Holder
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Info & Location
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...
Amenities, services & more
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Events Nearby
Montreal International Black Film Festival 2025
Sep 24, 2025 to Sep 28, 2025
Le Grand Poutinefest - Old-Port Montreal 2025
Jul 16, 2025 to Aug 3, 2025
Reviews often mention
Display Allfrench(69) recommend(41) steak(40) tartare(39) beef(39) confit(38) dessert(37) duck(37) soup(36)Page 1 of 1 - 28 Reviews
Ali
Atmosphere & service were excellent. I ordered a steak & it was way overdone. The soup tasted like Campbell. The chocolate mousse was excellent though.View more
G
I love this place. Always consistent, great French bistro with a versatile menu. Decor & ambiance make this place perfect for a date. I would highly recommend if you like French cusine. I would highly recommend the clams, steak, & french onion soup. The venue is not too loud or pretentious.
A very comfortable & well-managed place to eat.View more
Vanessa
This place seems classic. Lots of business people, family celebrations, & special occasions.
The fish soup & mushroom pistachio pasta with the QC Chardonnay btg was the perfect seasoning.
Philippe was a pro server. My husband enjoyed the French Onion soup & hanger steak, the chef's choice of prep.
This was my birthday meal out. I have no regrets!
The only thing lacking in the atmosphere was the sound level. I think this place is best for groups of three or more. For some reason it was loud for the two of us but really, we managed fine.
Also, the seating is beautiful but not cushy.View more
Rosie
We came here with some business vendors who took us out for dinner. The inside is very classy & chique. & our waiter was very friendly & attentive during the whole meal. We started with some appetizers of oysters, steak tartare, foie gras & French onion soup. My main was the lobster ravioli. We finished with a few dessert samplings including crème brûlée. It was an amazing meal. Everything was delicious! I will definitely come back here when I'm back in Montreal!View more
Christopher
The food is the star of this restaurant: lobster ravioli, flank, fries from the flank in the truffle lobster ravioli sauce, or gnocchi, all delicious. French onion soup for the first time was wonderfully cheesy & a peppery depth to the sauce. A regular for us when visiting Montréal each year.View more
J
I recently dined at a fantastic restaurant with a fantastic atmosphere. I was fortunate enough to sit by the window on a rainy day, which created the perfect ambiance-there's something so relaxing about watching the rain while enjoying a meal. The food was equally impressive. I started with the French onion soup, which was rich & flavorful, with just the right balance of savory & sweet. For the entrée, I opted for the tartare de saumon, & it did not disappoint-fresh, vibrant, & perfectly seasoned. Overall, a delightful experience, & I highly recommend both the soup & the tartare de saumon for anyone visiting.View more
Ella
Service for lunch was slow & ok. Very polite. The hot coco was like 4 sips & cold. The French onion soup was good, & fish & chips were just ok.View more
Will
Nice room, efficient servers - we were a party of 10 - but goodness the food. The flavourful salad was the high point of the meal, but might have served three - is this the Americanization of brasserie servings? The soup was thin, bland & instantly forgettable; the confit de canard looked forlorn & overcooked in a vast forest of arugula, had little flavour & no succulence & the roast potatoes underneath were meagre & hard to locate in all that foliage. A lackluster fruit salad with a tiny dollop of sherbet made dessert hardly worth the effort.'Disappointing' is the polite term for what Holder gets away with.View more
Yulia
Great food, service, & atmosphere. Loved the onion soup, lobster ravioli, & braised beef cheek was just amazing! Tender, flavorful, with delicious mashed potatoes underneath it with crunchy sring beans. Would definitely visit this place again next time I'm in Montreal!View more
Emmanuelle
Liste de vins interressante, bons plats de type bistro français. J ai bien aimé le confit de canard servi avec pommes de terre & salade d aragula, par contre la soupe à l oignons n est pas très bien balancée...View more
Laura
This was truly one of the best dining experiences I've ever had. The food here is beyond delicious, even down to the free bread. We ordered the French onion soup, the grilled hanger steak with shallots & fries, the pappardelle with mushrooms, pine nuts, & pancetta, & a side of sautéed rapini. Everything exceeded our already high expectations. For dessert, we ordered the butterscotch mi-cuit with Maldon salt & butterscotch ice cream- I don't think I've ever had a better dessert. The wine selection is fantastic & my boyfriend loved the cider on tap! If you find yourself in Montréal, this place is a must!View more
Asima
Enjoyed our lunch! French onion soup, 2 reubens, kids meal. Gets very busy at lunch but accommodating.View more
N
My husband got sick from eating mussels here :/ - servers seemed to serve certain customers over others seemingly along racial lines, it was a frustrating experience & the food could have been better overall. There are gluten free options here including the onion soup but be aware the onion soup is a wine reduction & tastes different than your typical onion soup. Also note the regular menu is not available during brunch service.View more
Theresa
Delicious meal, great service, no issue getting a table for one when they were very busy, beautiful ambiance, looking forward to eating here again next time I'm in Montréal. Highly recommend the French onion soup, creme brule..View more
Andre
Steak was rubbery, duck confit was a bit too dry. Their vegetable soup was the only thing that I enjoyed.View more
Stephanie
Un classique de Montreal! J'ai d'ailleurs choisi deux entrées très classiques la soupe de poisson avec la rouille & la salade frisée aux lardons & mon mari a pris la salade d'endives avec le tartare. Tout était impeccable!View more
K
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.View more
Martin
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.View more
Amina
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.View more
Jillian
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.View more
Lisa
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.View more
Martha
Classic French brasserie. French onion soup, endive salad & French fries all well doneView more
Amelia
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 serviceView more
Kim
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.View more
Guy
Soupe à l'oignon fade (oignon non caramélisés & bouillon sans assaisonnement), paëlla avec un goût vinaigré. Ce n'est plus ce que c'était.View more
Laura
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.View more
Carl
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.View more
Nahrek
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.
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