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.
All-In experience of a super enhanced Diner experience. The W wine list is vast, the staff has been guiding us through it in full confidence. All Shared - smoked salmon on a pumped bagel & cream cheese, Beef tartare then Steak & Chicken breast. All of this finishing on a massive crêpe wrapping a brick of delicious vanilla ice cream. SQDC Suggestion: Tangerine Dream - perfect friend & munchies activator for the experience.
Great good. We had the steak, oysters, clams, lobster spaghetti & the bloody ceasars....all items were top notch. The staff was great & friendly while service was fast. Prices are a bit on the higher side but well worth it & reasonable. Definitely would recommend. 10/10.
Didn't really find the steak outstanding, no one really checked in on me either until the end. As much as I wanted to love it, I can't say I did. I asked beside me to see if it was just me who found the service lacking, but they agreed with me as well. Fries were phenomenal though.
Was just ok, I used to enjoy this place a lot more when the objective was not just to get you in, fed & out the door for the next table. Not a relaxing place to enjoy your time pacing yourself & really savouring a quality meal with your dining partner(s). Yes the service is very attentive, mostly so that you never have to wait for anything, glasses are never allowed to get empty & yes food is good & the crudo's are always something I have, but the overall experience has changed in my opinion not for the better with the success of the chain.
I have been wanting to attend for years, it was worth the wait. Certainly a very special place to visit, the service was absolutely incredible I felt like a VIP. The vibe was amazing, he food was incredible. We got a number of raw bar dishes & a bunch of the specials, everything was the best thing ever. The bread service is not to be missed, & the oysters were maybe the best I have ever had. I look forward to going again for another extremely special meal.
A meal at Joe Beef is a meal to be savoured, to be remembered, to be cherished & to be celebrated. Each ingredient is carefully chosen, each dish is meticulously crafted, each wine pairing is inspired - & yet the experience is something even more than the sum of its individually impressive parts. Its wildly expensive, but you knew that already. You won't regret a meal here - you're in good hands at the Beef. Say hi to the buffalo for me.
Nov 6, 2023
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Came here for a dinner, with a reservation made about a month ago. We sat at the bar & had amazing service. Started off with the tartare, a scallop dish baked with some little pasta shapes & then the lobster spaghetti. The tartare & lobster spaghetti were definitely the highlights of the night. The service was great, everyone was super polite & helpful.
Truly some of the greatest food ever. Bourdain brought us here with his love letter to Montreal episode... We've been wanting to visit for years & finally were able to make the trip. It was worth the wait!! Every dish... every bite was a foodie's dream. It's a cozy tavern environment & the food is serious. If you're coming to Montreal, get on their list & you'll have a guaranteed great meal. Well done to the whole team who make it happen time & time again!!
Hands down, one of my top restaurant experiences ever. Cozy, lively, warm atmosphere & funky decor. Service was attentive, yet laid back & fun - our server was very knowledgeable & made expert recommendations. We were there for dinner on a Friday night, & the restaurant was completely full. Everyone around seemed so happy, & I knew it was going to be great when the diners at the next table had their eyes rolling back into their heads after receiving their first course. Started off with a flight of oysters & the stone crab - incredibly fresh & the oyster from Maine was HUGE. Loved everything. From the entree section, we ordered the escargot & bone marrow dishes - the bone marrow was a standout & was served with a heavenly tomato cream sauce & perfectly grilled, buttery baguette. For the mains we ordered the lobster spaghetti & sweetbreads (the latter the suggestion of our server over the steak). Lobster spaghetti was one of the top 3 pasta dishes of my life & the sweetbreads were served with a slight char. Amazing. I didn't think I could do dessert, but somehow I found room. Ordered the banana crepe dish at our server's suggestion. Absolutely insanely good with perfect butterscotch sauce drowning a crepe wrapped around banana ice cream. Perfectly balanced - the flavor of banana was not too overpowering & whole dish not too sweet. Our server recommended a great port to pair with it. We had cocktails throughout which were all fantastic & expertly made - we tried the Kamakaze, the Manhattan, the Caballero & one lighter one made with cider & pear. Also if you're interested in the merch, you can get some at the restaurant (if the items are in stock on their website, they can get it for you). I got this sweatshirt! 100 percent will return & the experience was completely worth it !!
One of the best restaurant experiences of my life. The food - impeccable. The service - amazing. The only downside is that Leo (one of the best servers I’ve ever seen) has absolutely horrible NBA opinions.
Joe beef is the top rank Canada restaurant & certainly I have high expectation. However high expectation means high disappointment. We ordered scallop sashimi (features of the day), escargot, lobster spaghetti, hanger steak & dessert? I expect wow factor in this meal, but end up wow, very average. The scallop sashimi has nothing special & cost $24 for two little scallops sashimi. The most disappointment is the $75 half lobster spaghetti. It is their signature plate, but the lobster is not fresh at all tonight, the lobster meat has no lobster taste & the meat is not firm. Overall, I don’t recommend. Montreal is noticeable for nice dining, but tonight is an exception.
this is going to be a more personal review. the food is amazing & so was the service. definitely worth the price. BUT, the food was a bit cold when we got it. additionally, the atmosphere wasn’t what you’d expect from such a high end restaurant. i went during the summer & fruit flies are expected near the bar & kitchen, but the amount of actual flies i noticed around the dining room was very concerning. i think i counted 10 flies just above our table. maybe this was just a one time thing but it was definitely a turn off while eating your food. i’d like to also add that all the doors that were visible to the clients were closed. small note but the music felt more like club music rather than fine dining music which also kind of makes the whole experience a bit weird. additionally, the restaurant is kid friendly (or at least, they accept children). this might not matter to some, but it really made our experience so so. there was a big family sitting behind us & they had 2 small children that would not stop crying & screaming. this is definitely not the restaurants fault, nor the kids (obviously) but i was a bit confused how the parents didn’t try to make the kids calm down. if you would like to have a calmer experience & are like me, i would recommend asking the restaurant to not sit you close to a family with small children if possible.
in conclusion, the food & service is just phenomenal. yet, the atmosphere & vibe weren’t the best.
definitely recommend coming but take my advice when reserving.
& i hope the whole fly thing was noticed by staff & resolved.
