Old Montreal restaurant classics in the heart of Little Burgundy. An homage to Charles "Joe-Beef" McKiernan, 19th century innkeeper and Montreal working class hero. A drunken crawl away from the Historic Atwater market. Steaks and seafood.
Joe Beef is described as a Montreal institution with a bold, indulgent kitchen and a warm, unpretentious vibe that draws crowds and keeps the energy lively. The service is repeatedly praised as attentive, knowledgeable and friendly, with many noting it as a standout part of the experience, though a few visits mention occasional slow pacing or inconsistency during busy nights. The menu is celebrated for rich, butter-forward dishes and crowd-pleasers like foie gras double down, lobster spaghetti, hanger steak, duck and croquettes, with sides and oysters earning praise as well; desserts such as marjolaine and chocolate mousse often shine, while some fish and seafood dishes are described as either extraordinary or a touch salty or under seasoned. The lobster pasta remains a lightning rod for opinion, highly regarded by many but not universally, and price levels are noted as steep, prompting critiques of value on some visits. Overall, it’s viewed as a memorable, sometimes polarizing but quintessential Montreal dining experience, best enjoyed with appetite, an open mind, and a willingness to embrace the theatre and hospitality that define the place.
Delicious experience last night at JB's. The early evening rez seating at the bar was perfect to take in the vibe...starting with our very sociable, knowledgeable bartender Thalia, who provided insight into the menu options. We started w the escargot & the artichoke salad special...followed by the JB signature spaghetti lobster & filet special...all superbly done & paired perfectly w a Monterey coast pinot noit...ending w the lemon sorbet.. magnifique! We will definetely return & request same seating arrangement to catchup w our fave Montreal bartender= Thalia!
A tad hyped! But worth going. Really great atmosphere & probably the best foie I've had. But maybe temper expectations slightly depending where you are from.
Jul 4, 2024
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Lived up to the hype! I am from Australia & have been fantasising about visiting this restaurant for years 🤩 Service was magnifique ✨ food was outstanding 👌 & they will definitely see my phat self in there again (hopefully) soon 🤞
Met some very high expectations. The mutton chop was even better than the hanger steak. Best hunk of meat in ages. Both demi glace sauces were amazing but the sage in the mutton sauce was just wow. Server made great wine suggestions. Great experience.
Charming comes to mind to describe everything. Staff was friendly & helpful. Our waitress Kialina was awesome. Duck for two & bread after to sop up the sauce was my favorite but everything was great. Check was very reasonable given how great the meal was but not used to Canadian prices yet,
Jun 28, 2024
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Joe Beef is an exceptional dining experience! The atmosphere is cozy & inviting, with a rustic charm that makes you feel right at home. The food is outstanding, with a menu that showcases local ingredients & inventive dishes. The service is attentive & friendly, ensuring a memorable meal. Highly recommend!
We dined here yesterday after having reserved a few weeks to a month in advance &... wow. The hype is real. The tuna tartare was a nice fresh start. We then transitioned into the lamb shoulder & lobster spaghetti which we shared. The lamb was cooked to perfection. The sauce & elements on the plate all blended in so well together. It had a faint but pleasant horseradish / dijon taste to it which was very nice & the lobster spaghetti was creamy & delicious. Lobster often gets lost / overpowered in pasta dishes with ingredients like tomatoes but this was not the case here. The lobster was the star of the dish on a bed of creamy spaghetti that included pancetta & chives. It was simply exquisite. Kudos to the kitchen & staff as they didn't miss a pulse all night. It was a great & memorable meal. I would highly recommend.
Unbelievable. Spectacular experience. Anthony Bourdain was right. Gorgeous atmosphere. Exciting cocktails & wines. Exceptional, highly knowledgeable & attentive service, & amazing amd expertly prepared food. Also we felt it was an excellent value. Started with a round of fantastic champagne cocktails presented tableside, steal tartare also prepared tableside, 2 bottles of exceptional wine, 3 entrees & 2 sides for all in about 150 US per person.
