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.
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.
10 juin 2024
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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.
Holder is a charming Parisian bistro offering an elevated yet approachable taste of authentic French fare. The cozy, intimate ambiance with vintage details transports diners to a quaint cafe. The menu features rustic classics like French onion soup & boeuf bourguignon made with premium ingredients & bold flavors. Standouts include the chicken liver mousse & airy gougères. But it's the warm, impeccable service that shines, with attentive servers catering to every need. Whether for a casual night or special occasion, Holder delivers home-style bistro cooking & 5-star service in an inviting neighborhood gem.
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.
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.
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!
Really great restaurant. It was 9pm when we were looking for a restaurant & were turned away at many other restaurants. The hotel called Holders & they could accommodate us. When we walked in the doors they greeted us & were really friendly. Lori our server was so great. Really friendly & super helpful. We really enjoyed the French onion soup, it was light & very flavorful. The veal strip special was so flavorful, I loved the cauliflower & turnips. Highly recommend this restaurant for good food & even better service
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.
5 mars 2024
sur Google
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Sachez où manger à Montréal avant tout le monde.
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French onion soup was really delicious. I felt the food was a bit salty. It may take a long time for food to come out, so I wouldn't recommend it to busy people.
My experience at Holder was truly delightful! From the moment I stepped into this charming establishment, I was captivated by its classic French bistro ambiance. The ambiance exudes warmth & authenticity, setting the stage for an unforgettable dining experience. The food at Holder is not only delicious but also beautifully presented, a testament to the culinary artistry of the chefs. Each dish is thoughtfully crafted & plated with precision, adding to the overall charm of the dining experience. Moreover, the servers at Holder are among the friendliest in Montreal, enhancing the dining experience with their attentive & welcoming demeanor. Their genuine hospitality truly makes guests feel at home. For anyone who appreciates French cuisine & the ambiance of a classic bistro, I wholeheartedly recommend Holder. It's a culinary gem in Montreal that never fails to impress. ----- Mon expérience chez Holder a été vraiment délicieuse ! Dès que je suis entrée dans ce charmant établissement, j'ai été séduite par son ambiance de bistrot français classique. L'ambiance est chaleureuse & authentique, ce qui ouvre la voie à une expérience gastronomique inoubliable. La cuisine du Holder n'est pas seulement délicieuse, elle est aussi magnifiquement présentée, ce qui témoigne de l'art culinaire des chefs. Chaque plat est élaboré avec soin & présenté avec précision, ce qui ajoute au charme général de l'expérience gastronomique. De plus, les serveurs du Holder sont parmi les plus sympathiques de Montréal, rehaussant l'expérience gastronomique par leur attitude attentive & accueillante. Leur hospitalité authentique permet aux clients de se sentir comme chez eux. Pour tous ceux qui apprécient la cuisine française & l'ambiance d'un bistro classique, je recommande de tout coeur Holder. C'est un joyau culinaire de Montréal qui ne manque jamais d'impressionner.
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.
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.
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.
Decent French food was expected. Nice salad, delicious mussels, & the pasta was pretty good too. It wasn’t expensive (coming from NYC) at all for a decent French food like this. Would recommend even just for this reason.
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.
