Grille-Nature presents a sophisticated menu centered on prime steak and fresh seafood, offering a refined culinary experience. Diners can anticipate expertly prepared cuts of meat, showcasing the quality and flavor synonymous with a dedicated steakhouse, alongside a selection of the ocean's finest catches. The market aspect of the restaurant suggests a commitment to sourcing high-quality ingredients, ensuring a vibrant and authentic taste in every dish. This establishment provides a distinguished setting for enjoying expertly crafted meals. The culinary approach focuses on the inherent excellence of the primary ingredients, prepared with skill and precision to highlight their natural characteristics for an exceptional meal.
Grille-Nature has quickly established itself as a standout culinary destination in the West Island, offering a warm and welcoming atmosphere paired with exceptional, flavor-forward cuisine. Guests frequently praise the restaurant for its fresh, high-quality ingredients, with many highlighting the expertly prepared steaks, delicious fried chicken, and standouts like the baked clams, calamari, and decadent desserts. The service is widely regarded as attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely friendly, often enhanced by the presence of the owners who actively engage with patrons. With a relaxed, comfortable environment that caters well to both families and special occasions, the restaurant is consistently recommended as a must-visit spot that provides great value and a memorable dining experience.
Overrated & too expensive for what it is. The service was fun & attentive, & the atmosphere is hip & crowded, but the food & wine is a letdown for this price point. I went there on a double date & we spent $150 per person, but I really didn't feel I got what I paid for. The appetizers were OK. The mortadella is a must try, but again it's nothing exceptional that makes you go'wow'. The calamari was OK like any other calamari you get in town. The foie gras was mediocre. The tartare, while flavorful, was served severely lacking more bread or crackers. Oh, & this place charges you for bread, & gives you zero surprises or freebies.
Their wine list is lengthy & has private imports but it was instantly obvious to any wine connaisseur that their bottle prices are over inflated (cheapest one starting at $65, more than triple the price you'd pay for that bottle when buying from other sources); despite Sam their sommelier saying it's'neutral', I settled on a Brouilly Vieilles Vignes Gamay by Jean-Claude Lapalu (& icon in Burgundy wines). But at $105 a bottle, it left a sour taste in my mouth ; the wine was good, & a decent sommelier sweet spot for the price, but still.
I tried 4 of their mains (we shared) & they were all disappointing. First off, they said their Wagyu special wasn't available; unavailable dishes are unacceptable for this kind of price point restaurant, & leave a negative impression on customers (but these folks don't seam to care). The fried zucchini was good but nothing special. The sausage with tomatoes was blah. The cod was truely delicious but the presentation was lacking (it was served with simple steamed bock choy on the side, with no other decoration). Most dishes screamed'low effort' & were still $40+ each. I was expecting something better from the former owner of Joe Beef!
The desserts was what really left me with a sour taste in my mouth; you never want your customers to leave with a bad impression from desserts, but this place is an expert at it. First they said their most popular dessert, thr blueberry cobbler, was unavailable (& it's $30). The chocolate cake was $16 & gave me the impression I'm getting ripped off; yes it was good, but it was tiny for the price & slightly dry & it was served with zero decorations; just a slice on a white plate; no coulis (I mean come on, everyone puts a fruit coulis for texture), no sprinkling, no dash of chocolate mousse or something. The pekan ice cream was also good, but for $16, I expected to be more impressed. What really frustrated me about this place is they have the impression they're great, but they're really unaware of how average they are, & much'highway robbery' feelings customers are leaving with, & they're oblivious about what they need to do to improve.
It seemed like they were in no position or mood to receive people at 9pm anymore. We were asked if we would like to sit outside since our table wasnt ready. I thought why not (it did smell like fried fish inside afterall). Until we saw giant spiders hanging from the gazebos when we got out & spider weds above our head. We asked to move the table away from the wall which is where they were mostly concentrated & it was extremely awkward, we were standing there & the hostess kept going back & forth, as if they didn't want to move it when there was more than enough space. So we asked to keep our table inside (as per our reservation). We immediately heard the chef owner scream'set up their f******* table' in the middle of the restaurant. It was very embarrassing. Then i saw they were setting a table that seemed somewhat secluded in a corridor, with the lit drink fridges & wine racks. I asked if this was our table & i was told yes & there is no other. I said fine. The chef owner then came to unecessarily confront me & asked me if i wanted to eat here tonight. I said yes since its my birthday & i had been trying to come for weeks. He completely disregarded my answer & kept fishing for problems & asked why I didn't like the table & what not, i explained objectively that it was fine i was just asking if there were any other since it seemed a bit off from the rest. Instead of calming down, acknowledging my desire to move forward, my birthday & how nicely I responded to his tantrum, he turned to my friend accusing her of wanting to leave a bad review & asked us'get the f*** out'. I think its safe to say giant spiders are not enjoyable & this first reaction to scream about it should've me been our queue to leave. I have never seen a business owner treat anyone like this, i get this is a tiring business & clients are sometimes difficult but I don't think people should be treated like punching bags. We went to Maiko where we were welcomed (as usual) despite them being super busy, they definitely deserved our (plenty) business.
