Come and join us for an enchanted Syrian evening located Montreal’s chic and gastronomic heart of Outremont, on Van Horne Avenue. At Restaurant Damas, a uniquely comfortable microcosm will greet you with warm colours, velours, carved wood, and multicoloured lights.
Reviews portray Damas as a standout Montreal dining experience, renowned for its rich Syrian flavors, fresh in-house pita, and bold mezze that include dishes like lamb, octopus, fattoush and kebabs, with the tasting menu and wine pairings often highlighted as a must try. The atmosphere comes across as warm, elegant and intimate, and the service is generally attentive and knowledgeable, with a strong drinks program to match the food. Some guests question the value for money, noting high prices and varying portion sizes, and a few report slower service or occasional misses during busy times. Brunch is also praised for its flavorful, well composed offerings and cross cultural flair, making Damas feel like a Montreal institution that many would return to for special occasions or to explore more of the menu.
We had a lovely dinner at Damas, the experience was amazing - the cocktails are incredible! It was my first time having Syrian food, & I honestly can't wait to come here again.
May 3, 2026
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Amazing!! Came here for dinner with my husband while visiting Montreal & everything about our experience was wonderful! The restaurant is absolutely beautiful & the service was fantastic. We ordered the tasting menu & every dish was delicious. You can tell how much thought & care is put into creating each dish. I am not the most familiar with Syrian food but our servers kindly explained each dish to us which made it very accessible & informative. Each server we interacted with was incredibly kind & attentive. & I can't emphasize enough how good the meal was. I would very highly recommend visiting Damas!
Phenomenal Food & Extraordinary Service!! My partner & I had never tasted Syrian cuisine before so we both decided to try the tasting menu & we were blown away by the whole experience. Such unique flavours! We will be back!
Ambiance:
The restaurant is very large, nearly 4 whole rooms. It's beautifully decorated, quite warm & inviting. I wouldn't say it's cozy, nor would I say it's an overtly elegant vibe.
Service:
Friendly but distant. Food was explained as it came, but none of our servers seemed particularly passionate about the food. Plates were changed with each service. Nothing that added or detracted from our visit.
Food:
What can I say about the food? Damas offers elevated middle eastern cuisine that would wow those who have not had very much of it. The mezzes were good, but not better than mezzes served by any good Syrian (or Lebanese or Jordanian) restaurant, including a breakfast spot. The hot mezzes were good, but not ground breaking. Flavours were not elevated, they were just solid representations of the standard (cumin, Aleppo pepper, yogurt, etc.) Most damning was the meat - we ordered the filet mignon medium rare & received it medium, the lamb medium & received it well done. At a restaurant charging these prices, this was quite unacceptable.
Furthermore, for a restaurant charging these prices & presenting itself as being high end, the pace at which our dishes came out was overwhelming. We ordered a total of 10 dishes. We received our cold mezzes as a pair. Very quickly after we began to eat, 3 hot mezzes appeared. & very shortly after that, another 4 hot dishes! There was no pause between plates, which made us feel very rushed & anxious about the food becoming cold. We would've appreciated more thoughtful coursing of the dishes & more time to enjoy each dish, without it becoming cold.
Overall, Damas offers a decent dining experience at what feels like rather exorbitant, fine dining prices. Service & ambiance are nothing to write home about. The food is not the best representation of the true breadth & depth of Syrian cuisine, but it may wow those who are not from the region.
I had heard about this place for a long time from people & damn was the food good! As a top guide in mtl ive tried a lot of restos everywhere & this was my first Syrian one. I absolutely loved it, the flavors good, drinks were awesome, service great. Bravo 👏
Damas is hands-down my favorite restaurant in Montreal. From the moment you walk into the gorgeous dining room on Van Horne, the experience is just unmatched. The service is always incredibly warm & attentive, & the atmosphere feels so special without being stuffy.
But the food is the real reason I keep coming back. The Syrian flavors are so rich, vibrant, & perfectly balanced. Everything is incredibly fresh from the cold mezzes right down to the charcoal-grilled meats. Whether you go all out on the tasting menu or just share a bunch of plates, you honestly can't go wrong. Yes, it's on the pricier side, but it is absolutely worth every single penny for the quality & the overall experience. A true 10/10.
Mar 27, 2026
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Damas is definitely a Montreal institution. It's an upscale Syrian restaurant in Outremont that gets a lot of buzz, & I can see why people are drawn to it. The ambiance is stunning, the staff are genuinely warm & welcoming, & the service is attentive throughout the whole evening. No complaints there. That said, I left feeling like the hype doesn't quite hold up. The food is good & decent, but for the price point, I expected to be blown away & I simply wasn't. When you're paying fine dining prices,'decent' just doesn't cut it. It feels more like you're paying a premium for the atmosphere & the name than for truly exceptional cuisine. Worth visiting once if only to say you've been, but it's not the kind of place that leaves you counting the days until your next reservation. A memorable first visit, but not somewhere I'd rush back to.
