Cadet comes across in reviews as a polished, shareable tapas style destination in Montreal's Quartier des Spectacles, praised for refined, flavorful dishes and a lively, modern atmosphere. The menu, designed for tasting and sharing, features standout seafood and vegetable plates like black cod morue charbonnière, octopus, scallops, calamari, beef tartare, hamachi, and focaccia, with sauces and presentation repeatedly called thoughtful and delicious. Service is described as warm, attentive, professional, and often fast to accommodate show times or busy rooms, with strong wine pairings and inventive cocktails cited as a plus. The ambience is elegant yet relaxed, though the space can feel loud, crowded, or cramped at peak times, and some reviewers note small portions for the price or occasional missteps such as undercooked potatoes, fatty lamb, or overpowering sauces. Overall, Cadet emerges as a standout dining experience with excellent food and knowledgeable staff, a good option for a date night or pre show dinner, and a place many would return to, despite the occasional inconsistency and noise.
Tried this place last night & overall it was a mixed experience. The restaurant itself is very nice & the atmosphere is enjoyable. The sommelier recommended a bottle of wine that we really liked; however, after asking to see two bottles around the $85 range, we were presented with one priced at $120. We decided to go with it & did enjoy the wine, but the upsell was a bit surprising.
We ordered four dishes to share. We started with the butternut squash, which was pretty good & well prepared. The lamb T-bone was very tasty & well seasoned, but unfortunately about half of it was fat, which took away from the enjoyment. When we mentioned this to our waitress, she was very professional & immediately offered for us to choose another item from the menu at no charge, which we appreciated. The side of fingerling potatoes, however, was undercooked & disappointing. We finished with the chocolate tart, which was excellent & easily the highlight of the meal.
Overall, there were some strong points, & the service handled the issue with the lamb very well, but a few execution & value concerns kept it from being a great experience.
Beautiful dining experience at Cadet! The food & service were impeccable. We were served by Zoe (for the second time) & she is amazing with very kind, patient, & informative service. All of the staff had great demeanours despite the dining room being very busy.
10/10 cocktails, wine list, food (the seafood dishes are mental, & always get whatever's on special), & dessert
Looking forward to my next visit!
Feb 1, 2026
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Notre réservation était à 20h. Nous étions un groupe de 14 personnes & avions donc opté pour un menu à partager. Les premiers plats sont arrivés vers 20h45. Les portions étaient minuscules (presque misérables), & en plus, on nous a apporté 2 à 4 assiettes par plat pour toute la table (par exemple, 4 bols de 3 ailes de poulet chacun, soit 12 portions au total pour 14 personnes). Il a fallu attendre environ 25 minutes avant que les prochains plats ne soient servis. La serveuse, bien que gentille, était extrêmement lente. Nous avons dû lui demander 4 fois un seau à glace pour rafraîchir notre vin ; elle a fini par nous l'apportez, mais la bouteille était presque vide à ce moment. Obtenir de l'eau ou attirer l'attention du personnel était également un vrai parcours du combattant (ils font leur minimum & s'en vont sans même demander si tout va bien). La plupart d'entre nous ont fini par abandonner, désemparés. Deux petites salades, des ailes de poulet, un plat de poisson (avec à peine du poisson), un plat de courgettes papillon, & environs 150 $ plus tard (menu de groupe, boissons, taxes & pourboires compris), nous sommes repartis profondément déçus. Nous sommes repartis extrêmement déçus par les plats proposés, les portions, le goût & le service. J'y étais allé il y a une dizaine d'années & j'avais été tout aussi déçu. J'y suis retourné cette fois-ci pour l'anniversaire d'une amie &, malheureusement, la nourriture & le service n'étaient pas meilleurs (probablement pires). Je n'y remettrai jamais les pieds, même pas si on me payait !
Cerise sur le gâteau : pressé de partir, je suis allé régler l'addition avant même que la serveuse n'apporte les factures du reste de notre groupe. À peine cinq minutes plus tard, elle m'en apporte une autre. Je lui dis que je viens de payer la mienne, & elle semble perplexe. Je me souviens alors qu'il s'agissait de l'addition d'un ami, déjà réglée lorsqu'il est parti environ une heure auparavant (le service était interminable & il avait dû partir, il a donc payé & était parti).
Du vol pour dire le moindre !
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Reservation was at 8pm, we were a group of 14 people so it was a sharing menu for all. First set of few dishes started coming at around 8:45pm, portions for extremely small (almost pityful), & on top of that they brought 2-4 dishes per item for the entire table (eg. 4 bowls of 3 chicken wings in each, total of 12, for a group of 14). There was about 25 mins wait time until the next set of few dishes came out. Waitress was kind was super slow, had to ask 4 times for an ice bucket to chill our wine - she finally brought it but the bottle was almost done by then. It was also a challenge to get water, or to get any of the staff's attention (they do what they have to & walk away without asking if everything is ok). Most of us gave up because it just felt hopeless. 2 small salad dishes, chicken wings, a fish dish (with barely any fish), a dish with butterflied zucchini, & about $150 later (group menu + drinks & taxes/tips), we left utterly disappointed in the suggested items, portions, taste, & service. I had gone there about 10 years ago & it was equally disappointing. I went this time for a friend's birthday & sadly, the restaurant's food & service was not any better (probably worse). You couldn't pay me to go back!
Cherry on top: I was anxious to leave so I went to pay the waitress before she brought everyone's bills. Barely 5 mins later she brings me another bill at my seat. I told her I just paid my bill & she seemed confused. I then remembered it was a friend's bill, which was already paid when he left about an hour prior (food was taking too long & he had to leave, so he paid the bill & left).