Had the best time celebrating my friend's birthday at Grille-Nature! Everything was perfect, from the drinks to the food to the service from our amazing waitress Bianca! Special shout-out to the tostada, the crudo, & the spare ribs - all 10/10! Can't wait to go back!
Shared a great meal with my wife,daughter, & sister. The food was fantastic! My wife had the newly added fried chicken which was delicious. I had the lamb ragu lasagne. Amazing! The sides of Calamari, Steak tar tar & shrimp avocado toast was superb. Topped it off with Blueberry cobbler & soft ice cream for dessert. So good. Also got to have a great conversation with Dave McMillan. Service was great. All thanks to my daughter Elianne who organized it. Thank you
Paraphrasing the late, great Christopher Wallace,'Brooklyn was definitely in the house tonight!!' Our server Brooklyn was beyond fantastic. She had great suggestions, was extremely affable, & we never felt neglected. As for the food? Lord have mercy; the food. If you don't get the baked clams appetizer, I feel bad for you. The fried calamari is also superb - something you've probably had at many a restaurant, but here you can tell the quality of the squid (fried in beef tallow) is not to be messed with. The duck confit was also delicious. Fried to perfection.
But the two winners in the savory arena had to be the cheeseburger & the miso glazed cod from British Columbia. The best sit-down restaurant burger I've ever had - & I'm from southern cali where we have great burgers - & the cod was exquisitely cooked & the miso glaze Id drink by the gallon. The desserts were also sublime. The chocolate cake with sprinkled salt was simple & decadent, & the strawberry Sunday with wildflower honey, whipped merengue & vanilla ice cream made me question all my previous life decisions as being substandard when considered in light of the one I made to order this dessert.
The staff is wonderful. The chefs came out & were delightful. I can't recommend this restaurant enough. If you want amazing food, meticulous & friendly service with no pretense, come here.
Absolute culinary debauchery in DDO. Totally mesmerized by the delicious dishes from the exceptional head chef, Melinda Gorman.
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Many thanks to the incredibly talented Clerel for his fantastic suggestion & most enjoyable company 🙏
What an amazing foodie discovery !
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📸 Beautiful premium Chebooktook oysters from New Brunswick
📸 Marbled mortadella drizzled with warm honey & shaved Alpine cheese
📸 Foie gras parfait toast, topped with maple jelly & olive oil
📸 Iberico Pork cheeks Vichyssoise, shredded & formed into a luscious tender slice
📸 Buttery rich wild mushrooms
📸 Delicate lasagnette of lamb
📸 Bountiful fried chicken
📸 Special strawberry sundae, topped with a toasted meringue foam
📸 Candied pecans & salted caramel sundae
Amazing. Excellent meal. Creative, fresh & tasty dishes. Fair prices. Good quality & quantity.
We also met David McMillan himself who was very nice & friendly. We do recommend & are looking forward to our next visit.
- The Swell Fellow
The stars of the show: Our wonderful waiter (think his name was Sam), the bread & butter (hands down crack, best bread & butter you'll ever taste), garlic honey shrimp (not greasy, very crunchy, generous sized shrimp, sweet & salty), my friend adored the warm olives & parmesan, the strawberry graham sundae we had was insanely good (crunchy fresh strawberries, sweet, beautiful presentation)
The letdowns: Our 110$ steak was overcooked & lots of fatty inedible chunks (if you like medium rare ask for rare), the fries weren't as good as everyone else made them seem (they are good but not fall of your seat wow), skip the chocolate cake (too salty & not what I expected)
For me this place was a one & done, we paid 130$ per person with tax & tip & it's way above my personal budget to come regularly but we did order a ton of items. I might come back to try some dirty martini & that wonderful bread again. I felt like some menu price points could be lower especially 16$ for a slice of cake. Overall the place was cozy, a mix of high end cuisine/service in a very relaxed & casual atmosphere. To whoever commented that they need to dim the lights, they did!!! Loved that for us.
Two of us dined at Grille Nature tonight & had an exceptional experience from beginning to end. We sat at the bar & immediately appreciated the wonderfully relaxed, welcoming atmosphere.
The service was outstanding. The staff were attentive, knowledgeable, & seemed genuinely invested in ensuring every detail of the evening went smoothly. Their wine pairing recommendations were excellent & elevated the meal beautifully.
What really stood out was the execution. The timing of every dish was impeccably managed, with each course arriving at precisely the right moment. It's clear that both the front & back of house are operating at a very high level.
We started with the country mortadella & warm olives, followed by the beef tartare, baked clams, & poblano stuffed peppers. Every dish was fresh, flavourful, & thoughtfully prepared. For our mains, the seared scallops, grilled sausages, & French fries were all delicious & expertly executed. We finished with an outstanding almond tart with plums & a couple of double espressos.
The food was fresh, fun, beautiful, & absolutely delicious. Most importantly, it had soul. In a city filled with fantastic restaurants, Grille Nature distinguishes itself as a place that is genuinely worth experiencing.
The value for money is particularly impressive given the quality of the food, service, & overall dining experience. From the atmosphere to the hospitality to the cuisine, this was excellence from top to bottom.
Highly recommended, & we look forward to returning.
1- The black cod with miso glaze is sublime. Fried squid & avocado were awesome appetizers.
2- Service: We sat at the bar, great service!
3- Atmosphere: Decor, crowd, staff: perfect!
