Reviews describe Île Flottante as a highly creative tasting menu destination in Montreal, where dishes are often praised for balance, originality, and refined presentation, and wine pairings are frequently highlighted. The service is repeatedly described as attentive, professional, and friendly, with thoughtful touches such as noting dietary restrictions and writing guests' names on a slate. Many experiences are celebrated as among the best in the city, especially for diners seeking an intimate, elegant atmosphere and a memorable multi-course progression, with live music on select evenings and strong vegetarian and vegan options noted. Some reviews temper the praise with concerns about pacing and coherence, noting that certain courses can feel too busy, underseasoned, or not fully integrated, and that value may not always align with the price. Overall, the consensus points to a memorable and often exceptional dining adventure at Île Flottante, best enjoyed by those who relish creative, ingredient-driven menus and attentive service, while acknowledging that consistency can vary by visit.
Very disappointing experience at Ile Flottante based on what we were expecting. We initially asked for a drinks or cocktail menu & were told that they had none. We then asked if they could make cocktails with St-Germain to which they answered that they would check. They then came back with Aperol St Germain Spritz without asking us which cocktail we wanted. The Spritz were very underwhelming.
The food overall was ordinary. The first few courses were disappointing. For 5 salty courses, one was essentially a piece of bread with butter & a tiny onion soup dip while another one consisted of a single oyster with bechamel sauce & a little bit of caviar on top. The last few salty courses were better.
The 2 dessert courses were excellent & very original but the rest of the experience was very disappointing, especially at this price point. Unfortunately, we feel that there are much better restaurants in terms of service, food quality & originality & definitely at lower price points in Montreal. We will not return.
We had dinner at Île Flottante, & the experience was fine overall, but not especially memorable. The meal lasted about 3.5 hours, which felt more slow than leisurely. It was not a significant problem, just not the pacing you expect from a restaurant that aims for refinement.
One genuinely lovely detail was that they wrote our names & a note about our anniversary on a slate on the table. It created a warm welcome & felt personal. You do not see touches like that very often, & it set the night off on a hopeful note.
We started by asking for a glass of Champagne, but the only sparkling option by the glass was a very average Cava. This felt like an unexpected limitation & also a missed chance for them to offer something more interesting or premium.
The menu had creative ideas, but many dishes felt like they were missing a key flavor. It often seemed like each plate needed either one more element to tie everything together or a bit of restraint to let the main idea shine.
Highlight:
The pre-dessert was genuinely excellent. It was a fruit-&-vegetable sorbet-style palate cleanser that tasted bright, refreshing, & thoughtful. It was the one dish that felt fully realized.
Low point:
The pork course struggled the most. It had too many competing components. The pork came with horseradish & mustard, two different sweet purees, & a very salty, smoky gravy. Nothing was balanced, & the quality of the pork itself was not strong enough to be the centerpiece. This dish needed strong editing.
A surprising detail was the dessert. For a restaurant named Île Flottante, they do not actually serve île flottante. Instead, they served a very tired lava cake. Lava cakes feel like the calling card of a chef who is mailing it in. They have not felt fresh or inspired for decades. Sadly, this ended the dinner on a very low note for us.
Service & atmosphere:
The service was well-intentioned but slow & a bit clumsy. A few items were dropped, & long gaps appeared between courses. The plating technique was fine, but the actual plates, glasses, & flatware looked inexpensive & out of place, almost like something purchased at a discount home store. The acoustics made the room loud & casual, which clashed with the style of food they were trying to serve.
Overall:
The meal had a few bright spots, but the overall experience was uneven & felt incohesive. With so many excellent restaurants in Montreal, we see no reason to return.
Nov 28, 2025
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Le restaurant est très joli & le service impecable. Le menu dégustation, par contre ne vaut vraiment pas le prix. C'est supposément un restaurant gastronomique, mais les plat ne sont pas assez travaillés pour le prix. Sur 6 services, 1 seul plat contient des protéines (viande). Donc 120$ pour manger que des légumes..ce genre de menu devrait couter 70$. Les dessert étaient super bon je n'ai rien à dire.
Impressive tasting menu that uses a wide variety of fresh ingredients in a unique way. My personal fave is the pre-dessert that served a tomato sorbet with balsamic vinegar & burrata whipped cream. It tasted very fresh & was exactly what you're looking for when thinking of a transition between savory & sweet.
