Cabaret l'Enfer

Lukesh

5.0

This was an all-around fantastic experience.

The food presentation was great. The dishes with South American influence were especially good (mole & an entree containing a paste originating from El Salvador). The concept of each course corresponding to one of the seven deadly sins was fun. I was concerned I would leave feeling hungry, but that was not an issue at all.

We were seated by the chef's bar. It was fun to see the chefs cook, & they were super friendly in explaining what they were cooking.

We did not get the full wine pairing, but did try one pairing as proposed by the sommelier. It was a very good recommendation! Also, I think it's worth highlighting how great the sommelier was. He answered all of our questions, cracked jokes & really elevated our whole experience. We also had some cocktails/mocktails that were tasty.

The atmosphere was nice - lots of candles!

19 janv. 2026

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?

5.0

My first night on vacation in Montreal resulted in me getting a reservation at Cabaret l'enfer! I had been following Chef Massimo since he was on Top Chef & I was delighted to be having dinner in his restaurant during the 7 Sins tasting menu. Each of the courses were absolutely Divine & the plating & explanations from the chef was fantastic! The only reason why the atmosphere only gets four out of five stars is because some of the courses didn't quite match up with the sin. It did make sense when you Dove a little deeper, but on the surface it didn't quite match with what most people would think that sin means.

That being said, everything was delicious & it was a very fun way to start my first night in Montreal!

16 janv. 2026

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Alexandra

5.0

This deserves a special shout out. As a Montrealaise living abroad, when I'm back home I care about where I eat. The food, staff & ambiance made a regular Tuesday evening outstanding. Even without the head chef, they held it down & you could feel he was there! The meal included the best tartare, best scallop, & best duck I've ever had. Special shout out to all the staff this past Tuesday, for indulging our questions about wine, food, etc. (special shoutout to Carlos for the extra attention & the lesson on Mexican cinnamon). A bientot!

8 janv. 2026

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Lauryn

3.0

The food here was fantastic. I'll start there. The branzino en croute was a particular standout. But the service was ROUGH. Our 7-course meal took nearly 4 hours, with long, sometimes 20-minute gaps between courses. Tables seated nearly an hour after ours received some courses before we did. I had the wine pairing, & they completely forgot to pour my wine for the fish course. Some dishes were explained well, others were confusing. The chefs generally explained the dishes well, but the waitstaff seldom checked in, which made it difficult for my partner (who doesn't drink) to order mocktails. I don't know if this was an off night or what, but it seemed like they desperately need to streamline service from what we saw. I will say that Massimo himself was fun & delightful, & clearly enjoys interacting with his customers, but for what ended up being nearly $700 CAD after tip, I expected to be taken care of with a little more attention & intention.

30 déc. 2025

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Koko

5.0

I'm visiting Canada from Japan.
In Japan, I truly believe that the level of customer service in restaurants is among the best in the world. Even in small bistros-not just high-end places-you receive exceptional service. Because I've been so used to that standard, I honestly couldn't give very high ratings to some of the restaurants I visited in Toronto. Sometimes the service ruined the experience, even when the food was great. There were moments when I thought,'Do I really have to tip for this?' & it made me miss Japan.

But then I visited Montreal & came to this restaurant - & I was stunned.
Not only were the servers friendly, but even the kitchen staff were incredibly warm & kind. Every single person working there made us feel welcome.

& the chef… absolutely incredible. I've never met a chef this funny, kind, & entertaining - even in Japan.

Thanks to this place, we had the most amazing night in Montreal.
Thank you ❤?

10 déc. 2025

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Kyle

5.0

I went here as I watched Top Chef & saw Massimo on the most recent season. This was our Anniversary meal, & though we didnt see Massimo, the staff treated us exceptionally well.

We were greeted with a welcome cocktail & the meal progressed from there. Our menu was fairly seafood heavy, which was great for me, but not ideal for my wife. The food was all fantastic from start to finish, & I highly recomend the wine pairing with each course.

The restaraunt itself was beautiful, & I loved all the candles throughout.

A perfect place to splurge & enjoy an anniversary (or date night). The menu changes daily, so keep that in mind when you visit.

3 nov. 2025

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Justin

3.0

Après 2 premières super expériences avec le off-menu (passé 21h, 3 plats possible de complémenter avec des plats additionnels, mais qui n'est plus disponible aujourd'hui), nous avons décidé d'essayer le menu dégustation.

Nous avons été déçu de notre dernière visite.
- La valeur n'était pas au rendez-vous. Le prix de 165$ pour 7 services ne m'aurait pas gêné si j'avais eu l'impression d'en avoir pour mon argent.
- Les associations de saveurs, portions & ingrédients choisis ne justifiaient pas le prix. Nous avons fini le tout à la maison avec un trio Big Mac & des croquettes.
- Sélection de vin intéressante, mais commençant à 100$ la bouteille de rouge.
- Les cocktails n'étaient pas disponibles car le barman n'était pas là. Pas besoin d'un barman pour dépanner avec une carte simple & limitée pour la soirée (ex: Negroni)
- Le service était lent & pas plus attentionné qu'il faut, ce qui aurait dérangé si nous n'étions pas avec un couple d'amis que nous n'avions pas vu depuis longtemps.

Sur une note positive l'ambiance est toujours au rendez-vous.

Nous mettons 3 étoiles car nous avons adoré nos premières expériences, mais on est ressorti avec un malaise à la dernière après notre facture de 640$. On reste persuadé que le chef & son équipe sont extrêmement talentueux, mais à ce prix, on ne peut justifier d'y retourner sur un gamble.

25 oct. 2025

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Evan

2.0

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.

21 oct. 2025

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Rheanne

3.0

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

28 sept. 2025

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David

5.0

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.

21 sept. 2025

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Therlinsie

5.0

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.

29 août 2025

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Brandon

5.0

The food was incredible, the service is exceptional, & the old school 80s / punk rock vibe was right down my alley.

Chef Massimo & his entire crew made me feel welcomed, especially being my first time in Canada.

I would definitely come back whenever I come back to Montreal.

7 août 2025

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Sabrina

5.0

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.

4 août 2025

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Andy

5.0

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.

29 juil. 2025

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Liz

5.0

On the expensive side, but the food was fantastic. If you need an entire experience, come here. Plus, Chef Massimo & his team are lovely.

26 juil. 2025

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Mitchell

5.0

Amazing food & service. Massimo is one of the best chefs & nicest people in the world

23 juil. 2025

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Athie

5.0

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.

23 juil. 2025

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Rachel

5.0

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!

27 juin 2025

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Terence

2.0

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.

12 juin 2025

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C

5.0

My husband & I went for our Wedding Anniversary celebration & were not disappointed. It was an amazing experience. They were so welcoming, like a family. The food was fantastic. We were seated at the counter it was well worth it. You were able to see all the activities of the restaurant & how well everyone worked together. It was one of the best experiences my Husband & I had. The food was exceptional & will never forget this experience & would definitely come back. The chefs were very attentive & made you feel like you were apart of their family. All the dishes were made with local products, homemade, including their Burrata cheese. All we can say is Wow! Thank you for everything.

10 juin 2025

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