Grille-Nature by chef-owners Derek Damann and David McMillan is an end-of-career promise kept. These two longtime chefs, bound by mutual admiration, have teamed up to bring to their beloved West Island a restaurant for everyone. Seafood, vegetables, and prime cuts of responsibly farmed meats and local products are always on hand. A welcoming bar, an eclectic wine list, and a warm staff are ready to create something new in hospitality, surrounded by purveyors of true quality.
Two chefs, two farms, two families, one restaurant. Quality goods only.
Reviews of Grille Nature converge on a standout West Island dining experience, with generous portions, inventive and well executed dishes, and attentive service in a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Dishes range from crowd pleasers like burgers and seafood to ambitious specials, with many highlights such as scallops, foie gras, crispy fries, and a strong bread and butter service, and a well curated drink program. While the overall food quality and vibe receive high praise, several guests note high prices for the portion sizes and occasional inconsistencies in pacing or execution, including one steak that was chewy or overcooked, some sides priced a la carte, and a few visits where service or timing could be improved. Still, the restaurant is described as lively yet comfortable, with a family friendly vibe and a level of hospitality that makes visitors feel welcomed and well cared for, and many plan to return to try more dishes.
Invited by friends for my birthday! Don't let the location undermine its authenticity. Service, while friendly, offered no flexibility for simple side alterations, no was the quick answer! Atmosphere could benefit from an upgrade, toilets were under par. They hit the mark with the food quality. Originally the chef was at Joe Beef, & now here. Overall, might need another visit to experience a better service.
I do not understand why so many positive reviews for this restaurant. First of all, the atmosphere. Minimalistic, half of the menu is on a single chalkboard, some items proposed by our server were either absent from the chalkboard or market priced. The place is noisy, the owners should invest in acoustic tiles. Second, the food, we ordered 5 different items form the menu (Steak frites, Scallops, Duck Confit, Pasta Dish & Ribs, with three sides & 4 cocktails (no appetizers). The waiter was pushing for more items. The food was served before the drinks arrived at our table, which is something I've never seen before in any restaurant. The food was lukewarm, there was no WOW factor as far as taste. The duck confit was dry, & gave me heartburn later (I wonder how long it stayed under the lamp). Third, the prices & quantity of food. The broccolini side had only 7 small spears, & was priced at $19, the fries were $11 for a single serving (one potato). The average price for each dish (no side) is $45; portions were not overly big. Cocktails are $18 for a ounce of liquor. We were celebrating my daughter's birthday, they did not even comp the tiny portion of cake she ordered. Overall, I felt that we overpaid for very ordinary food. For half of what we paid, we could have had a far better meal at Lucille's, the Keg or Bâton Rouge.
May 14, 2026
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The atmosphere was better than the food unfortunately ! Service was ok- our server was very nice but she was a little bit all over the place & our appetizers took about 40 minutes to come out .. we tried the scallop special which was good however I found it was lacking a little bit of flavor. I got the half chicken which was delicious but unfortunately very very salty, I couldn't finish it , it comes with fries which is salty as well, I did not have much to balance with the saltiness . My friend got the fresh cod from BC which was delicious however was also very salty . Maybe it was an off night with the food I would maybe try again
Incredible. Don't need to say too much more. Good service. Bright & open & vibrant. 4 women shared 8 different things. All delicious. Standouts were the croquetas, avocado, fries (honestly so good) & the porterhouse we shared was crazy good. Cooked to absolute perfection with a sauce I can't even explain... Incredible.
Fantastic spot in the West Island. Grille Nature feels casual, family?friendly, accessible, yet the food has all the refinement & depth you'd expect from David McMillan (Joe Beef) & Derek Dammann (Maison Publique). Relaxed atmosphere, serious cooking. A perfect combo. Definitely worth the drive from Montreal - I will be back!
We had another enjoyable evening at Gille Nature. My wife & I particularly appreciate sitting at the bar, & this visit was no exception... we had plenty of space & felt very comfortable throughout the evening. The staff interactions were, as always, warm, attentive, & genuinely pleasant, which really adds to the overall experience.
A standout moment was when the chef noticed we were intrigued by the salad, sucrine au Roquefort. He kindly approached us, provided explanations, & described the dish perfectly. It was a thoughtful & personal touch that made the experience even more memorable.
We started by sharing the fried calamari, which was nicely prepared & perfect to kick things off. I had the burger, which was satisfying & well executed, while my wife opted for the sucrine au Roquefort, which did not disappoint.
