblait peu naturelle, voire feinte, le spectacle nous en a donné pour notre argent : 500 $ (pourboire inclus) pour un sans faute en haute gastronomie.
We had the chefs counter experience & it was so amazing to see the magic our head chef incorporated into our meal. The vibe was great. The food was really good but the highlight for us was the angolotti, their hand made pasta dish. The flavors they combined to create all the dishes were creative & delicious. Would visit again when visiting Montreal.
Aug 29, 2025
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Amazing experience! We ordered the tasting menu with wine pairing & sat at the counter, which was fun because we got to see the creation of the plates. Every dish was excellent & somehow better than the last, with each ingredient & component so harmonious & well considered! Service was also fantastic-everything was well explained, & the wine pairings were great. We're already looking forward to a return trip.
By far one of the best culinary experiences I've had in my life. Chef Massimo truly out does himself, & the food is incredible. Each dish was curated to perfection, balanced & full of flavor. The full tasting menu is a must if you are planning to visit. The atmosphere is a laid back fine dining vibe, & truly unique. The kitchen is open concept, so you can see the chefs in action which give it that extra touch. It's truly something special to see them all cooking together as one. The Otoro & the Morue were the stand out dishes of the night, but everything we had was great. Will be visiting regularly when I come back to the city.
Aug 4, 2025
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Lovely tasting menu. Play on fermented & pickled components is an interesting twist that some may not like. Starter of the chefs play on charcuterie is a real treat.
A really special experience. Thank you to the Chefs & wonderful staff. Massimo is a Canadian treasure, & the few negative reviewers here are insane. If you have the chance, dine here. The chef's counter is especially fun to watch the action.
It took 3 hours to finish a 7 course meal because of how slow the service was. There were 35 minutes between the first & second desserts. I am not new to'concept' restaurants that have small portions, but the last time I had portions this ridiculous, it was a 14 course menu. The food was good but for 150$+ a head, you'll wonder where the rest of it is. The duck dish was literally two slices of duck & a sliver of asparagus. Is the asparagus really so pricey that they have to ration it? The charcuterie board was the same for every table. There were three of us & we got one (1) slice of bread & one tiny ball of burrata. The table next to us was a couple & they got the exact same amount. Is that not a little silly? We had to beg for more bread because again, it is served one slice at a time. It's also incredible that, despite all of this, they feel confident enough to start the tip options at 18%. Good for them, I guess!
Didn't come in with much expectation other than knowing Massimo had been on Top Chef, but we were blown away. Every course was incredible. The dishes were creative & like nothing we'd ever eaten. The flavors were so well balanced & interesting. The service was perfect. We feel lucky for having the opportunity to come here!
It was my second time at cabaret l'enfer & it was absolutely delicious. Ordered everything. I was a little over-full by the end but I think most people would be perfect. There are a lot of restaurants here in Montreal that will give you more food, but it won't be as high quality. If you are looking for big plates this isn't the spot for you (no judgement, just an honest fyi). Everything is made in house & there's a sense of perfectionism that permeates the dishes. It's not very showy, it's just really, really good. I would kill someone for a loaf of their bread. Sauces were killer. The charcuterie plate is wonderful. Lobster & saffron was a great bite. Koji marinated beef was outstanding. Nice wine pairings, too, funky but enjoyable picks. I also had a fun time with the team, so yeah, would recommend if you're down to get spendy.
This restaurant sadly did not live up to the expectations. I really wanted to like this restaurant but it felt like they were trying to copy some playbook of providing a haute cuisine experience but without the substance behind it.
First, the portion sizes are just ridiculously small for the price you pay. Unfortunately the quality of cooking techniques & creativity in ingredients & dishes do not make up for that lack of quantity, as one might expect from similar fine dining restaurants that offer the tasting menu format.
I visited Montreal for a week trying highly rated restaurants each night, & this was both my most expensive & least satisfying meal.
I actually left so hungry after the menu was completed that I had to find a Portuguese chicken place to eat. I was still hungry enough to finish a 1/4 chicken plate.
The second issue, though much more minor, was that the service felt very artificial. Everyone was friendly, but it felt fake & like they didn't care to have any conversation beyond what they needed to say when presenting each dish.
I added a star only for the fact that the owner was actually out on the line prepping alongside his chefs, & he at least made attempts to speak to each guest at the chef's table at least once.