The service is quick & our waiter was very kind. The place isn't very big so it's best to reserve before.
obsessed with this quaint mile-end resto, where the tasting menu is beautifully presented & incredibly delicious! the 7 course menu changes a little daily making for a fun culinary adventure every time you visit. the service was flawless & the personal touches so appreciated. truly one of the best tasting experiences in mtl. everything was delicious - & I really enjoyed both desserts!
Well… if you haven't been to Île Flottante for their seasonal menu & wine pairing what are you even doing? HUGE shout out to Nico for the exceptional wine pairing selection & hats off to Chef Sean for the unbelievable 8 course meal - plenty of food, 2 amuse bouches, 5 savory dishes & 2 desserts. 11/10! Highlight for us was the Halibut with seasonal beets & pest & the CAPON 🤤- I would go back every single time.
It was a night of celebrations all around & they even write your name / message on a beautiful piece of slate for a personalized experience.
What a culinary experience. Everything was good. From the food, to the drinks, to the wine… it was an exceptional 5 course meal plus dessert. The cocktails were excellent. I had 2 of the 4 signature cocktails & wanted to try them all, but also didn't want to get drunk 🤪. The service is so good. The describe every dish in exquisite detail while it sits in front or you. I wanted some wine & they brought me three to sample before I made my selection. Just from my description of the wine they were able to narrow down the selection to one I loved. Excellences
May 30, 2025
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Expérience exceptionnelle au delà de mes attentes, une vrai découverte de saveur !
Nous avons eu le menu en 8 services 2 entrées 4 plat 2 dessert. Chaque assiette s'accordait parfaitement les une aux autres.
Une adresse à essayer une fois dans sa vie
Atmosphere was nice & service was excellent. It's a pre-fixed menu with no choice. The food was average & dessert was not so good, too many different flavors mixed together. Wine was also good but selection was very small.
Souper. Sur le plan technique les chefs sont à leur affaire & les plats sont bien présentés. En bouche, je trouve que les saveurs ne sont pas toujours bien équilibrées. En particulier des pointes d'acidité désagréables ou trop de sel gâchent l'harmonie de certains plats, alors que les ingrédients de base sont de belle qualité. Menu 7 services à $125 (110 sur le site Web), donc un peu cher, d'autant plus que les portions de poisson ou de "filet" de boeuf des plats principaux sont minuscules. Dessert à la citrouille vraiment délicieux. Je regrette qu'il n'y ait pas de formule à la carte ou table d'hôte. Service assez décontracté & sympathique. Vins intéressants, mais la carte mériterait d'être plus précise.
A fun experience to try, yet a bit disjointed. The restaurant has a 6-course Tasting Menu for $120 per person (prices do not include 15% tax & 25% tip). In addition to the wine pairing options, Île Flottante's cocktail menu is also very appealing, so my sister & I chose to pair cocktails for this dinner. The special thing here is that diners will not know what they are about to enjoy. The menu focuses on seasonal ingredients with a creative style. There is no menu here, instead, "the menu is [their] voice" (quote from the waitress). Everyone orders the same Tasting Menu with the option to pair with wine or cocktails. The beetroot salad was the first appetizer, beautifully presented, & the fresh taste was suitable to start the Tasting Menu - the taste was balanced & acidic to stimulate the taste buds. The next appetizer was corn & cornbread - the buttery taste & I really liked the slightly chewy texture of the bread, which went well with the dressing & vinegar. The potato wedges were surprisingly fresh, the use of lemon foam enhanced the flavor. The duck however was not as tender as I would have liked & the taste was quite ordinary, similar to duck dishes from other fine-dining restaurants in Montreal where the dressing had a sour taste from the vinegar. This dish was beautifully presented but the taste was nothing special. The first dessert was very refreshing with sorbet, ice cream & mixed fruit. The finale was beautifully presented following the theme of cornbread - not too sweet, yet it was just okay. Overall, the dinner was beautifully presented, but some dishes felt disconnected, a bit disjointed & lacking in flavour. The dishes lacked balance & cohesion, which was a shame. CA$194 / 1 person ~ 3.6 million VND (US$142)
Oct 8, 2024
