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.
Across reviews, Joe Beef stands out for rich, decadent cooking and generous portions, with lobster spaghetti, hanger steak, beef tenderloin, and a strong seafood presence earning frequent praise. The service is consistently described as attentive, knowledgeable, and friendly, helping to elevate a lively, unpretentious atmosphere that many visitors call a Montreal institution. The lobster spaghetti and other iconic dishes are often highlighted, though some guests find the price high and a few dishes over or under seasoned, leaving mixed impressions about value. Reservations are tough to secure and the restaurant can be busy and loud, but the overall experience is celebrated as memorable and worth a special night out, with desserts like marjolaine cake and pistachio éclair drawing particular attention. In short, Joe Beef delivers bold flavors and theatre that many diners adore, while a few reviews wish for more consistency and better value.
Lets get the obvious fact out of the way, this place IS expensive. If you aren't prepared to part with $100+/person, you're just going to be nervous about the bill the whole time. Still worth it! tldr; execution from the staff was spot on & the food was amazing! This place has a calm, organized & posh feel to it. Wife & I visited this place for an early dinner as a last minute whim to dine there. We ordered the Lobster spaghetti & Hanger steak with blood pudding, with oysters & both their Lager & IPA to wash it all down. The Lobster Spaghetti is their most ordered dish, & I'm not surprised why, absolutely delicious. Hanger steak was cooked to perfection & it was my first time having blood pudding & that delicious as well. The fresh oysters were also great, pleasant experience. The beers were alright, both of the lager & IPA tasted identical, fruity & hoppy, the lager just had a stronger carbonation. Overall, we went with safe orders as it was our first time visiting. Next time, if budget allows, we'll definitely venture for more of their'exotic' offerings & try to get a more suitably dinner reservation. I don't believe this place is the best bang for your buck, but i do believe that I'd be comfortable ordering dishes from Joe Beef that I wouldn't normally consider like Horse Tenderloin.
Definitely did not live up to the hype. It's a cute cozy place but over priced really for what you get. The oysters were nice & fresh & perfectly shucked but the beef wasn't a quality cut. Glad to say I tried it but most likely won't return. Friendly polite service, which you should expect.
Mar 14, 2024
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4/5 only because the snails were not nice. Need to re-study a recipe how to prepare snails. All the rest were fantastic: oysters, meat & drinks. Service was very nice, polite, attentive & kind, with a smile. Place has very warm ambience & certainly worth the money. Will visit again, but sticking into the meats.
We ordered beef tartare to start & the shareable steak as our main. The red wine sauce was excellent & really elevated the dish. The sides of marrow bone & bitter greens complimented the steak well. Be prepared to wait up to an hour before food arrives during busy dinner times.
Joe Beef has a rare mix of exceptionally excellent food, remarkable service from people who genuinely seek to love being there & a casual, welcoming environment that keeps us going back whenever we have the chance.
Mar 2, 2024
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It's definitely an antagonistic restaurant. They started very well. Service was great & we got a nice wine option. Although overpriced for the quality, I give points to the waitress for capturing our desire. Appetizers were really good. That had set up the bar. We got a quiche & a rice on bacon with egg on top. Really good options. Present flavours & well served. The main dish we got to share ny strips. Honestly, a bummer. The meat was ok & the sauce felt like a meat brouillon diluted in water. Some potatoes were even burnt. Dessert was really good. Their signature, well done. Another point loss was the forceful 18% tipping. Service was good, but 15% standard was more than enough. Staff was very receptive & great. One of the waitresses slipped wine a few times on the table. Overall it was a 9 out of 10. Honestly, it was an ok restaurant. Not a should go back one.
if im being honest for me the biggest reason it gets five stars is because of the service & attentiveness from the front of house staff. can say the best service i have ever gotten hands down. thank you!
Absolutely a classic for fine dinning in Montreal. One negative aspect, if there is any, Liverpool house that has same owners is similar & I had more fun there:). Just me.
Feb 21, 2024
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The service is excellent & the staff is really friendly. The appetizers (shrimp cocktail & raw scallops) were decent, but underwhelming. The mains were generous in portion (lobster spaghetti & the whole cornish hen), but they were very salty (I like salt, so it wasn't a problem for me, but my date went through about 5 cups of water during the mains). The peas & morels were so sparce in the dish that I wouldn't really include them in the description on the menu. There weren't many choices for side vegetables either (I think carrots was the only option). The star of the show was the bread rolls with salt & butter. My 250$ bill was worth it for the bread! The restaurant is good, really good, so I'm not trying to say it wasn't. It just didn't meet my expectations for what has become a staple of the Montreal culinary scene.
Bonne bouffe, repas réconfortant, bonne quantité dans les assiettes. Service au dessus de la moyenne, attentionné. Prix un peu trop élevé mais ca va avec leur réputation international.
We had a lovely experience at Joe Beef for a party of 4. We were recommended to order 4 appetizers, 4 mains & 1-2 side dishes, which might have been a bit overkill, but we enjoyed every bit. One less main would have been the perfect amount. We had the snails, paté en croute, Époisses tart & the daily special (their twist on ham & cheese sandwich). The snails & paté en croute were delicious. The daily special was on the smaller side & the cheese overpowered most of the dish. For mains, we had the daily fish, which was good but not at the same level as other dishes. The chicken, sweetbreads & lobster pasta were all amazing - I understand why the lobster spaghetti has been on their menu for the past 19 years! The wine was great too!
I don't understand the ratings given. I tried the Pâté en croûte, Lobster, Rabbit, Old Pork. The overall experience ranged from really not good to average. Additionally, the prices are excessively high, especially considering the quality. Only good point: the service was excellent
