Holder occupe un vaste espace industriel caractérisé par de hauts plafonds et des briques apparentes qui définissent son atmosphère animée. La cuisine se concentre sur les classiques de la brasserie française avec une emphase particulière sur la précision technique. Les préparations signatures incluent un tartare de bœuf coupé à la main et assaisonné avec expertise, accompagné de frites dorées et croustillantes. Les moules sont servies en portions généreuses, cuites à la vapeur dans des bouillons aromatiques qui soulignent la salinité naturelle des mollusques. Les convives explorent un menu varié qui équilibre les techniques traditionnelles avec des présentations contemporaines. Les grandes banquettes circulaires et les boiseries polies favorisent un environnement propice à la dégustation de favoris culinaires classiques. Cet établissement maintient une réputation constante pour offrir des plats robustes et savoureux ancrés dans les principes fondamentaux des traditions européennes.
Holder est largement considéré comme une institution du Vieux Montréal, offrant une expérience de brasserie française classique qui ravit régulièrement les visiteurs comme les habitués. De nombreux convives louent le menu authentique, mettant en avant des incontournables tels que les joues de bœuf, le canard confit, le tartare de bœuf et les moules, souvent accompagnés d'une carte des vins variée. Bien que l'ambiance soit constamment décrite comme vivante, animée et élégante, certains clients trouvent que la salle peut devenir très bruyante, ce qui pourrait ne pas convenir à ceux qui recherchent un environnement calme ou intime. Le service est souvent souligné comme un point fort, de nombreuses évaluations saluant le caractère professionnel, attentionné et accueillant du personnel, bien qu'un petit nombre de clients ait noté des expériences inégales concernant la cadence du service et la qualité des plats. Dans l'ensemble, le restaurant est fréquemment recommandé pour ses portions généreuses, son bon rapport qualité-prix et sa chaleureuse hospitalité, ce qui en fait une destination fiable pour les dîners de groupe, les repas d'affaires et les occasions spéciales.
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.
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.
18 mars 2024
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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
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.
I have been here a few times now in the past year, most recently 2 weeks ago, & it has always been excellent. The food is delicious & I would recommend the duck confit, lobster ravioli & beef tartare. The service has always been top notch as well. It makes for a perfect evening dinner.