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L'île flottante tronait au sommet de notre palmarès gastronomique à Montréal depuis plusieurs années, ce n'est hélas plus le cas depuis notre dernière visite. Points positifs : la gentillesse & la prévenance du service sont excellents en géneral. Des travaux ont permis de donner un coup de fraîcheur à la déco & le résultat est réussi. L'ambiance est bonne malgré un volume sonore dopé par la présence (nouvelle?) d'une musique un peu trop forte. Points négatifs : à part quelques éclairs de génie qui nous rappelaient la raison pour laquelle nous revenions toujours a ce restaurant avec une impatience de voir notre palais surpris & heureux à chaque bouchée, les plats manquent de surprises (les endives assommées par la vinaigrette, les zuchinni sans surprises, l'amuse-bouche style cafeteria, trop de gras dans le porc, etc) : c'est bon mais rien qui justifie le prix demandé, le trio avec le flétan sort du lot, ainsi que les desserts. ; les vins n'étaient pas à la hauteur, trop homogènes & manquaient de caractère (un seul rouge, du cidre servi (non merci) & un seul cocktail pour accompagner les 2 desserts (un vin dessert peut être?); malgré le sourire & l'amabilité, le service fut un peu brouillon : un vin nous a été servi 2 fois par erreur (dans un accord mets-vins, pas top), le cidre nous a été apporté bien trop longtemps avant le plat qui l'accompagnait, l'amuse bouche a été apporté 35 minutes après notre arrivée (un vin nous a été servi pour patienter); des tâches de nourriture sur la table durant notre soûper n'ont pas été nettoyées de tout le repas (dans nos expériences précédentes, ceci était promptement nettoyé sans avoir à le demander), un serveur qui enlève mon assiette avant même que j'ai eu le temps de reposer ma fourchette, etc. Je pense que de nouveaux clients peuvent adorer leur expérience mais pour ceux qui sont habitués à l'excellence des années passées, c'est une déception.
Entendus de bonnes choses par rapport à cet établissement, mais on est sortis un peu mitigés. Le service était étrange, & les plats hit or miss. Pour le prix c'est inacceptable selon moi. Nous avons prit le menu dégustation avec l'accord vin. Les vins étaient inintéressants & fades. Les plats allaient d'incroyable à médiocre... Ex: entrée incroyable & recherchée suivie d'un tartare de canard tellement vinaigré qu'on ne goûtait plus rien d'autre. Par contre, je retournerai seulement pour le dessert... Un des meilleurs que j'ai goûté dans ma vie, c'était comme si l'on croquait dans Noël. Bref, à vous d'essayer (ou pas)!
Extremely long wait in between courses. Was dining for 3h. Out of the 7 courses, two were desserts & only two were contained a protein (very small portion). The other 3 courses were vegetables... The servers were nice. The flavours were decent however I cannot justify paying $120. There are other restaurants that are better.
Tout était délicieux. Accommodent pour les végétariens (viande remplacée par champignons). Longue attente entre les services, il ne faut pas être pressés. (4h pour 7 services au total). Les desserts étaient vraiment bons.
Aug 2, 2024
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This was the highlight of my trip to Montreal. The entire dinner was delicious & so well thought out. However, the last dessert was my absolute favorite & i will be thinking about it every day. The little meringue pieces were literal perfection. Definitely recommend!
I wish I could give more than 5 stars! I've been going down the Canada's Best 100 list & I'm surprised this place isn't ranked higher. It's by far the best restaurant I've visited in Montreal & the tasting menu won't even break the bank. Across all 7 dishes, every single dish was a banger. You can see the creativity & finasse of the kitchen shining through the unique use of ingredients & beautiful presentation. It was a good split between salty & sweet dishes. My favourites were the halibut starter with chlorophyll foam & the fried rice. The latter didn't even look like a fried rice dish until you uncover the pork cubes & rice grains below the rice crackers - such clever cooking! So much flavour & all the ingredients resonated well together. Even my least favourite dish, the salad, had a surprise twist at the bottom of the bowl with the caramelized onions & celtuse (which I've never tried before!). It wasn't that bad & I only liked it less because I don't prefer raw vegetables. The desserts were a little on the sweet side, but hey, that's what desserts are! The mango/passion fruit ice cream dish with the flower was just stunning in terms of visuals & taste. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the impeccable service of the servers that evening. They spoke perfect English & were very friendly & approachable. They also seemed genuinely appreciative of feedback. Thank you for such a wonderful experience & we look forward to coming back.
I have been at least once per year since 2019, including eating on picnic table in street during peak covid, but this will probably be the last. Every savory dish was between over salty & WAAAAAY over salty. All the animal proteins were tiny, the filet mignon (only one cooked to good temperature) especially so... can't have been more than 1 ounce, if that. The fish was overcooked & dry, difficult for halibut that has been sous vide, but apparently not impossible. The duck meat was tough with its fat not rendered. Sauces & foams were mostly good, although the jus with the filet mignon was so salty that my lips were stinging. Predessert was very nice & refreshing. Dessert had flavours that were ok, although the rice flour cake thing was dry & all the bad parts of gluten free baking, & the panacotta was unrecognizable as a panacotta: not an expert but it was either underset/broken/something weird, with a texture more akin to an overcooked & scrambled crème caramel than to a panacotta. Service was great. Friendly, patient, attentive. Venue was very loud, & then about halfway through the meal I noticed line cook going to adjust volume & was shocked that he increased it further. Overall, a pale shadow of what it was.
