Situé dans un magnifique immeuble du début du siècle dans le Vieux-Montréal, le lieu rappelle ces belles grandes brasseries européennes où il fait toujours bon de manger et de boire dans une atmosphère chaleureuse, énergique et conviviale. La carte propose une grande sélection de plats bistro, tantôt classiques, tantôt plus contemporains, plus légers et plus santé.
Holder est perçu comme une brasserie française animée et conviviale où l'ambiance peut être festive et décontractée selon l'affluence, avec des plats classiques fidèles et généreux comme les joues de boeuf, le confit de canard, les moules et des raviolis au homard, souvent loués pour leur saveur et leur présentation soignée, tandis que certains plats varient en qualité et en goût. Le service est généralement efficace et attentif, capable de proposer des accords mets et vins adaptés, mais le niveau sonore et le nombre de tables serrées peuvent rendre la conversation difficile lors des heures d'affluence et certaines visites se déroulent plus rapidement que souhaité. Le rapport qualité-prix est jugé bon dans l'ensemble, avec des portions généreuses et une carte variée qui convient aussi bien à un dîner entre amis, en famille ou à un repas d'affaires, même si certains convives estiment que le prix est élevé et que quelques plats manquent de fraîcheur ou de jus. L'expérience peut être très positive lorsque le service et la cuisine s'accordent, et de nombreuses critiques soulignent une atmosphère accueillante, un cadre agréable et une sélection de vins intéressante, faisant de Holder une adresse mémorable et souvent recommandée dans le quartier du Vieux Montréal pour ceux qui recherchent une cuisine française de style brasserie bien exécutée.
Duck confit was good for the first time though not as crispy as desired. Beef cheek was divine. Definitely some cool stuff on the menu, a shame we didn't have time to try dessert. Fun & attentive service too.
Beautiful space that is bright & open. Food was good & servers were friendly, however, be sure to check your receipt. My 9 year old son ordered two crepes from the kids menu for him & his 5 year old sister & we were charged for the adult crepes (description on the menu is nearly identical, so when we received the crepes, we thought they were the kids meal). We were also charged $4.50 for Americanos even though we ordered regular coffee ($3) & Americanos weren't even on the menu. When the taxes are nearly 15% on food, these extra charges add up. The server brought the bill & machine at the same time, & though I could have made a stink, it was a birthday brunch & I ended up paying the additional $20. Duck confit was very tasty, though quite oily, the crepes were beautifully presented, but tasted day-old. The mushroom casserole & poached eggs was a good comfort food dish.
17 août 2024
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My wife had the best mussels & french fries (moules & frites) since Belgium. They were amazing. The duck confit was another amazing dish - & the dessert was fantastic. The service was outstanding. We will come back next time when we are in Montreal. Highly recommended.
Sadly duck confit was sold out on the Sunday night we visit... food was ok, I think I'm paying the atmosphere more than the food I taste. My friend was upset about the foie gras is a mousse, not prepared in whole.
Delicious French food & excellent service. I enjoyed a duck confit that was incredibly moist & flavorful, with meat that melted in the mouth. The salad dressing, enhanced with white truffle, was outstanding. A slightly chilled white wine complemented the meal perfectly on a summer night. The crème brûlée was not overly sweet, boasting a very smooth & delicate texture. Great meal!
First meal in Montreal & we loved it. Each dish was a hit with the person that selected it. My son can't stop raving about the Lobster ravioli! My youngest sampled the duck for the first time & fell in love. However, the star of the show was the molten butterscotch cake. We could have easily ate 3 more of them.
To start, the ambiance & look of the restaurant are absolutely outstanding. & the service was fast & the staff were very kind & helpful. An excellent choice if you're looking to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. We opted to share the seafood paella, which was listed as a main, & it exceeded our expectations. The server recommended a spicy twist on the classic beef tartare, which was delightful. However, the highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the chicken paté, which was extraordinary. For our main courses, we enjoyed the hanger steak, braised beef, lobster ravioli, & duck confit. Each dish was exquisite & worth trying, but the lobster ravioli stood out as my personal favorite. Holder is a must-visit in Montreal.
7 juil. 2024
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We came for lunch - service was lovely & friendly. Refilled our waters at least 12 times. This restaurant honestly floored my expectations. Best French onion soup I've ever had, best duck confit I've ever had & best French fries we've ever had. The mussels were good but not as incredible as everything else. Also the chocolate ganache cake was incredible. All around amazing experience I highly recommend this place.
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.
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.
26 avr. 2024
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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.
Had a fantastic experience here, food & service was top notch! Our favourites were the warm goat cheese entrée, beef tartare, & duck confit. The butterscotch mi-cuit was amazing as well. Will definitely come again next time we're in the city.
Excellent service, quickly served & polite waiters. The food was unbelievably delicious! We had beef tartare as an entree, then I had the duck confit which was very well seasoned & tender, & then we had crème brûlée for the first time & it was very good!! Highly recommend
17 mars 2024
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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.
During my visit to Montreal, eating at a French bistro was at the top of my to-do list. Appearance-wise, the restaurant looked like a typical French bistro but a lot bigger than the average one. When we sat down, we were famished & waiting to be attended to. Service, however, was mediocre at best, as servers were not very attentive & seldom checked up on us. It took a while before the servers took our order & a long time for food to arrive. When the server arrived, we ordered the salmon tartare, the beef tartare, the grilled salmon filet with beurre blanc, & the duck confit. For appetizers, the beef & salmon tartare were under seasoned & could use more acidity to bring out their freshness. For mains, the salmon was cooked well but bland while the duck confit was dry & sat on top of a mountain of underdressed arugula. The finger potatoes that went with the confit were seasoned well & delicious, but there were too few of them (5 pcs) as compared to the mountain of arugula. Overall, Holder fell short of my expectations from a French bistro in Montreal & I'd recommend eating elsewhere for French cuisine.
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.
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.
The Great:
The staff is professional, attentive & efficient while being friendly in a way that feels deliberate. The service was exceptionally quick.
The Good:
The duck confit paired with a glass of Pinot was delicious & had the right balance of tastes & flavor. Crème Brûlée was good.
Not So Good aka Disaster:
Whenever I visit French restaurants, I always order the onion soup, a staple that done well sets the expectation for the other courses. In this instance after ordering the waiter came back to say due to something unexpected, the kitchen would not offer onion soup tonight. I was disappointed until someone else brought the onion soup & said it was on the house for the confusion.
The French onion soup was a sloppy hot mess. I could not hide my disappointment & cannot recommend anyone try that slop. This maybe the standard for this restaurant but the cooked pot of chopped onions in broth really lets down the amazing duck confit!
Summary:
Don’t have the onion soup. Go for the service & other French classics. Despite the weird soup, they have at least earned a return visit to try some of the other flavors.
