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...
Overall, reviews describe Holder as a lively, classic French brasserie in Old Montreal with a warm, versatile atmosphere and a strong wine list. Service is repeatedly praised for attentiveness and friendliness, though a few visits note slower pacing or inconsistent attention during peak hours. The space is stylish and bustling, which can translate to a noisy environment and limited privacy, making it less ideal for quiet business meals or intimate dinners. The food earns high marks for standout dishes such as braised beef cheeks, duck confit, lobster ravioli, mussels, oysters, and French onion soup, with many diners calling the meals superb and well presented. Yet other orders have fallen flat, including greasy or under seasoned items, dry meats, or dishes that felt overpriced for the portion or quality. The menu's breadth is a strength, offering classic French bistro staples and brasserie favorites that suit groups, celebrations, or casual yet substantial lunches, with brunch and lunch service generally reliable. In sum, Holder emerges as a dependable, high energy spot with many standout plates and gracious service, but experiences can vary by dish and by the tempo of the room.
Super restaurant services impeccable grand choix de vin adapté pour les entrée les plats & aussi des vins pour les desserts cuisines très bonne & super présentation les photos publiées sont réaliste un très bon rapport qualité prix aussi je recommande cette adresse
Jun 7, 2024
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Had a late dinner here after the eclipse. They welcomed our party & we thoroughly enjoyed our evening. Lots of excellent choices on the menu. Seafood, meat, vegetarian....good appetizers & desserts as well as a good selection of wines & other choices from the bar. It was lively without being loud & service was stellar. The specials of the day were stand outs including cod & veal. 100% recommend!
After driving 7 hours to arrive in Montreal, I dropped in here for dinner. The bar staff were welcoming & friendly. They helped me with my French & Quebecois. I had the frisée salad, steak frites, & crème brûlée. All were excellent. I came back the next night for dessert with a date. More creme brûlée & the butterscotch cake. Again another phenomenal experience. PS: so glad I skipped 5 guys. I was so tired & ready to just do takeout. LOL!
A great experience for my first visit. I loved how the sophisticated decor & subdued lighting created a very pleasant ambiance, perfect for a social evening out with friends or a romantic dinner. Service was professional & refined, yet still engaging. Our server, Julien, was most outgoing & charming. His enthusiasm & positive attitude truly personified the entire evening's experience. Delivery was speedy, which was good, as we were in a bit of a rush due to unforseen circumstances. The foie gras was delicious, not too fatty, & quite flavourful. The duck confit, however, was the star of the show. The crisp skin & succulent meat were just sublime. It was one of the best examples I've had, & I do have it quite regularly. Kudos to the chef. We would have liked to linger over dessert & coffee, but we were pressed for time. I know that this was the beginning of a beautiful relationship, & I look forward to future visits where time won't be an issue.
This place was recommend by a local I met the day before & I am so grateful because it was amazing. The server was fantastic & spoke French with me & English with my partner. He had the filet mignon & it was mouth watering. I had the goat cheese salad & an endive salad & both were delicious. We got the dessert special & wow, it was special. Cheesecake with a thin top layer of a cherry paste & a scoop of ice cream with bits of white & dark chocolate, & a chocolate crumble. Definitely want to come back.
Mar 5, 2024
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It's one of my favorite restaurants around Square Victoria neighborhood. Great place for having a business lunch, 5à7 (happy hour), or dinner. My favorite dish is confit de canard, but I also recommend pasta, risotto, sea food... another option for lunch is the menu of the day (midi express). The dessert options are also very good! Great wine & sparkling wine menu.
Food was absolutely scrumptuous! I had a glass of tawny porto, the duck confit served with little potatoes & a wonderful dessert some sort of Brownie topped with some sort of strawberry mouse topped with a beautiful tuile. I am salivating just writing this review & thinking about my dinner. One old couple complained about the music which for some reason they disliked... I thought it was wonderfull a mix of modern jazz. It was spot on. I highly recommend trying this place! I will certainly go again. La nourriture était absolument délicieuse ! J'ai pris un verre de porto tawny, le confit de canard servi avec de petites pommes de terre & un merveilleux dessert - une sorte de brownie surmonté d'une sorte de mousse à la fraise & d'une belle tuile. Je salive rien qu'en écrivant ceci & en pensant à mon dîner. Un vieux couple s'est plaint de la musique qu'ils n'ont pour une raison quelconque, pas appréciée... Moi je trouvais que c'était merveilleux, un mélange de jazz moderne. C'était parfait. Je recommande vivement d'essayer cet endroit ! J'y retournerai certainement.
