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's a pretty happening place for dinner. The food was excellent, beef cheeks & mussels in particular. Everything we tried was top notch. It may be a little loud for some people & for some reason, it was really warm inside. But great otherwise.
Antoine was our server & elevated our experience! We came for 6:30pm on a Saturday & the place quickly filled up. For how busy the restaurant was, I was impressed that we never needed to catch Antoine's attention. Very attentive. The cocktails were very good as was the food. Highly recommended but book a table ahead of time!
Best dining experience I've had in a while! I regret not getting our servers name. She said it was her third day, she had brown hair & she was divine. Attentive & an overall delight to have her serving our dinner. The tartare & crème brûlée were classically prepared with amazing flavours. The ravioli... I could have order three more plates it was the best I've ever had. This restaurant is clearly a very well oiled machine, it was impressive to see. Thank you so much to our server & the whole staff!
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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Staff were very nice. The place was upscale & a lot of people were there for business lunches etc. we had the duck confit & the onion soup. The duck was good but not as crispy as expected. It was also a bit oily. The soup was good.
We came for lunch & had the soup, burrata salad & beef tartare. The burrata was fresh, the beef tartare one of the best I ever had but the soup underwhelming. Would definitely come back & try more tartare.
Apr 25, 2024
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What an absolute gem of a spot. The service was impeccable, the food was very delicious, & the price I found reasonable. I will definitely be returning to this place on future troops to Montreal.
Our server was Theo. He had a table of 18 in addition to ours. He was nothing short of amazing. Restaurant is SUPER busy but is so well run you can't help but sit back & enjoy show put on by the wait staff. The food was excellent & brought out with perfect timing Make the effort to try this place. You won't be sorry.
The service was very good & fast. Food was amazing. We had the gnocchi & the paella. We devoured both. Our server was great & kept speaking in French to help us practice.
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!
Ce n'est pas ma première fois que je vais a ce superbe restaurant. Parcontre, j'ai eu le privilège d'être servi par Joe qui a été très a l'écoute de nos besoins. Une soirée inoubliable!
