Elena centers its culinary focus on expertly prepared thin crust pizzas and authentic Italian pasta dishes crafted with high quality seasonal ingredients. The kitchen utilizes traditional techniques to achieve the perfect blistered crust on every pie while maintaining a commitment to regional Italian flavors. Guests encounter a spacious environment designed for casual interaction characterized by minimalist aesthetics and industrial design elements. The menu emphasizes fresh, locally sourced produce alongside imported specialty goods to ensure consistency across every plate. Beyond the classic sourdough pies, the selection includes rotating pasta offerings that showcase seasonal vegetables and artisanal grains. This establishment prioritizes a focused culinary vision, delivering a distinct experience through its precise handling of dough and carefully curated flavor profiles that define its approach to modern Italian cuisine.
Elena is widely regarded as a standout destination in Montreal, praised for its authentic Italian cuisine, particularly its sourdough pizza, kale Caesar salad, and flavorful pasta dishes. Many guests highlight the vibrant atmosphere, stylish design, and attentive service as key components of a memorable dining experience. While the majority of visitors leave with high praise for the food quality and professional staff, some feedback points to inconsistencies in service timing, noise levels, and occasional issues with seating arrangements or temperature comfort. Despite a few mixed reviews regarding portion sizes and pricing, the restaurant remains a popular choice for both casual outings and special occasions, with many patrons expressing a strong desire to return.
Excellent!
My daughter surprised me with a birthday dinner at Elena. When we arrived, our table was not ready & our host Olivier sat us at the bar & suggested a glass of bubbly wine while we waited. Once seated at our table, our server was very friendly & attentive. We started with the olives & the salumi - both very good quality. We then shared a Caesar Salad & the Supplì. The salad was tasty & you could tell that the dressing was made in house. The supplì were just as good as the ones I had in Rome. We then had the pasta special, triangular ravioli with ricotta & artichokes, with a very light sauce made with mint, lemon zest & Parmesan … what a surprise!! It was delicious & refreshing & very well designed. We also had the AP style pizza which was amazing. We had gelato for dessert, the pistachio was to die for ! During the meal the service was great, & Olivier was knowledgeable & great at suggesting wine pairings.
We will definitely be back!
2026: nice olives & bread to start, but would be nice if olive oil had a little balsamic. The suppli Al telefono were better than typical arancini. Funguy pizza was overflowing with mushrooms. The lamb pasta was delicious. Tiramisu tres leches was perfect, best of both desserts. My friend enjoyed her chocolate cannolis.
Service was friendly. Suggested wine was great. Été something. Lighting could still be better, it felt dark rather than intimate. Maybe some fake candles?
2024: The Dany pizza was delicious & creative with the sesame spinach honey combo, but I didn't like how wet it was, like all the toppings just slide off as soon as you lift it up.
The Gigi pasta was a interesting bitter mix of flavours with the fennel & arugula, but there was barely any sausage in it.
Olive oil cake was nice but pretty dry compared to other olive cakes I've had. I know the cream+olive oil is there to compensate but it's not the same.
Cannolis were delicious & well presented, available without the pistachios if you have an allergy.
The Barbossa is a smooth young red wine accompaniment
Service was very attentive & efficient. Glasses were never empty. Decor was typical modern industrial. If there was music, it wasn't memorable.
Mar 15, 2026
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Reserved a seat for a small group a week in advance, only to be placed at the bar table right by the entrance door. The pizzas were pretty mediocre, burnt (not leoparding, just burnt & bitter) & the crust was dense & lacked air pockets, I'm quite sure the entire batch was under-proofed that day.
Wrote in the reservation notes that we we're celebrating a birthday but it was a surprise. Immediately on arrival, the hostess mentioned the birthday (bummer). Barely any service, it took twenty minutes before I had to ask who I could order with. The waitress came by twice in the +2hours we were there & didn't speak a word. Not one hi & did not check in to see if the food was okay. We honestly didn't even know she spoke English until we asked for the bill. Our entire table works in service & we can all say that the servers go around looking at the tables but don't actually speak to their clients unless its to collect their payment. We never tip less than 20% but tonight, tipping 15% felt wrong considering the only service we truly got was from the bartender (he took our order as well). Probably best as a takeout spot…..
ORIGINAL REVIEW: Although most people seem to go for the pizza, I go for the salads. Always fresh, well composed & delicious. They may look like a medium sized salad, but trust me there's a lot in that bowl. Only attempt to eat one yourself if you're super hungry.
UPDATE: The loss of the back terrasse is sad. It was so much more pleasant than sitting in a terrasse in a reclaimed parking spot right next to Notre Dame St. Traffic.
The white shop towels are sure to cover any dark clothing with a pile of white lint balls.
What was a great kale Caesar now has an overly sharp dressing with way too much vinegar.
Waiting 45 minutes for a pizza on a Tuesday night just after 5:00 in an empty restaurant is an unacceptable attempt to run a bar bill.
Nous étions deux, assis au bar. Nous avons été pris en charge rapidement par le barman & notre serveur. Leur service était irréprochable.
Côté repas, tous étaient excellents. Arancini & polpettes en entrée, suivi d'une pizza style napolitaine & d'un plat de pâtes fraîches maison savoureux. Mention spéciale pour le gelato, qui était d'une onctuosité comme je n'en avais jamais gouté.
This is our second time coming to Elena. We visited back in August for our anniversary. I requested Elena for my birthday dinner, my husband made a reservation & put dinning room in the comments section.
We arrived & was told they only had the bar, or one table available only for an hour. We decided to stay, & would just eat fast.
Ordered a salad, & two pizzas.
When our pizza arrived one was completely cold, & the other was room temp/ warm.
Not the hot fresh out the oven I was expecting.
I usually don't care for pizza, but had such a great time in August, that I asked to come back to celebrate my special day.
Not sure what happened tonight, but I'm extremely disappointed.
Everything - top to bottom was approachable, the menu was beautifully simple while allowing us to really get something each of us wanted. The servers were lovely, & the central bar design is unique! I loved the food so so much. Somehow my favourite thing we ate was the cauliflower. Cocktails were also great! What can be said other than we are in debt to those who recommended us.
We popped in for a takeout. We ordered 1 pizza & 1 pasta. The order took more than 30 minutes to arrive. The pizza was burnt & the pasta's was barely warm. A bit disappointed by such a nice place. Quality inconsistent.