One of the best restaurants in Montreal! The fish plate was incredible! The desserts are delicious too 😋. Really good service & a very nice atmosphere.
Holder has great atmosphere & a great menu, fantastic service. Definitely call ahead for reservations, ideally not the same day. We called earlier on a Saturday & the earliest available was 9:30pm. The salad with parmesan flakes is great. For cold appetizers, highly recommend the gravlax with yellow beets. For a hot appetizer, try the warm goat cheese dish, or the calamari. The tilapia entree was perfectly cooked & well seasoned. For dessert, the Bulgarian yogurt with honey & nuts is different but a good choice of something new.
Dec 15, 2023
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Truly an amazing restaurant to go to in Old Montreal! Found this on a website & had seen great things, only to find them to be completely true! I had the gnocchi & also got dessert as well. Both were delicious & service was great. Will be back next time I’m in Montreal!
We had a fabulous dinner for 6 here last night. Way beyond expectation! This restaurant has great service, a nice a non-touristy vibe, & really excellent food. They were also super accommodating of my sister-in-law, who requires a wheel chair.
We arrived around 6 on a Saturday, & the large restaurant was about 20% full, by the time we left, between 8:30 & 9:00 it was jam packed & very loud, .
The food was great. perfectly prepared & presented... we ate through the classics, like steak tartare (the best I have had), Faux Gras with pear- extraordinary, salmon gnocchi & an awesome beef cheeks dish. My nephew & niece, who had not eaten in a fine French restaurant before were blown away. My Sister-in-law, who had been a chef, was also limitless in her praise.
The dishes are classic, nothing way out of the ordinary, but super well done. The front of house was awesome. As the place filled up all the staff were chipping in... even the greeter was serving wine. I bet we had 8 different staff doing one thing or another at the tabke & all seamlessly.
To top it all - with appetizers, 2 bottles or Prosecco, various drinks by the glass, entrees & 2 desserts the bill came to $75USD apiece including 20% tip. Living in the wine country in California, it seemed an extraordinary value.
Le service est à point, sans être envahissant. Les 9 convives ont tous été très satisfaits de leur repas (entrée, plat principal & dessert pour la majorité d'entre eux). Le confit de canard a été très apprécié & semblait très bon.
Pour ma part, j'ai pris la tartelette de chèvre chaud avec tapenade (miam!), des moules marinières (super bonnes, mais honnêtement c'est pas mal toujours la même chose d'un endroit à l'autre, aucune "surprise") & un crémeux un chocolat avec crème glacée au café (un des meilleurs desserts que j'ai mangé dans toute ma vie).
Service excellent, nourriture excellente. & en plus l'ambiance était parfaite, dans un magnifique décor! Au début, c'était plutôt tranquille (parfait, on pouvait parler en attendant nos plats!) & ensuite ça a commencé à être plutôt bruyant parce qu'il y avait plein de gens, sans toutefois être dérangeant.
Si ce n'était pas au centre-ville/vieux-montréal, c'est sûr que j'y retournerais plus souvent.
Oct 18, 2014
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Fort belle expérience. J'ai visité Holder pour un déjeuner d'affaires. D'emblée, la préposée qui m'a répondu lorsque j'ai fait la réservation m'a plu: un ton où se mêlaient cordialité & efficacité. L'impression s'est confirmée par l'accueil lorsque je suis arrivé.
Le décor est très plaisant & on a l'intelligence de ne pas écraser les conversations avec une musique tonitruante, comme plusieurs autres restaurateurs le font, hélas.
Le service est parfaitement dosé. Là aussi, la cordialité se marie à l'efficacité. On a l'intelligence de comprendre que parfois, surtout pour les rencontres d'affaires, les convives peuvent souhaiter discuter un peu avant de passer la commande. Mais une fois la commande passée, on comprend aussi que déjeuner d'affaires n'équivaut pas à journée de dolce farniente. Les plats sont donc apportés rapidement.
Parlons bouffe, maintenant. Le potage aux petits pois était d'une saveur exquise. L'onglet de boeuf était une belle pièce de viande, cuite selon la demande, avec une sauce très réussie & un gratin dauphinois généreux & savoureux. Le tout a pris fin avec un succulent & généreux dessert.