Jun 22, 2024
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I've travelled all over the world & dined at many fine dining establishments so I expect, when I am about to spend $100 on a meal, to have three things- great service, sublime food, & to leave satiated. Not so this time, I would label my experience here, bland & boring. 1. My reservation was on time & the servers were friendly. However, they immediately led me to one of the worst seats in the restaurant at the bar at the end of a counter on a high bar stool where servers would have to go around me multiple times. This is a pet peeve of mine . As a single traveller, I'm often given the worst seat. I watched couples get lovely window seats when I was being stuck at the awful seat, I just said no & asked them to move me. Servers found me a place but then I was basically told that I was not to linger. Strike 1. 2. Service was good & friendly. Meal started with waiter asking me if I wanted a drink. I very specifically asked for one type of alcohol. The waiter checked & said they had it, so I ordered it. They brought it over , I sipped it, & it was not my drink. Then I had to go through this gaslighting experience of having the male waiter tell me that my drink was correct when I knew it wasn't! If I have to pay $100 for meal, I want the correct drink brought to me & I don't want to have to convince a waiter that there is an error. Sure enough, the server went back & I overheard them talk & they didn't even have my choice of alcohol there. They were wrong on 3 counts- 1 -to tell me they had it in the first place, 2- to serve it to me & 3- to try to convince me that I was imagining that it was wrong.Grrrrr! Strike 2. 3. For that price, I had hoped for & even expected a piece of bread, but I guess they don't do that here which was very disappointing.But I heard the waiter say that the portions were big & I even asked about what I was ordering & he said it would be enough. So I thought, I don't need the extra carbs. I ordered the scallops de Boston, which the waiter explained were served raw. Context- I have often scallop scuba dived & eaten scallops straight out of the shell & they have been delicious .What really sold the dish to me was the waiter saying that it had black truffle on it. Now I love truffles so I was really looking forward to it. & for $18, I assumed it would be divine!! What came were 5 slivers of scallop, maybe the equivalent of one & a half , maybe two scallops? They were in a liquid with what look like black truffle shavings. I tasted it & it was completely bland. I could not detect any seasoning but I thought, "maybe they didn't put any salt & pepper on them because they wanted the scallops & truffle to shine" but no, the truffle had no flavour at all & the scallops tasted slimy. I did not enjoy them, but I was hungry so I ate them. They did ask me what I thought of them, but after arguing already about my drink & being shuffled to a bad seat to start the dinner, I wasn't in the mood to explain. To top it off, when I tried to put slight pressure on a scallop to cut it , a whole bunch of ice underneath the dish spewed out all over my clothes, table, etc., which was not pleasant. As I was trying to clean it up, I also knocked over the fake candle. The server came over to help & I explained, "I was only trying to cut one in half". To this, he responded, "don't cut it in half, eat it whole". I guess I had to reach the age of 60+ to be told how to eat scallops correctly without making a mess. At this point, I don't have my drink, didn't enjoy the scallops, have no bread & I'm waiting for halibut for my main course, I asked how it was served & what the sauce Veronique was. It sounded good. My halibut came. It was a generous slice, had some nice brown colour, & seemed cooked well. But when I tasted it, it had absolutely no seasoning, was bland & the sauce also seemed unseasoned & bland. What was the point of the sauce if there was no flavour to it ? This was not a good experience & I will not be back. Strike 3!
Very good food. They suggest you share but the portions aren't really large enough for more than a bite each. Still, good food & good service. Prices are high for small portions.
Excellent dining experience. From flawless service to great execution on seemingly simple dishes, everything was high quality. Steak tartare was prepared at the table & was one of the best I have ever had. Lobster spaghetti is also highly recommended. Mussels & oysters were the highlight of the small cold platter.
The entire staff at Joe beef clearly love to work there & with each other. This comes out in the food & service. It reminds me of a Danny Meyer restaurant. Their food was exceptional & our server made excellent wine recommendations. We had the beef tartare prepared table side with endives & crostini. The meal could have ended there I would've been happy but we followed it up with a gem salad, the duck meal to share & fries. Not your traditional steak house meal given the other options but would have that meal on repeat. we finished it with a chocolate meringue dessert that our server previously called the "kids dessert" she was not wrong. 10/10 would recommend
Can't overstate how good this was. The food was outstanding & the service was perfect. Our server was also a sommelier & added so much to the experience through perfect pairings & suggestions. We had the flank steak & the mutton. Both to die for.
