Located in a beautiful turn of the century building in Old Montreal, Brasserie Holder's design makes good use of its high ceilings and wide open space creating a sense of European charm that is hard to find anywhere else in town. Specializing in Old World European cuisine, Restaurant Holder is famous for its vast selection of brasserie-style seafood, pasta and meat dishes. Sample Menu items at Holder include: grilled beefsteak, steamed clams, salads, tartares, etc...
Holder offers classic French brasserie fare with generous portions and a lively, welcoming atmosphere, where attentive service and a solid wine list elevate many meals; across visits the beef cheeks, duck confit, mussels, oysters, calamari, lobster ravioli, and French onion soup are frequently praised, while some guests note a noisy room, crowded tables, and occasional inconsistencies in a few dishes, yet the overall impression is of reliable quality, good value for the area, and a strong desire to return.
The French onion soup was delicious. For the appetizer, we had the salmon tartare-it was very fresh & refreshing.
For my main, I ordered a steak medium rare, but it came a bit too rare. That said, the steak itself was flavorful, with a nicely seared, crispy exterior. The cut was thick, & paired with the salad, the portion was just right for me. My partner ordered the duck confit-it was tender, flavorful, & not gamey at all, making it very easy to enjoy.
We were too full to try dessert. The staff were friendly & the service was great.
Très belle première expérience au Holder. Très bon service & plats délicieux & goûteux. À notre table, nous avions pris la joue braisée, les raviolis au homard, le ta tartare de boeuf & le canard confit & l'ensemble des plats étaient délicieux. J'ai trouvé l'agencement des saveurs très bon! Le service était très bon également. Je recommande & je reviendrais.
Apr 19, 2026
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We came here on a Saturday without a reservation, but since we arrived before 5 p.m., there was no wait & no problem getting a table.
The staff were wonderful-so friendly & patient! They noticed we were non-French-speaking tourists & took the time to explain the menu & specials to us, which we really appreciated.
Everything was delicious! If you're traveling with young kids & want to enjoy elevated food without breaking the bank-& in a warm, welcoming atmosphere-this is definitely the place for you.
The calamari was an instant family favorite, the lobster ravioli & duck confit were both perfect, & the mussels were not only tasty but came in a huge portion!
If I ever visit Montreal again, I'll definitely be back for dinner here!
We visited Holder on the evening of August 30th &, due to our own mistake, had made a reservation for the wrong date. Despite this, the Maitre d' greeted us with incredible politeness & professionalism. She went out of her way to find us a high table at the bar, & we were so grateful.
The excellent service continued with our server, Gabrielle, who was simply fantastic throughout our meal. The entire staff made us feel welcome.
The food was just as impressive as the service. We started with the Paysanne & French Onion soups, & both were great. For our main courses, the confit de canard was delicious, & the onglet was cooked perfectly.
The restaurant itself has a wonderful, lively ambiance that makes for a great dining experience. We were thoroughly impressed with everything at Holder, from the accommodating staff to the outstanding food. We highly recommend it!
I came here with my partner to celebrate my new marathon PR at the Marathon Beneva de Montréal & it was amazing. The french onion soup was the best I've ever had, & my partner said his favourite meal throughout his entire trip was his entree: Duck Confit. The portions were fantastic & we were both amazed by how fast our food orders came up. Our server was a kind gentleman who was very attentive & polite. Would strongly recommend!
I arrived to Montreal from Ontario & had to come here. I made a late reservation & they still accepted me. I was given an excellent window seat, & felt extremely welcomed. My server was wonderful. I started with 24 oysters. They tasted good & were fresh ($2 each). I paired it with a Prosecco! Afterwards I had the duck confit. It was delicious! The duck could've been juicer, but overall the flavour & textures were wonderful. Truly a beautiful experience with fast reliable service. I ended the night with a night cap, a boulevardier! Everything was tasty, fresh & worth it. I highly recommend this place for some French cuisine!
