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.
It is a decent French restaurant. A bit expensive (reasonable for being a French restaurant). The steak is not the best. The salad quite salty. The duck confit is okay. Not my personal favorite. Took almost 30 min to wait for the dishes. No waitress refilled our water.
OVERALL: 4/5 Food: 3/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 - Clean & Fresh Visiting beautiful Montreal & this place was recommended by a friend. The ambiance was that of a typical upscale French bistro. The service was amazing (even though we had 3 different servers in the course of our meal). We had.. - Country Vegetable Soup - light & fresh but too much salt. - Steak Frites - The fries were limp & soggy. The steak was fine. - Burrata Salad - Excellent. Enjoyed the figs. - Lemon Cream & Mascarponne Mousse - Excellent The food was absolutely amazing. The best Thai food I have eaten in the city.
Apr 27, 2024
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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!
Food very good if you ordered it but service was lacking. The server assumed that we wanted steak when we wanted duck. The server also had it well done when we preferred rare (like everyone else at the table). Due to lack of time, we accepted the steak but it spoiled our appetite & desire to stay.
The stars I'm giving is mainly for service, which was top notch. The food was not so good. The duck & the rack of lamb were one of the worst I tried, Hanger steak & the veal were fine. Duck confit was dry & did not taste good. Rack of lamb was not cooked well & the smell was bad.
We were able to be seated right away without a reservation - the restaurant was moderately busy at 7 pm on a Friday night. My mom thoroughly enjoyed the lobster ravioli. Unfortunately I had the hanger steak (dairy free) & didn't quite enjoy it - it lacked flavour. The fries were also not wonderful. I will say the virgin mojito was amazing! I was happy that they did have oat milk substitute - my cappuccino was lovely. Unfortunately, the service after our initial server sign off was quite slow - we waited 40 minutes for our bill.
We live in the Old Port with my husband & baby, we love trying restaurants around the area & we were always intrigued to try Holder as we walked by. Finally last Sunday we decided to go & we were so disappointed. We ordered the onion soup which was okay eventhough it was watery. We had the mozzarella de bufala starter, the tomatoes were not fresh but the balsamic dressing made it better. For main we had the steak & fries, got two small pieces instead of one piece & the fries were okay, had to try for 15 minutes to get the waiters attention to order ketchup so at the end they were cold. My husband had the braised beef, he ate half of it. Overall, we were very disappointed especially considering the price, the food was bland, the dish we enjoyed the most was the bread & butter.
We came here on a Tuesday night for a group gathering & the staff put a few plates together behind the bar for us to sit together. I was surprised by how busy the restaurant was in the middle of the week & it's not a small one! Maybe it's because of the great service & amazing food! ;) We ordered a few appetizers to share for the tables; Fried Calamari, Mussels, & Fries. Mussel were generously portioned & the calamari was delicious. For entrée, we ordered "Grilled salmon filet, lemon beurre blanc, potato puree", "Grilled hanger steak with shallots, house fries", "Duck confit, roasted potatoes, arugula, white truffle dressing" & "Grilled veal T-bon steak". Salmon was medium rare & very tasty. Steaks were perfectly cooked to everyone's preferences & we all enjoyed our drinks & food.
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.
Sep 24, 2023
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The food here was fantastic, but I have never experienced such slow service before. It took nearly 45 minutes just to get drinks to the table & the meal took nearly 3 hours in total. Our waiter practically ignored us unless we flagged him down, & after we asked for the bill, he took another 20 minutes to bring it to us.
It’s a shame, because the food itself was excellent. I’m particular I loved the French onion soup, the beef tartare, & the steak. But I wouldn’t experience that poor of service again, no matter how good the food is.
