If Ferreira Café has quickly established itself as one of the best restaurants in town, there is no mystery: a visionary owner, an inspired chef, high quality products and a talented and dedicated team. In Montreal, Ferreira Café gives the Portuguese cuisine all its nobility.
Reviewers describe Ferreira Café as an elegant, intimate setting with chic Portuguese influences and a strong focus on fresh seafood. The menu is praised for beautifully balanced dishes, high quality ingredients, and care in both flavors and presentation. The service is repeatedly described as attentive, knowledgeable, and professional, though a few guests note occasional lapses when the restaurant is busy. Many guests praise standout items such as octopus, black cod, bouillabaisse, and other seafood specialties, with compliments on generous portions and thoughtful pairings. The wine list and cocktails receive frequent praise, and the open kitchen adds to the lively, upscale vibe. Prices are described as high and some feel value does not always match the cost, along with occasional notes about additional charges for bread or olives. A few reviews note noise level or occasional off nights where dishes arrive not as hot as expected, but the overall sentiment remains highly favorable. Overall, Ferreira Café stands out in Montreal for authentic Portuguese dining and top-tier seafood, delivering a refined yet welcoming experience that many would happily return for.
This was my favorite place for a long time for fresh seafood & fine dining.
However my latest visit is anything but pleasant.
I visit on a Monday evening, the place is still relatively busy as they recently received a Michelin recommendation. The host sit me at the bar, when I ask if I can take the seat at the end she said she would save it for other reservations. I have no problem with that but the seats remain empty til I left.
It took a while before anyone greeted me & take my orders. I'm a simple person & since I visited here so many times before I already know what I wanted & placed my order quickly: include a pan seared dore sole as my main dish.
Now here is the problem, I got a fish with a ruptured gallbladder, which happens once a while & can make the flesh very biter, it's a common problem when cleaning the fish. I made a mistake of not sending it back right away, as on the top side it was not so notable. But when I got to the bottom part it's so biter as the flesh has soaked up the gallbladder juices, I have to stop.
The stuff noticed that & ask me if everything is ok. I said I don't think the fish is cleaned( as in by the fish man) properly. That's when they got really defensive & keep saying that why they want to clean (meaning deboning) the fish for the customer, for the customer. But I doubt that would change anything about a gallbladder juice soaked fish. & the two of them keep saying that I should let them to'clean the fish' for me just killed all appetite for me.
I don't know what have change but clearly not what I expecting from a Michelin recommendation Restaurant.
I usually have have the black cod, it's my go to dish but my friend had the Bouillabaisse & that blew me away!!!
Wow!!!! Full of seafood & the broth was little spicy & so flavorful.
We were visiting from Toronto to celebrate my mother's 82nd birthday & enjoyed her birthday dinner at Ferrerira. All the staff were most welcoming & made my mother's evening so special. We were fortunate to have a table by the kitchen & watched the chefs work their magic & appreciated their efforts in the fine details in preparing the dishes. We all had seafood & found the portions a good size but more importantly were fresh & delicious! The sardine & scallop ceviche apps should not be missed. The fresh grilled fish of the day was simple but so tasty & the bouillabaisse was cooked to perfection. Nicole, our server, was absolutely lovely! She was so kind to our family & provided dessert for our table. My mother was so touched by this gesture. We would like to thank the Ferreria team for going above & beyond to make my mother's Montreal birthday such a memorable one. Merci!
Jun 4, 2025
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Ferreira stands as a true institution in Portuguese cuisine, where tradition & excellence merge to create an unforgettable dining experience. The menu showcases a masterful selection of dishes, each prepared with high-quality ingredients & a deep respect for authentic flavors, from impeccably fresh seafood to rich, comforting specialties. Complementing the exquisite plates is a stellar wine selection, thoughtfully curated to highlight Portugal's finest vintages.
Ferreira est & restera une véritable institution montréalaise. Au fil des ans, ce restaurant a su conserver une constance impressionnante, tant dans la qualité de ses plats que dans l'excellence de son service. Chaque bouchée est un pur délice - des plats décadents, raffinés & toujours impeccablement exécutés. L'expérience est sublimée par un personnel d'un professionnalisme remarquable, attentif, chaleureux & toujours à l'écoute. Une adresse incontournable pour les amateurs de cuisine portugaise haut de gamme.
We had a fantastic experience at Ferreira Cafe! The atmosphere was absolutely lovely, & the food was truly amazing - fresh & delicious. Every single dish we ordered was a hit - not a single disappointment! Highly recommend!
Went here after reading a lot of hype about it. It was just ok. We waited about 15min with a reservation at 9pm. For appetizers we had shrimp crudo & a sardines dish. For main dishes we had the duck confit & the octopus. Everything was beautifully presented. The shrimp crudo was interesting in a good way. The sardines were yummy but underwhelming. The duck & risotto was good. The risotto comes on the plate & also in the Le Creuset pot it was cooked in. It was tender & tasty. The octopus was disappointing. I ordered it because it's something I would not prepare at home. It was not flavorful enough & the greens it came on were so bitter, it was hard to eat. The atmosphere is quite loud & bustling & you can tell the team takes pride in serving & they work well as a team. I found it to be over priced. Some places I'm excited to return to visit. I will not be coming back here but I'm glad I had the chance to try it.
