Damas ancre son identité culinaire dans des préparations syriennes authentiques qui mettent en lumière les techniques levantines traditionnelles. Les convives découvrent une vaste sélection de mezzés incluant un houmous velouté et un baba ghanouj fumé, accompagnés de viandes grillées avec une expertise technique. La cuisine privilégie des épices de haute qualité et des produits frais pour construire des profils aromatiques complexes caractéristiques du patrimoine moyen-oriental. Des plats emblématiques comme le fattouh et le kebbé témoignent d'un engagement envers une préparation minutieuse et des herbes audacieuses. La conception intérieure reflète la vitalité culturelle de la région par des textures complexes et un éclairage ambiant chaleureux. Cet établissement représente une destination majeure pour ceux qui recherchent une exploration approfondie de plats d'inspiration méditerranéenne préparés avec une précision rigoureuse. Chaque assiette souligne la richesse du paysage culinaire syrien tout en maintenant un équilibre structurel.
Damas est largement reconnu comme une destination exceptionnelle pour la cuisine syrienne et levantine à Montréal, souvent loué pour ses plats vibrants aux épices maîtrisées et son atmosphère raffinée. De nombreux convives soulignent que le menu dégustation est une façon mémorable de découvrir une variété de saveurs authentiques, du fattouch signature au houmous en passant par les succulentes grillades, le tout servi dans un cadre haut de gamme magnifiquement décoré. Bien qu'une majorité de clients décrive le service comme impeccable, chaleureux et hautement professionnel, il existe des mentions occasionnelles de rythme inconstant ou d'insatisfaction concernant le rapport qualité-prix. Malgré des avis divergents sur les prix et la taille des portions, le restaurant demeure une recommandation de premier plan pour les grandes occasions, de nombreux visiteurs saluant l'attention et les connaissances approfondies du personnel.
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.
Very different middle eastern food, good ambience, wonderful service & great dessert.
We had the tasting menu, most of the things where kind of different, with a variety of taste.
I don't eat seafood, they were happy to accomodate my requests.
The kibbeh & the main course lamb were outstanding dishes, others were also good, but these 2 standout.
The dessert was also very different, never had something like that ! Must go place in Montreal
Dinner was excellent. The food, the service, the atmosphere. We had the fattouche salad which was incredible, super tasty, delicious Shrimp, the main course was the mixed grill that featured succulent lamb chops, filet mignon, rib steak, chicken. Dessert was vanilla ice cream with pistachios & cotton candy on top. Our waiter George was phenomenal, he kept checking up on us & listened to our requests. It is pricey but well worth it for a special occasion.
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.
Lamb tartare is out of this world. I remember fish dishes were much better in its first location in Montreal. Service was good though. Seating by the bar is a good option for intimate, quieter dates.
The dishes were high quality & the service was fantastic. Our server, George, was attentive, kind, & very helpful in guiding us through the menu options. The food was served quickly, & everything was excellent.
We ordered the baba ghanoush as a starter, followed by the eggplant lamb kebab & the lamb shank, all of which were delicious.
It's on the pricier side, so it's a great choice for a special occasion.
Amazing atmosphere & the staff were very attentive to details. The food… my god the food was phenomenal. We had the rack of ribs & the braised ribs as mains, with lamb dumplings & spicy potatoes as apps.
They also gave us complementary dishes for the delay in the service, (which we didnt mind at all) but just the attention let us know what kind of establishment Damas is.
Would highly reccomend, even if its a bit pricey. It is worth it. I will definitely come back!
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.