Une soirée remplie de surprises L'Île Flottante se dressait devant moi, telle une oasis de raffinement. Son allure élégante, digne d'un restaurant d'hôtel quatre étoiles, promettait une expérience gastronomique hors du commun. La vue imprenable sur la ville depuis le deuxième étage où il était perché ne faisait qu'ajouter à son charme. L'intérieur, décoré avec soin, offrait une soixantaine de fauteuils confortables pour accueillir les convives. Un éclairage tamisé & un espace généreux entre les tables créaient une ambiance intime propice à la dégustation. L'atmosphère était empreinte d'une douce quiétude, invitant à savourer chaque instant & à se laisser transporter par les créations culinaires spectaculaires qui allaient être présentées. Ça, c'était l'Île Flottante imaginaire que de vagues souvenirs de critiques avaient engendrée dans mon esprit. Loin du faste que j'avais anticipé, la véritable Île Flottante s'est heureusement avérée tout aussi charmante. En réalité, à l'instar de la grande majorité des restaurants du Mile-End & du Plateau, l'adresse est, en apparence, plutôt évocatrice d'un bistro de quartier avec un décor somme toute simple, se limitant à des murs peints d'un vert kaki (auparavant bleus), d'un plancher de bois franc, de quelques discrètes plantes & de lampes & plafonniers originaux. Loin du chic formel d'un restaurant d'hôtel, vous en conviendrez. En outre, au moment d'effectuer la réservation, on m'avait indiqué que le code vestimentaire exigeait une tenue de ville. Soit. Tout le monde était bien habillé, mais suivant une interprétation plus libérale & décontractée du concept. Cependant, l'expérience est remplie de délicates attentions qui ne sèment aucun doute sur le raffinement de l'endroit. Hormis la surprise née du fait de mon esprit imaginatif, l'absence totale de carte nous en a réservé une autre. On prend tout au plus soin de nous demander si nous souffrons de quelques allergies ou d'intolérances pour s'assurer que le seul & unique menu de 7 services (avec deux desserts) à 105 $ par tête de pipe vous conviendra. Troisième rebondissement : le menu dégustation présenté comme étant axé sur le légume ne l'était pas tout à fait. Sur les cinq plats salés, quatre proposaient de la viande (poisson, jambon, canard & boeuf). Ne voyez pas dans mon commentaire une pique de désapprobation. Nous avons si délicieusement mangé que nous étions toujours impatients qu'arrive le suivant. Les plats changeant au gré des saisons, une description précise des mets savourés serait peu pertinente. Toutefois, attendez-vous à une très grande créativité & à des parfums inusités, comme de la sauce à saveur de maïs soufflé ! Par ailleurs, notez bien ceci : pour profiter à deux du sublime accompagnement de boissons (chapeau à la communicative sommelière, visiblement très passionnée !) à 65 $, vous pouvez décider d'en prendre un seul & de le partager. Vous pourrez ainsi rehausser la saveur des plats avec des consommations étonnantes, tel le chardonnay canadien de « Plot » qui a causé la quatrième grande surprise de la soirée. Au fil du repas, le bonheur de ma mère ne faisait que grandir, son expression neutre initiale s'étant métamorphosée en un sourire détendu continu. L'Île Flottante est parvenue à la tenir sous son charme & il ne serait pas étonnant de la voir s'y repointer très prochainement. Juste pour lui avoir fait un si grand plaisir, le restaurant serait digne d'obtenir une note parfaite.
Of the six course meal, the first two were mind blowingly delicious. But 2 3 mains were just decent at best. The Pork belly was way too sweet. There was a bavette which was very good but nothing insane. The pre-dessert mango was delicious & the dessert was very nice. Our 4 top table agreed we wouldn't go back. That said the service was some of the best I've ever experienced. A very passionate sommelière & cocktail guy, both really knew their stuff. & all the wait staff were super attentive & courteous. But be prepared for a long meal. It took us 4 hours start to end which we weren't prepared for baby-sitter wise. Not sure if they do that on purpose or if kitchen was slammed so be prepared!