Exceptional Tapas & Wine Pairings at Cadet - A Must in Montreal
Located on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in the heart of Montreal's Quartier des Spectacles, Cadet is a vibrant & stylish restaurant that has earned its place among the Michelin-recommended gems of the city. The atmosphere strikes a perfect balance between casual & chic, making it ideal for a night out with friends or a pre-show dinner.
The menu features a variety of refined tapas-style plates designed for sharing. The standout for us was the black cod (morue charbonnière)-incredibly tender, beautifully caramelized, & full of delicate flavor. Each dish we tried was thoughtfully presented, with excellent attention to balance & texture.
One of the highlights of the experience was the wine pairing. The selections were expertly matched to each course, enhancing the flavors without overpowering them. It's clear that great care goes into curating both the food & beverage offerings.
For dessert, the chocolate, caramel, & banana tart was simply unforgettable-rich & indulgent without being too heavy.
The service was warm, knowledgeable, & genuinely welcoming. The staff made us feel right at home while guiding us through the menu.
In short, Cadet delivers a polished & memorable dining experience. Highly recommended for food lovers visiting Montreal.
The atmosphere was minimalist & was bland. Also the waitress didn't seem interested or knowledgeable about the food or the wine. Thankfully the food was so outstanding that we'd go back & recommend Cadet to others.
Hands down our favorite meal of the trip. Small to large shareable dishes that were all delicious! Space was hip & modern & they also had a nice wine list.
Great atmosphere, great food.
This is the place where dishes are expected to be shared , hence, the size is not big, so order more than one per person. I actually like it that way, more fun.
The beet salad was brilliant. Mix of different salad leaves, radishes, beets, goat cheese - everything worked out perfectly together.
The squid was prepared masterfully.
Foccacia nicely charred. The only thing I suggest to skip is cod croquettes, too chewy.
Good wine list.
Last night's dinner at Cadet was incredible-the winter salad was a standout, unlike anything I've had before. The oysters, octopus, & cod croquettes were all delicious, paired perfectly with wine & a dirty martini. The calamari was chewy & oily. Not my fav. The ambiance was warm & inviting. However, the service was a letdown; our waitress seemed overly concerned about how much we were going to order, making the experience awkward. Despite that, the food alone makes Cadet worth it.
This restaurant has an extensive & classy cocktail menu as well as a nice wine list. The food was delicious & each dish had multiple components. The portions were very small & since we were a party of 4, it was sometimes difficult to share the dishes since there was not enough of each ingredient to share. I highly recommend the fried sea bass with cabbage slaw. The service started out strong when the restaurant was empty but got worse as the night went on. It took a very long time for our water to be refilled once the restaurant filled up & we did not order dessert since we could not catch the waitress' attention for a long time. I enjoyed the flavour of all the dishes & it was clear that they were all meticulously crafted but the price was relatively high for what we got & I think that Montreal has plenty of comparable restaurants which are not as expensive. I'm glad I tried this place but I'm not sure if I will not return.
So.... maybe I failed on taking photos of the dishes before we ate ... I think the empty plates speak volumes. This was a recommendation from a local... & they did not disappoint. Excellent sharing plates. We had a good number of them. They were inventive, whimsical & delicious! To note... the croquettes, the beet salad, the leeks, the broccoli.. the wine selection was extensive.. we chose a little known Sicilian white wine... it was excellent. The service was beyond reproach. Our server Mathilde made excellent recommendations. Her service was attentive without being overbearing & always with a smile. We will be back. Thank you again for an excellent experience! We will certainly recommend you to our friends. Andrew
We had a superb meal at Cadet. 2 adults & a child had 5 plates plus the focaccia & we were stuffed. I think the steak plate counts as two. Each dish was unique & meticulously prepared. The beans (green beans) was an excellent salad like dish with many flavors & textures. It took me a minute to figure out unwrapping the leeks instead of cutting them & they were a good texture in a nice sauce. Our two favorite dishes were the ratte potatoes (great sauce) & the beets. The server recommended a very nice cocktail for my wife & I hade an excellent glass of wine.
Aug 6, 2024
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What a great experience - The vibe is very cool, good house music in the background, not too loud so conversation is easy. Our server was friendly, timely, & the wait staff are well coordinated. We started off with 2 house cocktails (gin / mezcal ) which were delicious, shared 3 plates, 2 glasses of wine & a dessert. The salmon & broccoli dishes were amazing, as was the bread pudding. The table next to us was raving about their plates too. Perfect amount of food to share for 2. Reasonably priced (under $200 with good tip) for food quality, presentation, service & location. We loved it - definitely go back to try other dishes on the menu.
I have nothing to add to all of the glowing reviews. The food was superb in flavor & imaginative in recipe. Everything was excellent. The wine list was original. The service was attentive & professional. There is nothing in need of improvement. I would travel to eat here again. 5/5.
Cadet is a perfect restaurant to stop in at before/after a show near Cartier des Spectacles. Great wine selections. Fresh menu. Always a full & vibrant dining room. The waitress was a little distracted & didn't really give us the time of day which was a bummer considering this is a pretty elevated restaurant. But everything else was so good, I'd come back anytime! That focaccia w. piri piri sauce. YUM. Also the seafood section is all really really good.
Small plates to share that were not too small. Everything we had was wonderful. We sat at the bar in a late seating. We selected the beef tartare & the scallops, which also turned out to be raw, as well as oyster mushrooms, asparagus (wrapped in ham), & ricotta gnocchi. All were outstanding. Our waiter suggested an order of presentation that turned out to be perfect, as well as wine parings.
Everything was absolutely fantastic. Everyone there was so friendly, & the food tasted absolutely amazing. They have a huge wine list as well. I would highly recommend this place for a nice romantic evening.
