Else's comes across as a warm, cozy, and characterful spot on a charming Montreal street, with a welcoming energy and a mix of intimate tables and lively chatter that makes it feel both neighborhood and special; the menu is small but well loved, delivering comforting dishes like mac and cheese, dumplings, chicken curry, pulled pork tacos, and other crowd favorites, complemented by a house blonde beer and thoughtful cocktails; decor and atmosphere draw on Nordic roots and bookish curiosities, creating a unique sense of place that feels removed from the city grind; service is repeatedly praised for friendliness and attentiveness, though crowds can slow things down and noise levels can be high; the overall sentiment is that Else's is a must visit for a casual dinner, a date night, or a social hangout, described as a hidden gem by many and a place that invites return, with occasional notes about slower service or a wish for outdoor seating or moments of quieter conversation.
This place truly feels like a hidden gem. From the moment we walked in, the cozy & inviting vibes stood out & set the tone for a great experience. I ordered an Aperol Spritz, & it was absolutely amazing perfectly balanced, refreshing, & well made. It complemented the food really well & was a great way to start the evening.
For food, we ordered the chicken dumplings, & they were incredibly good flavorful, well-cooked, & easily one of my favorite dishes of the night. We also tried the sliders, which had a soya patty, & surprisingly, I loved them much more than I expected. They were delicious, satisfying, & packed with flavor.
My friends ordered the quesadilla with Portuguese sausage, & once again, it was amazing. It was well-seasoned, hearty, & clearly a hit at the table. Every single item we ordered stood out in its own way, & there honestly wasn't anything that disappointed us.
What impressed me the most was the consistency everything we ate was amazing. I don't often get the chance to say that almost every item on a menu feels this well done, but so far, this place has delivered. The food, drinks, & overall atmosphere worked together perfectly.
I definitely want to come back to try more items from the menu because this visit left me genuinely excited to explore what else they offer. Overall, a fantastic experience & a place I'd happily recommend.
Very cute spot! The atmosphere is very nice, server was good but it took quite a lot to take the order & the food to be ready. I tried the mini burger, it was delicious, & the butter chicken was ok, it was missing salt. The prices are reasonable but the plates are not very big. I'd still recommend it & would like to go again & try more things!
Feb 28, 2026
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Une belle découverte sur la rue Roy, non-loin de la rue-St-Laurent. Une ambiance sympathique, une déco où on retrouve les racines norvégiennes de la fondatrice de la place. L'art sur les tables (voir photos), rend les tables uniques. Les décors donnent un certain cachet à l'endroit. C'est relax, on s'y sent bien. Du moins, moi je me sens transporté loin de la neige & du froid de ma vie dans les bois près du Mont-Tremblant (Arundel) où j'y opère un relais de motoneiges & de paintball/airsoft 4 saisons. Else's me donne des idées de déco!! Je vais d'ailleurs rechercher des endroits aux racines norvégiennes à Montréal, une partie de mes ancêtres maternelles.
J'ai dégusté la bière blonde maison du pub, un bon goût, servi bien froide & désaltérante. Mes tacos au porc effiloché très savoureux. Les côtes levées que ma femme a choisies furent succulentes… j'ai bien aimé mes tacos, mais la prochaine fois, je vais prendre les côtes levées!! Ou peut-être découvrir autre chose? Que me recommanderiez-vous? La salade de choix, fraîche & délicieuse. Je ne vous cacherai pas que j'ai terminé les côtes levées de ma femme!! Madeleine nous a super bien servi, merci!
On reviendra à ce super pub norvégien de quartier! Merci pour ce moment!
Came in after a couple two many beers at a poetry night nearby with my wife. The waiter that welcomed us was super nice as well as the one that took our order. love y'all. unfortunately the food didn't meet our post bar graillance. On est rentré avec de la earth shattering graillance & le burger (double mini burger) n'a pas satisfait ma faim & expectations mais le goût étais tout du moin impeccable. Par exemple, l'ambiance étais vraiment incroyable. Ça parait qu'on est sur le plateau #woke. Overall tout fesait une expérience exquise & service 10/10. Place recommandée pour rallumer la flamme ou éviter un divorce.
This place is truly a hidden gem in Montreal, tucked away on one of the city's cutest & most charming streets. We stumbled upon it on Halloween night, & it turned out to be one of the best spontaneous decisions we made that evening. The atmosphere was warm, cozy, & full of life - the kind of place that immediately makes you feel welcome. Despite showing up as a group of eight without a reservation, the staff went out of their way to find us a table, which was honestly impressive on such a busy night.
The service was excellent - friendly, attentive, & relaxed in the best way. We ordered a mix of dishes, including the chicken teriyaki, mac & cheese, salad, & mini burgers. The mac & cheese definitely stood out as the highlight: creamy, flavorful, & perfectly comforting for a chilly night. The mini burgers were also tasty, though they were quite small & better suited as individual portions rather than for sharing.
Overall, this spot strikes a perfect balance between cozy & lively. It's the kind of place that works equally well for a casual night out with friends or a laid-back dinner date. I'd definitely recommend giving it a try - especially if you love finding those lesser-known Montreal spots with great vibes & solid food.
Excellent sandwich de porc effiloché. Ce sont 2 mini burgers avec une portion de salade de choux.
Trop petite portion pour moi.
Endroit bruyant qui complique les discussions.
Très bel endroit.
Je recommande
Aug 9, 2025
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La nourriture est délicieuse & les drinks sont super bons! Superbe ambiance & bel endroit, avec un très bon service. Je recommande fortement cet endroit!! 👌🏽
This is my first visit here. Early summer travel from Ottawa. At first glance at the menu I did not see the typical, appetizer, salad, soup, entree dinner menu selection one would normally expect. At first I was, ok, so I ordered the dumplings, wings & ribs to share with my wife. Catherine was on the ball for service. The food was amazing, I shared some food with my 4 friends at the table because I wanted to them to try it. The wings were served with an arugula noodle salad & it was delicious, ribs with a creamy double baked potato & the dumplings with 2 dipping sauces & charred just right on the edges. The whole table was impressed with all of their meals. We want to make a shout out to Sam & Josh who were the cooks working tonight's shift. Highly recommend this place, I suspect you will have to wait in like to get in here when it is busy. We'll worth it. Chris
Lovely bar, amazing atmosphere to be with friends but could also be a fun date spot. Service was great! My friend & I were given free shots when asked if we would consider moving to another table to make room for a larger group. 10/10, recommend :)
A quaint cozy bar with lots of personality! After being a few times now, the best part of Else's is the ambiance. Though they have a food menu, it mostly is a place to grab drinks & their hot ciders are notably delicious. Expect to wait up to 20 minutes for a table most nights, I've never not seen it packed & people like to linger late. The prices for drinks are reasonable but not the cheapest for food. Their cheesecake is creamy & soft making a solid dessert choice. Accessibility wise there is a step at the double doors, & it's quite close quarters between tables & the bar seating. I would recommend in the area if you are looking for a quintessential plateau bar experience.
