Elena is widely praised for authentic Italian cooking with wood fired dough, standout pizzas, and salads, and pastas such as mafalda al ragù and ragu are frequently noted as well executed; the vibe is described as chic, intimate, and lively with attentive service and a strong wine list, making it a popular spot for date nights, groups, and terrace seating when available. Some visits are described as exceptional with friendly staff and reliable recommendations, while others note inconsistencies such as pizzas arriving burnt or cold, portions that feel small for the price, long waits, and billing miscommunications. Reservations can be tight and seating at the bar or in busy times may be required; the atmosphere can be loud but the overall opinion is that Elena remains one of the top pizza and pasta destinations in Montreal, offering a reliable and memorable experience for many, though not without occasional misses.
Restaurant manager Cynthia .. great personality .. noticed her coworkers were a bit overwhelmed & stepped in herself to come take over & help out ..truthfully too many people involved serving our table .. was kind of annoying ..
The Arancini .. AMAZING .. ordered 6 of them
The pizza .. came BURNT .. like really burnt
My pasta dish I ordered the Mafaldine al ragu.. nothing special ..(I'm Italian)
You can get better sauce out of a jar from a grocery store sadly.
My friend Ordered the anchovies as an appetizer ..just comes on top of oil… so of course you have to order bread too right … ($)
The bread comes with a small portion of olives that we didn't ask for but yet was charged to our bill!
Had to ask for napkins, & a spoon, we were a table of 3, our cocktail 🍹 drinks did not arrive at the same time, mine arrived 25 minutes after my friends, they give you RAGS, as'napkins' I had to ask for paper napkins 2/3 times because she had only brought me one… like really ?
Atmosphere: ZERO: extremely DARK & LOUD.. had to use the flashlights on our phone to read the TINY SMALL PRINT ON THE MENU.. we were a table of 3 & we spent all night screaming at each other .. way too loud in there .. is this a club or a restaurant?? Extremely loud will not return because what's the point of going for dinner with people if you cant even hear them ??
Now here is the best part …(being sarcastic)
Someone at our table asked for tea the waitress said we don't have tea, but we can get you a canary, we asked what that was, she said hot water with lemon, oh ok.. guess what ? Yes you guessed it right, hot water, with a tiny piece lemon we were charged 2$ for it !!! For hot water ?? Any resto you go to whether you ask for hot or cold water with a slice of lemon in it is not a charge ! But anyways will not be going back to this place again ..
⭐? :
One ⭐? star for the arancini & for the girls who served us Anthony as well!
Dec 11, 2025
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I rarely leave bad reviews, but this was the worst dining experience I've had in Montreal. It took 40+ minutes & two servers just to place our order. The waiter gave us'on the house' lemon shots we didn't ask for (nice gesture), but then charged us for them…? We had to ask for the bill to be corrected.
After finally getting our food (which was good), the waiter offered to pack the remaining 1/4 of my pizza to go. Many minutes later after he didn't bring it, I asked about it, & he just says'sorry I think someone threw it out'. No real apology, just'Do you want a free dessert?' I said no, & he replied,'Okay, well have a good night.' Then I proceeded to pay for a whole meal, even though they threw out a quarter of my meal.
It may have been an off night, & it happens to everyone, but the lack of accountability or even a proper apology on any occasion was unacceptable.
Gorgée d'Amaro à 12$ (à peine une once), très bonne bouffe, mais on nous a averti qu'il fallait quitter dans les prochaines minutes, quand ça faisait moins de 2h qu'on était là.
2 bouteilles de vin, pain, entrée, une salade, une pizza & 2 plats de pâtes pour 500$. On est en mesure de s'attendre à plus de 15 minutes de préavis, non?
Decent pizza, well cooked - only the edges were a bit burnt. The dough was the best part, the topping for me were so so. Yes they were tasty, but overall not quite Italian. We had the Diavolo, the funghi e taleggio & the marinara con stracciatella & anchovies. Chill environment, attentive service.
Got together with some friends for a meal & one friends had reserved. We were warmly greeted upon entering & were seated at Justin & Anthony's table. They were both excellent. Service was fun, efficient & friendly with excellent recommendations. We started with the Kale Caesar which was good. Then we shared the Amatriciana pizza which I was super surprised to see an actual wood fired oven. Pizza dough was excellent with good hydration & good flavours. Then we shared the Mafalda al ragu which was delicious. What I didn't like was the lack of English menus & the lackluster reason why there weren't any, wasn't a fan of the kale Caesar, place was quite loud & finally, the little sign outside wasn't big enough to see when driving or even walking by. All in all, an excellent place & definitely recommended.
Oct 30, 2025
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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.
Has a great experience dining at Elena for the first time. We ordered a peach & stracciatella appetizer, the red wine pasta, & the Dany pizza & everything was incredible. Wine & service were excellent too
Sep 8, 2025
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Elena is hands down the best restaurant in Montréal. When I moved back from Italy, I was craving real Italian food & nothing compared… until I found this place. It's the ONLY spot in the city that tastes truly authentic, just like in Italy.
Every dish is consistently delicious, the prices are super reasonable, & the staff are always so sweet & attentive. The décor feels chill & low-key, & if you pay attention you realize how beautiful it actually is. In the summer, the terrace & the park behind the restaurant make it even more special. So cozy! Even the music is always cool too.
Make sure to try the:
Suppli, bread with olive oil, meatballs, mafalda al ragu, agnolotti if you get the chance, margherita pizza & kale salad.
I've been coming here for 6 years straight & it never disappoints. Always my #1 pick in Montréal! Best restaurant ever.
Lovely place, great food! We tried 3 different pizzas & pasta with chanterelles, all absolutely delicious 😋 One thing that can be improved: food menu is written in such tiny font, that older people in our group had hard time reading it, please make it bigger.
Will be back for sure.
Très belle expérience, l'ambiance tamisée est parfaite pour un date. La pizza Dany & la salade de kale sont vraiment délicieuses! La serveuse était très gentille & assez présente sans être envahissante, je recommande.
Aug 25, 2025
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L'expérience a été globalement agréable & satisfaisante. Le service est très amical & souriant. Il faut néanmoins savoir que le service est fourni par les clients eux-mêmes l'ambiance & aussi appréciable avec la terrasse ensoleillée qui vous protège du vent. Pour ce qui est de la nourriture, nous avons essayé un sandwich du jour qui était vraiment très bon Mais nous restons Malgrétout déçu par les pizzas, elles sont plutôt petites & le fond de la pâte est détrempé par la sauce.
We tried their Margherita pizza & the daily special pizza with stracciatella & cherry tomatoes. We loved the latter, but the Margherita was somewhat disappointing-we expected much more given the restaurant's reputation & the price. We'd definitely go again, but we wouldn't order the Margherita.
This place is a must when in Montreal. The staff is great & the food is amazing. Had a pizza (of course) along with a salad & the meatballs. You have to have the meatballs *chefs kiss.
Absolutely enjoyed everything about this Pizza/Pasta restaurant. The wood fired pizza was absolutely delicious, the orancini superb & the service was both friendly & excellent.