Overall, it was a relaxed & enjoyable evening at a very reasonable price. Definitely a place we're happy to come back to.
We ordered all the seafood appetizers + a miso black cod from the daily menu.
On the whole, the appetizers were good individually & one or two of them pretty interesting. Though I don't recommend doing what we did & order all of them tapas style. For one, some portions were pretty large. More consequentially, most of them had the same feel, where they cover seafood flavor & texture with cream, sauce & crispiness.
The two that we liked were the Baked Clams with some nice acidity from the peppers & the Tuna Aguachile Crudo. The least liked are the 2 Fried Oysters; texture & taste of the shellfish are covered & not present.
The Miso Black Cod from the blackboard was a miss for us. The waitress described it as light & flakey, but it was the opposite: dense, heavy & rich. Missing something light to complement it, it felt like a chore to eat.
We still very much enjoyed the experience overall, just wishing a bit more variety for the palate & not have everything rich/fried. Love that this kind of restaurant is popping up on the West Island.
May 6, 2026
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What an incredible experience at Grille Nature. A long-awaited spot that we finally got to enjoy with friends. The highly anticipated dining experience didn't disappoint, it far exceeded expectations.
As a self-proclaimed home cook, I'm not easily impressed & usually love cooking at home. This really showed me the difference between a home cook & a chef. I was happily humbled, I can't cook like that, even with all the YouTube help.
Dining is alive & well, & yes, it's a luxury, but Grille Nature is the right place for that special occasion. We were greeted by name with smiles by David McMillan at the door & guided to our table by a very friendly host. Our waitress, Alia, was full of passion & had great suggestions. She brought dishes that paired perfectly together, banger after banger, no misses.
Big shoutout to the kitchen, truly incredible. We had the white asparagus with prosciutto, scallops with potato butter, sausage coil with poached pear & long hots, miso cod, pork skewer with lentils, Furley bread, panna cotta, Parisian flan, & cassis sorbet to finish.
Shoutout to Jenny (sorry if I got the name wrong). Ordering a Pigeon Hill wine sparked a great conversation about Quebec wine, & she offered us a taste of a crisp gem. Thanks for the recommendation of L'Espiegle.
The vibe was right, great tunes, proper lighting, & even a hockey game on (Go Habs Go!). What a gem to have in the West Island, greatly appreciated by us west of the West Island folks. & yes, parking was plentiful.
Friends made a reservation 2 months ahead & we were all looking forward to a great meal. Our waiter Dean was excellent. Attentive & friendly & efficient. Devore was very nice with a great warmth & attention to detail. My wife ordered the hanger steak. I ordered the thick cut bacon & the New York strip aux poivre. Unfortunately both our steaks were overcooked but we're still tasty. The bacon was delicious & well prepared. My buddy & his wife ordered the Caesar salad which they said was delicious. He ordered the burger which was great & his wife ordered the hanger steak which was also overcooked. Seemed like the kitchen had some issues with doneness this night. For dessert, we had the Marjolaine cake which was good but pricey at $16 for a small slice. Strange considering most menu items were quite reasonable. Our friends had the sticky toffee cake which they liked. Sitting in a lovely restaurant with excellent service is always fun. Will definitely be back.
I was really looking forward to this restaurant. Everything was great before we were officially seated, but then I noticed the table was uneven, so I used the paper from the fries to balance it. The food was quite good, with strong Japanese influences. Throughout the meal, I had to pour my own drinks. When it came time to pay, they actually forgot to include the cost of the drinks-if this were a shop, they probably wouldn't be able to charge it afterward, haha!
Apr 17, 2026
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A very good restaurant. Glad they are now in the West Island. Food is delicious. Outstanding service, they raise the bar. Got to meet one of the owners tonight, I felt welcomed & appreciated. I will definitely return with friends.
We ate like kings here. The portions are very generous. We ordered 3 mains off the specials menu (black cod 10/10, pork with lentils 9/10, & the Denver steak 8/10) along with a side of fries which were surprisingly exceptional, bread (11/10), Caesar salad (10/10), & warm olives (10/10) to start. Everything was delicious. Our only complaint was that the cut of steak was very very chewy & probably should have been cooked a bit more (which would have compromised the juiciness but may have helped the chewiness). I also ordered a ceasar & I think that may have been the best Caesar (drink) I've ever had.
For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was living in the 2000's when there was no rushing, tables that have enough room around them to breath & staff that were pleased to be there. This paired with the incredible food & show stopping fries (fried in tallow?) & very best dirty martini. 10/10 would recommend
Amazing dinner at Grillé Nature. Great restaurant with a fun vibe, delicious food & excellent service. We were a group of five & enjoyed sharing several dishes.