We had a nice dinner at Holder in Old Montreal. The ambiance was lively & stylish, & the service was friendly & attentive.
Here's what we ordered:
🥩 Beef Tartare: Flavorful & well-prepared, though a touch too salty for my taste. Still enjoyable overall.
🥗 Mixed Vegetable Salad: Light, fresh, & a great starter - nicely balanced & refreshing.
🐮 Braised Beef Cheeks: Tender & deeply flavored, one of the best dishes of the night.
🦆 Duck Confit: The skin was crisp, but the meat was a bit dry. Could use a bit more juiciness.
🦞 Lobster Ravioli: Rich & creamy, with a generous amount of lobster. A standout dish!
Overall, a solid dining experience with a few minor flaws. Still a great spot to check out if you're in Old Montreal!
One of the few places we were lucky to get dinner reservations...which is both good & bad. The service was excellent...well trained & knowledgeable wait staff. Ours was Anabelle & she made some great suggestions, topped off our wine & checked in on us. The food on the other hand was ok...we 4 got the Hanger steak (was cooked medii but was still tough/, Lobster ravioli (no flavor, wouldn't reco), the duck confit was good & the veal Marsala steak was the best among the 4 dishes.
Nice ambience & good service. Food experience disappointing though. Liver pate was nondescript & tasted processed rather than home made. The duck confit was bland, soft skinned & nothing like the proper French dish with crispy skin & tasty delicate meat. The salad with lardons & poached egg was ok but the salmon was bland too & the potato purée that came with it was nothing special. The place itself looked promising but the cuisine did not deliver. Pity.
My husband & I went to Holder for date night. The food & ambiance were amazing. I'm a vegetarian & there were many options for me (I got the fig salad as an appetizer & my main was the goat cheese tartlette & frites). My husband is a chef & carnivore & he absolutely loved his food (he got the fois gras as his appetizer & the duck confit as his main). We shared the lemon cream dessert & it was heavenly. I wish I could give the service at Holder a 20 out of 10. The service/our server was so attentive that it completely elevated our dining experience. We have been to many restaurants & would both say this was probably the best server/service we have ever had.
Great space, amazing service. Food was good but nothing out of this world. Duck confit was delicious but heavy & lacking acidity in the salad to balance out.
Dec 8, 2024
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La nourriture n'est pas mauvaise, mais très basic je dirais. J'ai prit l'entrée de calmar & le canard confit. J'ai malheureusement fait une indigestion alimentaire suite à mon souper... Le service était super bien, les serveuses & les serveurs sont très bien & super gentils! Pour ce qui est de l'ambiance, je trouvais que c'était un peu trop bruyant. C'était un peu décevant comme expérience & je regrette un peu d'y être allée pour mon anniversaire, je me me suis fiée aux avis & je dirais que ce n'est pas à la hauteur de ce qui est vanté.
Nice room, efficient servers - we were a party of 10 - but goodness the food. The flavourful salad was the high point of the meal, but might have served three - is this the Americanization of brasserie servings? The soup was thin, bland & instantly forgettable; the confit de canard looked forlorn & overcooked in a vast forest of arugula, had little flavour & no succulence & the roast potatoes underneath were meagre & hard to locate in all that foliage. A lackluster fruit salad with a tiny dollop of sherbet made dessert hardly worth the effort.'Disappointing' is the polite term for what Holder gets away with.
We picked Holder for is location to our hotel, but ended up wanting to go back because it was fantastic. We sat at the bar while waiting for our table & the bar staff were great. The food at dinner was excellent. The bison mozzarella appetizer was great; duck confit, & pepperedelle dinners amazing; & the creme Brule dessert was one of the best I've ever had. The prices were very reasonable as well
Liste de vins interressante, bons plats de type bistro français. J ai bien aimé le confit de canard servi avec pommes de terre & salade d aragula, par contre la soupe à l oignons n est pas très bien balancée...
