Classiques de restaurants du Vieux-Montréal au coeur de la Petite Bourgogne. Un hommage à Charles "Joe-Beef" McKiernan, héros de la classe ouvrière du 19ième siècle. A deux pas mi-ivres du célèbre Marché Atwater. Steaks et fruits de mer.
Dans l'ensemble des avis, Joe Beef se distingue par une cuisine riche et décadente et des portions généreuses, avec le spaghetti au homard, le filet et le steak mariné, ainsi qu'un fort accent sur les fruits de mer qui revient souvent. Le service est décrit comme attentif, compétent et chaleureux, contribuant à une ambiance animée et décontractée que beaucoup considèrent comme une institution montréalaise. Le homard spaghetti et d'autres plats emblématiques sont régulièrement mis en avant, mais certains visiteurs trouvent le prix élevé et certaines préparations manquent d'assaisonnement ou se révèlent inégales, laissant des impressions mitigées sur la valeur. Les réservations restent difficiles et l'endroit peut être bruyant, mais l'expérience globale est décrite comme mémorable et adaptée pour une occasion spéciale, avec des desserts tels que marjolaine et éclair pistache qui retiennent l'attention. En résumé, Joe Beef propose des saveurs audacieuses et un spectacle culinaire qui séduisent de nombreux gourmets, tout en laissant certains souhaitant plus de cohérence et un meilleur rapport qualité-prix.
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
26 janv. 2024
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Probably one of my all time favorite dining experiences - it starts with the staff (especially at the bar) who are so friendly & fun to interact with, down to the range of indulgent food from the cold bar down to the lobster spaghetti! Drinks don't stop pouring & they're exquisite, & don't get me started on the desserts abound here! Definitely hope to come back in the future!
We loved the lobster spaghetti super creamy & portion is generous. For the duck dish to share, the meat was perfect cooked but the sauce is a bit too salty, we couldn't taste & sweetness & sourness from the plum sauce.
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.
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.
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 !!
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.
Had an incredible meal at Joe Beef. Four of us split octopus, tuna tartare, roasted egg plant, NY strip for 2, lobster spaghetti, scallops, & the marjolaine. Will go back anytime I’m in Montreal!
6 oct. 2023
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Great experience. Staffs were nice & freindly- explained the menu very well.
We ordered hanger steak & lobster spaghetti. Considering it was sirloin, kitchen staff did an amzining job. The meat was cooked perfectly, even the tomato on the top was great. (Could be better if it was aged sirloin with that price).
However, the lobster spaghetti was more like 'meh'. The lobster meat may have been overcooked since it was chewy. Its sauce didn't really have much taste- just creamy, & that was it. Could've used garlic or saffron or just something. Some parts of the spaghetti noodles were stuck together.
It was a pleasant experience overall, but could be better with that price.
We were expecting more. It was OK but it did not blow us away. I got the lobster spaghetti which was good. My wife got the veal which arrived at different temperatures hinting that it was or had portions re-heated.
We had high expectations given the title of former #1 best restaurant in Canada but we were very disappointed. We even wondered how this could have ever been even in the top 100. Given the price point, we were expecting a certain quality of food & level of service & ambiance that just wasn’t there.
For apps, we had:
- smoked eggplant: it was a cold dish, which was unexpected with eggplant (i prefer them warm but ok fine), flavour was great but needed a touch more salt, bit of crunch from the crostini was perfect, the olive oil was great
- foie gras entremet: it’s like a foie gras cake, which was a cool concept except the dish was so sweet you couldn’t taste the foie gras. It was like a foie gras dish for ppl who don’t like foie gras (but then why would you get it lol)
Mains:
- lobster pasta: seems to be what they’re known for but was sorely disappointed in this poor spin on carbonara with coconut milk. I like food that is out there but the coconut milk just made absolutely no sense here. Without the lobster, you would have never known it was lobster pasta. The lobster was also overcooked & you only get half for a small portion. It just felt so overpriced for what you get, & the dish wasn’t even good. I was really sad.
- guinea fowl: this daily special saved the dinner for us, the meat was crispy on the outside, perfectly cooked inside, super juicy, gravy was not too heavy. However, the lack of carbs from the dish was really noticeable. It would have been great to mop up the sauce with some bread even.
Service: Normally I don’t rate on service, but I think it’s reasonable to expect a $$$$ restaurant to have at least decent service. We did not feel welcomed the minute we walked in. We stood at the host table for a solid 5 minutes before a host even acknowledged us standing in front of them. It took almost a full hour for apps to come out. Mains took equally as long despite half the restaurant being empty (it was near closing, we were the last time slot).
Ambiance: It was way too loud in there. Music was very loud so everyone had to talk louder to hear each other. We ended up having to almost yell to hear what the other person was saying across the table. The tables were really close together & they were unstable - I almost knocked our table over several times because I leaned on the corner a bit trying to shuffle in & out.
Overall, very disappointed in our experience here. It felt like a mediocre diner charging fine dining price points but failing miserably on delivery. I don’t recommend coming here at all, save your hard earned money for better food, especially at this price point.
Joe Beef, a culinary gem in Montreal, effortlessly captures the essence of hearty, flavorful dining. Walking in, one is greeted by an unmistakably rustic ambiance, with dim lighting & vintage decor that adds a layer of nostalgia, transporting diners to an old-world bistro. Their menu is a testament to decadent comfort food, with dishes like the famed lobster spaghetti & smoked meat taking center stage. Every bite radiates the warmth of well-prepared food, speaking to the skill & passion of the chefs behind the scenes.
However, there are certain aspects that stop Joe Beef from achieving absolute perfection. The portion sizes, for instance, can sometimes feel overwhelming. While some might appreciate the generosity, others might find it wasteful or too indulgent. Moreover, on busier nights, the noise level can rise considerably, potentially disrupting intimate conversations.
The staff, attentive & knowledgeable, certainly enhance the dining experience. They offer wine pairings that complement the dishes beautifully.
In summary, Joe Beef provides a near-impeccable dining experience, characterized by rich flavors & an authentic ambiance, with just a few minor areas to refine.
29 août 2023
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Good but expensive & forgettable (except for the big buffalo in the restroom!).
We had high expectations for the lobster spaghetti since there are so many great reviews. However, it was just ok, they could have presented with less spaghetti to make the dish finer. It ended up being too heavy & the lobster didn't have much flavor.
We were also overwhelmed by the waitress, don't get me wrong, she was very polite & friendly. But she talked waaay too much, trying to explain every single dish. At some point, I stopped listening because I had too much information.
The restaurant was very crowded when we were there & we sat outside on the little rustic backyard terrace/potted garden. I have to say that I'm not comfortable standing right next to someone else's table to read the menu & I also can't read the menu, at length, before I make my choices. The service was good & the food here was good but I wouldn't rave about it. I don't remember the entrees that we had so they must not have been great but we both had the Lobster spaghetti which was very good: very good pasta & good sauce. We had some sort of Pear tart for dessert which was very good but the servings were very small. The Bloody Caesars served with a large shrimp & fresh olives along with the standard celery stalk etc. are my favourite memory of our visit: they were so good that I'll go back to Joe Beef for a couple of those. Expensive restaurant, but not 5 star, IMO.
Not so cozy & no menu, everything written down on a chalkboard.It wasn't easy to read the menu. However, I ordered the lobster spaghetti & I was in lover with it. A friend had a horse steak & another couple got jarret d'agneau. Huge portions. Food was great along with service. The restaurant is noisy & loud. I would definitely go back!
