Joe Beef

Shannondoah

5.0

My husband & I went here last night for our anniversary dinner & the experience was spectacular from start to finish. Service was charming, thoughtful, & warm - & absolutely nailed it on the wine recommendation. We ordered the shrimp cocktail, the escargots, the tartare, the beef filet & the duck. The tartare in particular was an excellent variation on a classic. Every person who touched our table that night was incredibly gracious & made us feel as comfortable as regulars, despite this being our (long anticipated) first visit. A masterpiece of a dining experience.

Cataleya

5.0

Stopped by for a late lunch on Saturday & sat at the bar since the dining room was packed by 2pm, & honestly the horse tartare is still the dish I bring people here for. Service was warm without being fussy, our server talked us through the wine list like she actually meant it. The narrow, wood paneled room still has that old Montreal charm even after all these years, feels like a proper neighborhood spot despite the reputation. Worth the wait every single time.

Nick

5.0

Edit - I can't stop thinking about this place pls treat yourself & go

We tried a good portion of the appetizers & were not disappointed once. The beef tartare, shrimp cocktail, & oysters were spectacular. My partner loved the foie gras but I thought that the lobster salad was the best. Best service I've had. Can't recommend enough.

Aly

5.0

Had a great experience with my wife there! We had the lobster pasta & fillet; both were amazing!

Highly recommended to try it out!

David

5.0

Delicious food, incredible staff, which creates the amazing atmosphere Joe Beef is known for.

The menu is presented well but the true details came from our waiter. We had oysters, tomato salad, croquettes, lobster spaghetti & the duck main. We had a reservation & sat at the raw bar which meant both constant attention & small talk with waiters doing prep. They multi task while making great recommendations.

Highly recommend!

Tim

5.0

That foie gras double down is tasty! 🤤

Jadey

5.0

Great food, great service, great atmosphere. We really enjoyed our night. Thanks again to the manager for reaching out & offering us earlier reservation.

Mel

5.0

We had an AMAZING meal here. The lobster spaghetti & their'meatloaf' are dishes we will talk about for a long time. Our server Flo was the most charming server we've probably ever had. He was knowledgeable, attentive & just an absolute freaking delight. The ambiance was incredible & this meal overall is something that will stick with us for a long, long time.

S

1.0

It's not what it used to be. Everything is covered in the same heavy butter & cream . The menu is no longer thoughtful or complex. It feels like they made a giant bowl of cream & covered every single dish in it.

Mark

2.0

Joe Beef was probably the biggest disappointment of our Montreal trip, largely because of the expectations surrounding it. With its reputation, accolades, Anthony Bourdain connection, & constant recommendations online, we expected something genuinely memorable.

Unfortunately, the entire experience felt rushed from the beginning. Our server was friendly enough, but seemed completely disconnected from creating an actual dining experience. There was very little discussion about the menu or recommendations, & the focus seemed to be on getting drinks & food in & out as quickly as possible. Even the sparkling rosé we ordered was left at the table without an ice bucket, which felt surprisingly careless for a restaurant of this reputation.

The famous lobster spaghetti was good, but nowhere near the experience we had been led to expect. There was nothing wrong with it, but it felt surprisingly ordinary considering how celebrated the dish is. The halibut was very good, although ultimately not particularly memorable either.

What affected the evening most was the constant feeling that we needed to hurry. Servers repeatedly circled the table &, on several occasions, attempted to clear plates while we were still eating. When we dine as a group, part of the experience is being able to relax, talk, enjoy the food & enjoy each other's company. Here, it felt like the priority was turning the table over rather than allowing us to enjoy the evening.

Joe Beef wasn't bad food. It was simply nowhere near the experience its reputation had led us to expect. It felt like a restaurant relying heavily on its past credentials rather than delivering the kind of hospitality & memorable experience that originally earned them.

Ironically, we finished the evening at Milky Way nearby, which was fantastic & ended up being far more memorable than dinner itself.