The food itself, is a far cry for me, from fine dining. Everything tastes decent but it was neither better nor more innovative than a really high quality Syrian restaurant that is 1/4 of the price. It was $400 for 3 people without alcohol. The only standout dish was the octopus. The lamb kebab from the charcoal grill was the only dish that was actually bad. The sauces & accompaniments were good but it was cooked poorly.
Admittedly, this is my cuisine so I am more critical, but in Toronto there is Byblos which elevates regular Mediterranean & I was hoping for a similar experience. Even the desserts were run of the mill, nothing innovative or interesting. They need to be elevated at a place like this.
Unfortunately I would not come again despite good service.
Damas offers a brunch experience that is as curated as it is flavorful, blending influences from both Eastern & Western cultures for a unique culinary adventure. The restaurant operates on a set-price menu, starting at $55, with additional charges depending on your selections. While it would be nice to see an a la carte option, the structured menu ensures each dish is thoughtfully prepared & cohesive.
The coffee is a standout, beautifully brewed & aromatic, setting the stage for the meal ahead. The dishes themselves are vibrant, richly spiced, & layered with flavor, making for a wonderful introduction to Syrian cuisine. Each bite is carefully balanced, showcasing both boldness & nuance without ever feeling overwhelming.
The ambiance enhances the experience: warm wood tones, magical lighting, & cozy decor create a welcoming & almost enchanting atmosphere that complements the food beautifully.
Overall, Damas delivers a brunch that is flavorful, memorable, & culturally immersive. For those seeking a thoughtful introduction to Syrian cuisine with a touch of cross-cultural flair, it's a satisfying & elevated way to spend the morning.
Just visiting Montreal & enjoyed my stay at Damas. I wanted to support Syrian fine dining cuisine experience as I have not experienced something like this in Toronto.
Pricey restaurant but honestly flavors & textures were incredible. My favorite was the lamb dumplings. Great fantastic service as well. Everything went very well together it was very intentional when preparing the meal & menus. Will definitely return when back in the city God willing!
Dec 14, 2025
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This restaurant is a scam to be honest. We shared a hummus & a plate of grilled meats. The food was good, no problem, but really overpriced (come on $35 for 4 very small cups of hummus as appetizers???). Nothing amazing for a $125 meal… the portions were very small compared to the price we paid. It's just normal Syrian food, in a restaurant trying to be fancy… for the price paid, you better go somewhere else.
You'll read a lot of mixed opinions about this restaurant, but honestly-aside from the price-don't pay attention to the noise. This is a high-end restaurant, & the quality & execution of the food are truly unique. I've tried many Lebanese & Syrian restaurants, & to this day, nothing beats Damas. The food is outstanding; it's one of the best restaurants in Montreal. The fact that reservations are so hard to get isn't hype-people genuinely love the food here.
If you're wondering what to wear, opt for something nice & elegant. I've been there on Mondays & even then you'll see corporate guests in suits & ties.
For first-timers, I highly recommend the tasting menu. You get a little bit of everything, & it's very filling. I've tried almost the entire menu, & honestly, every single dish is excellent.
Street parking is available, but there's no valet.
Nov 16, 2025
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beautiful syrian restaurant with excellent service! we took the omnivore & pescatarian tasting menu. it was very filling & delicious but nothing extraordinary from the flavors (maybe to someone who is not at all familiar to this palette tho!). a lot of the dishes were lacking salt & one was heavily oversalted. i would recommend this restaurant but not necessarily the tasting menu. my favorite drink was the aleppo sour & my favorite dish - very simple but delicious - the fattouch salad. thank you for the fun birthday experience!
Absolutely fantastic experience, my group had picky people & everybody LOVED every meal. Have the nectar instead of the cocktails, the cocktails are good but the nectars are unique to Damas. Would definitely recommend to anyone who wants some fine dining & is interested in Syrian cuisine. There are other cheaper places, but Damas is a different level in terms of quality.
We love Syrian cuisine, so we thought we'd give this place a try. We went for the full Decouverte menu (11 servings). We are far from picky eaters, but I'm surprised why this restaurant got 4.7 stars. Service & atmosphere was great, the food though, very poor. I didn't finish most of my plates & left with a $450 bill with no alcohol. Unfortunately a no-go for me.
Food is not as I've imagined, maybe I'm not used to it, but I love their fattouch & bread including their dips (hummus, baba ghanoush, etc.) are amazing. I didn't love the meat because Syrian or arabic meat usually season it with something distinct to the culture that I'm not a fan of, maybe it's cummmin or something else. The fish though is superb! & their ice cream pistachio is heaven.
Been wanting to come for years but there was never any resos available when I was in town. Finally tried it & must say, super tasty. Syrian food is packed with flavour & delicious. Even for a high end resto I was a bit surprised by some of the prices versus what I received but kind of used to it from living in Toronto. I would still go again to try more items.