The fresh bread & butter to start was amazing. The Caesar salad was delicious. We loved the Lumache rose pasta . The honey butter rotisserie chicken with fries & salad was a standout, & the NY strip steak was perfectly cooked.
The fries were so good we ordered a second serving.
We finished with a chocolate sundae & sticky toffee pudding for dessert, both fantastic.
The only small note is that the seating could be a bit more comfortable, but it didn't take away from the experience.
Will definitely be back.
Mar 15, 2026
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Absolutely incredible restaurant from the service to the food we really enjoyed our visit here.
We had the scallops , carpaccio , marmite oyster & milano ham. Each dish was better than the next. The scallops were the best i ever had!
For the main dishes we had the steak & duck. Absolutely amazing!
Our waitress was super friendly & did a really good job. Huge thank you to David Mcmillan for coming over to our table & speaking to us. Was such a good experience wish i could eat there every day ! 😂
Staff very friendly. Service excellent. Food delicious. Except for steak frittes all sides seem to cost extra. The decor was lovely but I personally would re-think placing rugs under the tables. Could be an accident waiting to happen. Also, very noisy. All the above criticism is constructive. On the whole I enjoyed my experience at Grille Nature. I personally think it's geared for the 40, 50, 60's crowd.
Grille Nature lived up to the expectations & I will definitely be coming back. The space is beautifully curated with rugs, warm lighting, thoughtful decor & soft jazz music-making it so that you feel as if you're having an intimate dinner at a friends home. The food was delicious- the ribs with their sweet red pepper sauce, & the bitter caramel of the sticky toffee pudding really stood out. Our server was a delight, being very personable. I dropped a star because the bathroom was not that clean (water all over the counters, & the toilet paper holder looked like it had rust or something brown splashed all over it), which took away a bit from the experience for a restaurant of this calibre you would think they had someone tending to the washrooms more often.
Overall, we had a great experience, with a few areas that could use improvement.
The service & staff were excellent. Everyone was attentive & friendly, the food arrived quickly, & the pacing of the meal felt well thought out rather than rushed or sluggish.
The menu is genuinely interesting, with a lot of tempting & well-curated options. It feels creative without being gimmicky. The drink program is also a strong point. Cocktails were very tasty, & the wine list is solid, offering great selections both by the bottle & by the glass.
Food highlights really stood out. The calamari were excellent, perfectly cooked & flavorful. The scallops were cooked just right, & the fries deserve a special mention. Honestly, they might be the best fries I've ever had.
That said, a few elements didn't fully live up to expectations. The 8oz bar steak was cooked perfectly in terms of temperature/crust, but the quality of the meat itself wasn't there. It was chewy & had noticeable sinew, which took away from what should be a highlight at a grill-focused restaurant. The mortadella appetizer was also overhyped by our waiter. It ended up being very standard German-style mortadella (Leberkase), nothing bad - even very tasty, but nothing memorable either. I would skip it next time.
I'd give the restaurant a solid 4 stars, but a few details pulled the experience down.The bar stools were extremely uncomfortable, to the point where my legs were going numb. We eat at bars often, both locally & while traveling, & these were among the least comfortable bar seats I've encountered. It really affected the enjoyment of the meal. The steak knives also felt cheap. It may sound minor, but ripping through meat isn't appetizing, & for a place branded as a grill, this feels like a basic expectation. Lastly, the toilets were a bit dirty, with things like urine on the floor. Nothing dramatic, but still unacceptable for an establishment at this price point & level.
Overall, it's a bit on the expensive side for the portion sizes, but the food is very tasty. I would definitely go back, & if some of these issues improve, I'd be happy to update my review.
We had a reservation for a Wednesday night at 2030. It was busy but not crazy busy. We waited a descent amount of time for our entrees. They were delicious. We had squid & the chicken a la king soup. On a side note, I had asked about the hot avocado but waitress described it poorly. It sounded terrible. Sadly, we waited close to one hour for our main dishes. I think they forgot them under a heat lamp somewhere. When they arrived, they were luke warm. I ordered the baked ribs. The sauce was just off putting & they were very dry & inedible, actually. My friend ordered the chicken. It too was very dry. It also had a chemical tasting sauce on it. We both barely ate. Our waitress did not question this, even when she asked about take away & I said no. My dish was mostly untouched. The whole time we were there, there was a lot of staff but we had to ask for water to be refilled. Not a redo for me.
